Hair Metal, Shrimp with Greek Style Green Beans

November 15th Just to give you an injury update - the foot is resting comfortably. The well-traveled (and an excellent photographer I might add) appendage would like to thank you for your support. The foot is even featured on facebook for a contest as one of the more gruesome derby injuries. Go to derby hurts and say you like it, it would mean the world to it. Recently, I read a great book from one of my favorite pop culture writers Chuck Klosterman. If you have never heard of him, please put down the remote and give some of his stuff a read. He writes about things that seem to be right up my alley, goofy shit. I just finished "Fargo Rock City," a collection of chapters emphasizing the importance of hair metal to Chuck growing up in North Dakota. I too was immersed in the hair metal scene growing up, I wore the ripped denim, black concert t-shirts and had hair the Allman Brothers would have envied. I went to such concerts as Poison with Lita Ford and Trixter opening up. I saw the White tour which had White Lion, Whitesnake and Great White. Ozzfest - of course. Now that I have stated this - it seems I have probably fallen a couple more pegs on the cool meter, which leaves me about 3 pegs short of hell. One of the chapters in the book lists his favorite glam metal albums and how much he would have to be paid in order to sell them off. I decided that I would also like to do this, but just list my top 10 favorite hair metal artists, I will do the bottom 5 in this post (if I give you all 10, you might not want to cook afterwards). Before I start, I just want to state that my musical tastes have changed. When grunge came along, I followed and became a huge Pearl Jam fan, and still am. I also still dig The Police, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Peter Gabriel (not his new album, however) and Foo Fighters. I'm not saying this to climb out of the depths of pegdom, which I can't after admitting I paid cash money to see Trixter. 10. Def Leppard - I was actually a fan of their early stuff - Rock of Ages and Foolin' were pretty decent songs. "Pyromania" and "High N Dry" were good rock albums. Although "Hysteria" was a huge success, that was when I started to tune out. Pour some Sugar on Me has to be one of the more annoying songs ever created. For one, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Listen! red light, yellow light, green-a-light go! Crazy little woman in a one man show Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up Brilliant. What is a crazy little woman in a one man show? Who invited this woman and why does she want to go to a one man show? Maybe it's because she is crazy. I guess when you are a mirror queen and mannequin you can go to any show you want. I especially like the traffic light beginning to the stanza - green-a-light, once again, brilliant. I do give Def Leppard some credit for sticking with Rick Allen, their one-armed drummer. Most bands would have folded, or said "Sorry Rick, but you are a drummer, and now you only have one arm. You may go" Seems reasonable. But they forged ahead and sold some records even though most of what they did fell into the realm of awful pop rock. I still appreciate their early stuff and I have the Union Jack T-shirt to prove it, I think I clean cat pee stains with it. 9. Cinderella - These rockers from Philly did some fun songs with their first two albums, "Night Songs" and "Long Cold Winter." Yes, Tom Keifer can sound like a cat with its tail caught in a sliding glass door, but the music was still fun to listen to. Shake Me and Nobody's Fool were the hits on "Night Songs" and Gypsy Road and Coming Home made "Long Cold Winter" a hit. Sometimes I feel so old Got my lights burnin' bright But I'm lookin' pretty sold Sometimes I feel so cold So cold, let's go It is obvious that Cinderella like to rhyme. These are the lyrics you put together with a bottle of Jack and a Scrabble set - although the band may not get many points for sold and cold. I am going to translate for you what this stanza from Gypsy Road really means. I feel old, but I'm not dead, although I should be, is it cold in here? I need to leave. Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it. 8. Great White - This band tried to instill a little blues in their hairness. Worked for some songs, but eventually they ended up the way of most metal bands in the 80s, selling out to ballads and pop charts nonsense (although it can be said that everything they did was like that). "Once Bitten" had some really cool tunes on it with Rock Me and Save Your Love, but "Twice Shy" was a pop nightmare, and I think the song Once Bitten, Twice Shy can be put up there with that Sugar song I mentioned earlier. Woman you're a mess gonna die in your sleep There's blood on my amp and my Les Paul's beat Can't keep you home you're messin' around My best friend told me you're the best lick in town Well, Jack Russell (lead singer) instead of singing to this woman, you need to take her to a hospital. For God's sake, there is blood everywhere, yet all you can think about is how well she licks. My my my, you are one lousy friend. 7. Scorpions - This German collective actually rocked pretty hard. Rock You Like a Hurricane is a song I still like to pop in the old cd player every once in awhile. The video to this song has that Thunderdome feel to it, as the band rocks in a flimsy cage while wild eyed German kids try to break in. I also remember Winds of Change being their power ballad. I have always wondered what lead singer Klaus Meine says in hurricane, it sounds like it's in German, so I looked it up. Here I am, rock you like a hurricane. Abbla bladda beda yaugghhh. Thank god for wikipedia. 6. Bon Jovi - My favorite song of theirs is Wanted Dead or Alive, a pretty well-written song that has been overplayed since the beginning. What's funny is now I hear that song on classic radio stations (insert old age joke here). I was in New Jersey when the album with the same name was released. I remember all of the t-top Irocs with the Jersey hairsprayed do's flying out the top. Each car would pass, playing Bad Medicine, because bad medicine was what they needed. Good medicine would have made for better follicle decisions. "Slippery When Wet" was a good album, it rocked sometimes and other times it wanted to make me beat up Jon. The songs on the album remind me of good times on the Jersey shore, pre-Snookie. Bon Jovi videos always featured a happy Jon, who smiled all the time. In fact, the entire band smiled way too much. I know they were making millions, and getting laid every six seconds, but jeez man, I'm tired of seeing your molars. Maybe I was just jealous. An angel's smile is what you sell You promise me heaven then put me through hell Chains of love got a hold on me When passion's a prison you can't break free. You Give Love a Bad Name was obviously Jovi's biggest hit, and is essentially about a slut, who seems to be ruining the good reputation of love. I have never been in a passion prison, but I believe they have them in Amsterdam, complete with chains of love. I know after reading this, you cannot wait for the rest. Actually, some of you might be screaming at your screen right now saying, "WHERE'S WINGER?!" Well, Kip didn't make the cut. You see, she was only 17, and that my friends is illegal. OK, if you still have an appetite, here is your shopping list: Shrimp with Capers, Garlic, and Rice 2 tsp olive oil 2 tbs fresh thyme, chopped 2 tbs of drained capers 3 garlic cloves, minced 1.5 lbs of large shrimp, free of veins and shells juice from half a lemon, or full if you have scurvy Make some rice - about 2 cups for two people. Grab yourself a big sauce pan and heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the capers, thyme and garlic and cook that for about a minute. Toss in the shrimp and the lemon juice and cook for 4 minutes. Shrimp cooks really fast, and can overcook in an instant. So make sure you keep moving them around. No more pink, your ready to get your shrimp on. Greek Style Green Beans 1 package of 12-oz green beans you can nuke .25 cup of sliced shallots .25 cup of crumbled feta cheese 2 Tbs of lemon juice 1 tbs of olive oil some cracked black pepper Microwave those green beans according to the directions on the package. Have a ice bath waiting for them to stop the cooking process. Stick the beans in there, then drain. Add the rest of the ingredients, then toss. This side tastes better cold. As you can tell, these recipes were very simple. They came from "Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals" cookbook that is essential when I work late. Makes quick meals, and not too many ingredients. I plan on doing a lamb with roasted eggplant recipe soon. Plus, I will reveal the final 5 hair metal bands - I know, the anticipation is just killing you, or is it the hair metal? I leave you with these wise words from the band Poison. . . You look at me so funny Love bite got you acting oh so strange She's got too many bees in honey Am I just another world peeling in ah? Check out Pure, unskinny brilliance.