Defend the Indefensible - Alanis Morissette

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classic for encouraging chicks to go down on dudes in the-atres. very few better respected rock bands of the past 15 years have had that nice of an impact on my life.

― toothy philanthropist, Monday, 22 November 2004 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)

To be honest, though, I think "You Oughta Know" is one of the most pathetic (as in what the content says...not how it was written) lyrics ever...it's not furious, it's desperate!

It comes across as desperate and slightly unhinged, like she's the Jennifer Jason Leigh character in "Single White Female".

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

She does get a point for probably being capable of clearing out bars in Williamsburg when you play her...unless those hipster bastards are into being purposefully ironic or kitschy.

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:37 (twenty-one years ago)

"Every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back, I hope you feel it[, Dave Coulier]!"

CREEPY

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Sting trapped in the body of a kooky canuck

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Songs I'd like if I didn't find Alanis completely unstomachable right now.

"You Learn"
"You Oughta Know"
"So Pure" (that's the one about the free-stylin' chance where she's dancing in different styles in the video, right?)
"Uninvited"
"What I Really Want"

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Festivals are one of my favourite things to do. I don't know if we've ever done Reading, I'll find out and see

the nme random alanis quote generator is fun.

― keith m (keithmcl), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:54 (twenty-one years ago)

INSUFFERABLE TO THE LAST!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

"what I really want" is one of the ones i liked! haven't heard it in years though.

― Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:57 (twenty-one years ago)

It's probably my favorite in hindsight.

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Is that the same as "All I Really Want"?

― Every country has their stupid (AaronHz), Monday, 22 November 2004 01:11 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, that's it.

d'oh.

― Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 22 November 2004 01:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, for a minute I thought she had a sequel on one of her newer CDs, like "Unforgiven II" or something.

― Every country has their stupid (AaronHz), Monday, 22 November 2004 01:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned got it right -- I heard that song hundreds of times and I can't recall it now for the life of me. Memorable as image, sexual politics, lyrics, whatever but as music? Eminently forgettable. But I have to admit I found her attractive in a tomboy-ish kinda way.

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Monday, 22 November 2004 02:11 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't think i'll get most of her jingles out my head

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 22 November 2004 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

My friend Eric has memorably covered "One Hand in My Pocket" in an amusing but not ironic way.

― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Monday, 22 November 2004 02:34 (twenty-one years ago)

She gave her drummer to the Foo Fighters so Dave Grohl could spend less time worrying about the drum parts and more time writing awesome songs like "Learn to Fly" and "Times Like These."

Wait, you said defend?

― earinfections (Nick Twisp), Monday, 22 November 2004 02:46 (twenty-one years ago)

i really like "uninvited" and then i liked it even more when i watched some live concert they showed on VH1 at the time. i enjoyed the fake zep thing.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 22 November 2004 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"Hand In My Pocket" makes my Anthrax On A Tampax list: Songs That Turn Me Into A Virulent Misogynist If I Am In Earshot.

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 22 November 2004 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Nice hair?

― Piers (piers), Monday, 22 November 2004 05:27 (twenty-one years ago)

"blessed duplicity" amazing lyric, so C for that reason.
considering the current class of awfull teen and twenty something singer songwriters, she is way ahead of the curve.

― lukey (Lukey G), Monday, 22 November 2004 09:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Where does she say "blessed duplicity"? I know she calls old man Coulier "Mr. Duplicity" on "You Outta Know".

― Every country has their stupid (AaronHz), Monday, 22 November 2004 10:01 (twenty-one years ago)

She is mortal and will die.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Monday, 22 November 2004 10:06 (twenty-one years ago)

"Outta" haha.

― Every country has their stupid (AaronHz), Monday, 22 November 2004 10:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Her boyfriends are hot. Except Dave Coulier.

― Titsy Borgnine (Arthur), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

HA HA I AM IN THERE oh damn.

― Sad, Rejected Dave Coulier (Dan Perry), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

i didn't like anything off her first album but agree with several people that 'So Pure', 'Thank You' and 'Hands Clean' are good

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:22 (twenty-one years ago)

"Stinky britches, I got stinky britches..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"Thank You" is astonishing. (haha I have identified another Dan/Ned bifurcation)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Indeed! We must make careful note of this.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll be the first to admit that many of my favorite musicians are guilty of herculean pretentiousness (Jaz Coleman could never be accused of being humble), but I find Alanis to be so incredibly, insufferably earnest and fuckin' HIGH on herself that I can barely put it into words. Indefensible. Indefensible. Indefensible.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

At least she's not Ani DiFranco, Alex!

― Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Or Fiona Apple (whom I also like but COME ON NOW).

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Fiona Apple is great! And she's like Nellie McKay in that her incredible self-obsession and pretentiousness is actually very endearing, whereas with Ani it's a little grating and with Alanis it's bemusing and loopy.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

At least she's not Ani DiFranco, Alex!

Fair point, Ian, but Ani's easier to ignore.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

i kinda like how flakey and hoser-ish she is

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 22 November 2004 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

She gives Celine Dion a run for her money in the long-face department

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Monday, 22 November 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Someday someone will work the words "Morrissey" and "Morrisette" into a really funny, bitchy pop song.

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Monday, 22 November 2004 22:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Hybrid (in that short period when everything they touched turned gold) did a fantastic & huge sounding remix of "So Pure". That's about it though.

― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 22 November 2004 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)

A horse walks into a bar. Barman says, "Alanis, why the long face?"

― Piers (piers), Monday, 22 November 2004 22:54 (twenty-one years ago)

hands clean is classik.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 22 November 2004 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I like her new haircut.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Monday, 22 November 2004 23:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw her on TV when I couldn't properly hear it and had some pleasing thoughts.

Her appearance at some strange Hyde Park concert that also featured Gary Glitter with The Who meant that one person tried to get our motley breakfast stoned hungover losers there in time to see her. We failed, of course, but had we not tried to see Morissette, we'd probably have missed Dylan too, which was the point of the day.

Ken L OTM. This is worth it.

― Acme (acme), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 01:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Alanis Morissette songs taught me that I should never have sex with Alanis Morissette.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 02:03 (twenty-one years ago)

that black and white video where the parade goes by behind her? i really like that video a lot. i especially remember some kid in a high-school band walking past in slo-mo and waving all excitedly to the camera from behind alanis. it was a really nice genuine moment.

― john'n'chicago, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 02:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I find Alanis to be so incredibly, insufferably earnest and fuckin' HIGH on herself that I can barely put it into words.

Alex in NYC OTM (as always).

― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 03:04 (twenty-one years ago)

a poor woman's tori amos.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 05:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I never really got into her but her "rage" was a lot more believable, tolerable and understandable than a lot of the crap that was plowed into our ears back then. I'm looking at Mr. Rat in a Cage and his fellow whiners here.

― danh (danh), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 15:26 (twenty-one years ago)

You seem aggrieved.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

No, not really, but at least Alanis had good reason!

― danh (danh), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 45 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

The beginning is especially great. Actually, when I heard it I thought I had heard it somewhere else, but I think I was being reminded of something on side two of "Aerial Tal"!

― _Rudipherous_, Monday, 3 May 2010 00:14 (sixteen years ago)

iirc UR is also terrific off that record

― tart w/ a heart (a hoy hoy), Monday, 3 May 2010 00:28 (sixteen years ago)

Awful drum machines on everything I've heard from her.

― Moka, Monday, 3 May 2010 05:26 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

http://open.spotify.com/track/0Dw9z44gXhplDh5HCWZIxP

― an independent online phenomenon (DJP), Thursday, 12 April 2012 15:50 (fourteen years ago)

six months pass...

http://gawker.com/5952403/alanis-morissette-music-leads-to-domestic-abuse-case-in-florida

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 17 October 2012 04:53 (thirteen years ago)

how have i never seen this thread before

― 69, Wednesday, 17 October 2012 05:12 (thirteen years ago)

"You live you learn, You love you learn, You cry you learn, You lose you learn, You bleed you learn, You scream you learn." You just don't hit your boyfriend in the face with a plate. But, you learn.

^ lol @ this

― suggest butt (Pillbox), Wednesday, 17 October 2012 05:15 (thirteen years ago)

three years pass...

http://www.poynter.org/2016/alanis-morissette-is-taking-over-molly-ringwalds-advice-column/391110/

Many people in dire need of help and possibly even contemplating suicide will be now be jolted out of their emotional paralysis as they scurry off in search of thesauruses.

― clemenza, Saturday, 9 January 2016 00:10 (ten years ago)

She's now an advice columnist for the Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/09/alanis-morissette-queen-alt-rock-guardian-advice-columnist

― paolo, Saturday, 9 January 2016 12:22 (ten years ago)

if only someone had mentioned that sooner

― japanese mage (LocalGarda), Saturday, 9 January 2016 14:21 (ten years ago)

Oops :s

― paolo, Saturday, 9 January 2016 16:22 (ten years ago)

hehe

― japanese mage (LocalGarda), Saturday, 9 January 2016 16:29 (ten years ago)

Dear Alanis: it rained on my wedding day. What literary device best describes this situation?

Dear Alanis: My boyfriend has left me for someone who I suspect will suck him off in a movie theater. What is the proper way to communicate my displeasure with this state of affairs?

― Satan's hairpiece = hell toupee (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 9 January 2016 16:42 (ten years ago)

Never seen so many "Removed by moderator" in the comments section.

― Mark G, Saturday, 9 January 2016 16:57 (ten years ago)

Wait - Molly Ringwald had an advice column?

― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Saturday, 9 January 2016 17:49 (ten years ago)

my wife and i honeymooned in oct on the central coast of ca and stayed for a couple nights at the esalen institute in big sur. alanis was there and teaching a workshop called 'hurtling toward wholeness'. we didn't attend any of her workshops but did dine with her at the communal dinners. she's lovely and thoughtful and wise.

― Yelploaf, Tuesday, 12 January 2016 20:55 (ten years ago)

I thought you were kidding until I googled "esalen institute alanis." Wow. Perhaps one day she'll create an ingenious ad campaign for Coke.

― clemenza, Tuesday, 12 January 2016 22:06 (ten years ago)

three months pass...

so I guess she has a brother named Wade who is a yoga master!! this video is redonk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A16YQm_tqjI

― rockpalast '82 (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 2 May 2016 19:34 (ten years ago)

this whole thing is hilarious but i laughed the hardest at 'wade morrissette' for some reason

― dynamicinterface, Monday, 2 May 2016 21:05 (ten years ago)

four years pass...

I hear her more now than ever, pretty much daily--she seems to have replaced the Guess Who as every milquetoast Canadian radio station's default Cancon (on whatever the proper name is right now for Top-40/AOR/Boomer stations). "Ironic," "Hand in Pocket," and "Thank You," mostly--at least I've been spared "You Oughta Know."

What a terrible trade.

― clemenza, Thursday, 8 April 2021 22:44 (five years ago)

You Oughta Know that you made me imagine 1970-era Burton Cummings singing that song.

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 9 April 2021 00:15 (five years ago)

Burton has a light touch next to Alanis: "You Oughta Know" would need Rare Earth or Blood, Sweat & Tears or the Ides of March.

― clemenza, Friday, 9 April 2021 00:38 (five years ago)

OK, it's not necessary to bring out the big guns.

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 9 April 2021 00:41 (five years ago)

Actually, I was never bothered by her vocal affectations - they seemed a lot more playful and eccentric than the oversouling of Clayton-Thomas or Joplin.

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 9 April 2021 01:51 (five years ago)

I’ve been in a room with her twice (once professional, once incidental). She seemed cool both times.

― Yawnsomely Literal Cover Band (morrisp), Friday, 9 April 2021 01:57 (five years ago)

One can't say that about Burton Cummings.

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 9 April 2021 02:06 (five years ago)

three years pass...

Didn't realize she turned 50 yesterday. I hope she had a rhapsodic, blithe, enraptured birthday.

― clemenza, Sunday, 2 June 2024 20:01 (two years ago)

I think of her music as something from my childhood (which it is), so it's crazy to me to realize that she's only ten years older than me.

― Lily Dale, Sunday, 2 June 2024 21:02 (two years ago)

Huh, what a coincidence. I just bought Jagged Little Pill on used CD today. Don’t think I’d ever listened to the whole album. Her voice is a versatile instrument and she’s definitely not shy of pushing it to its limits or beyond. She even pulls off some convincing James Hetfieldesque growls on You Otta Know (of course I knew that song already but hadn’t listened to it in a minute).

― o. nate, Sunday, 2 June 2024 22:40 (two years ago)

one year passes...

“And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you died, ‘til you died, but you're still alive”

that’s a great lyric.

― Mr. Snrub, Friday, 11 July 2025 17:15 (eleven months ago)

two months pass...

Slap me with the splintered ruler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UKoKLpIsbE

― llurk, Saturday, 4 October 2025 23:49 (eight months ago)

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