Has this been linked to before? Patti Smith's editorial in the NYT (you need a Select subscription - for some reason it let me in anyway) on March 12, 2006 on the demise of CBGB and her induction into the Rock Hall of Fame: [link]

edit to add this next paragraph, because I think it should be in there:

On the eve of this event I asked myself many questions. Should an artist working within the revolutionary landscape of rock accept laurels from an institution? Should laurels be offered? Am I a worthy recipient?

...

Rock ’n’ roll drew me from my mother’s hand and led me to experience. In the end it was my neighbors who put everything in perspective. An approving nod from the old Italian woman who sells me pasta. A high five from the postman. An embrace from the notary and his wife. And a shout from the sanitation man driving down my street: “Hey, Patti, Hall of Fame. One for us.”

I just smiled, and I noticed I was proud. One for the neighborhood. My parents. My band. One for Fred. And anybody else who wants to come along.

awww that made me all sniffly

Intelligent teenagers often listen to heavy metal music to cope with the pressures associated with being talented, according to research.

The results of a study of more than 1,000 of the brightest five per cent of young people will come as relief to parents whose offspring, usually long-haired, are devotees of Iron Maiden, AC/DC and their musical descendants.

Researchers found that, far from being a sign of delinquency and poor academic ability, many adolescent \"metalheads\" are extremely bright and often use the music to help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted social outsiders.

[link]

The results of a study of more than 1,000 of the brightest five per cent of young people will come as relief to parents whose offspring, usually long-haired, are devotees of Iron Maiden, AC/DC and their musical descendants.

t feels validated in his Tool love

many adolescent "metalheads" are extremely bright and often use the music to help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted social outsiders.

I just have to say it...these logical fallacies are so common in newspaper writing about studies, and so avoidable!

t feels validated in his Tool love anyway

Strangely enough, I think this is probably true of both Rush and Ayn Rand, based on my memories of smart-but-isolated teenagers I knew. To both I now say: Oh, the humanity!

This is where I scuff my shoe and try to hide the decade-long Rush obsession I once held. I never listen to them any more. Not sure I even have any of their stuff, though I once posessed more or less their whole catalog. Don't even miss them, though I think back on them fondly.

Never read Ayn Rand, though. I think I got three pages into Telemachus Sneezed Atlas Shrugged before laying the book aside forever with a hearty "Oh, screw this."

feels validated in his Tool love

Oooookay... Sure you don't want to rephrase that? Tool-love notwithstanding.

OK, here's another band that I've never heard of but downloaded after I saw it recommended on eMusic: El-p, I'll Sleep When You're Dead.

Rather than try to describe it I'll just copy the eMusic blurb.

In the five years since he released the aggro rap classic Fantastic Damage, El-P has become even more paranoid. On this, his second solo LP, the Brooklyn-based beatmaker/MC takes the listener on a bumpy ride through his New York state of mind. It’s a dark journey. Packed with thumping drums, frantic machine gun vocals, cyborg fantasies and synth lines worthy of John Carpenter, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead blends together the best elements of Company Flow's Little Johnny from the Hospital, Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein and Fantastic Damage. The album comes with an intriguing guest list, cleverly utilising the distinctly un-hip-hop talents of: Trent Reznor, Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio, members of the Mars Volta, former Chavez frontman Matt Sweeney, Yo La Tengo's James McNew, Head Automatica’s Daryl Palumbo and Cat Power's Chan Marshall. The result is a musically engrossing, if somewhat oppressive, internal war report from one of hip-hop’s most consistently imaginative producers.

It's awesome! And it rocks! And, um... other good stuff!