Here we go, the end (or is it the beginning?) of Brian's Wildly Indulgent List of 25 Forms of Media that have Influenced Him. Last, but not least (or first, but not, uh, last), is music. And since I'm talking about music, expect long, rambling passages. That's what I do.

1. Better than Ezra’s “Desperately Wanting” and Our Lady Peace’s “Clumsy”: Here’s a brief trip through my musical history: For the majority of my childhood, I listened to what my parents listened to. This consisted mostly of soft rock. It wasn’t until 7th or 8th grade when I finally began branching out on my own. I started listening to DC101 -- our local alt-rock station. “Desperately Wanting” and “Clumsy” were the first two songs that really caught my attention. I would listen to the radio on my boombox, waiting for those songs to play so I could tape them on a cassette and listen to them again whenever I wanted. Eventually, I picked up Our Lady Peace’s Clumsy, and that was my very first CD.

2. Blink 182’s Enema of the State: Look, I’m being honest here, okay? Doesn’t mean that I have to be happy about it. My first choice for this slot was an MXPX record. Then I changed it to a NOFX record. Then I realized that the TRUE album that got me into punk rock is this pop-punk album from 1999. I would put this CD in my CD player (because mp3 players weren’t around at the time, kids), put the CD player on repeat, and do puzzles for hours on end. What can I say? I was an out-of-control high schooler.

3. Osker’s Idle Will Kill: I don’t get why people who like punk rock wouldn’t like this album. This is what punk is all about. Here’s how the album opens: “Patience is nothing worth holding onto. Bite my tongue? Why should I, when you never did that for me? When were you schooled in technicalities? I didn’t know I made friends with fucking rock critics.” And on you go, a ride spanning fourteen songs that all deal with the pains of growing up. Other factors that I consider add charm to this record: the snotty teenage vocals, the fact that Osker never gave a fuck what fans thought of them, and the fact that Osker broke up after this, what would have surely been their finest work no matter how long they stayed together.

4. The Weakerthans’ Left and Leaving: My all-time favorite lyricist is John K. Samson of The Weakerthans. This album was my first exposure to them and it remains my favorite. If I could choose only one side of any album to listen to for eternity, the A side of Left and Leaving would be my answer. Try to find a bad song in this bunch: “Everything Must Go,” “Aside,” “Watermark,” “Pamphleteer,” “This is a Firedoor, Never Leave Open,” and “Without Mythologies.” Have you tried looking? Don’t bother -- you won’t find one.

5. (The album that won this spot is a surprise that I will reveal after much, much explanation.): This is the last open slot I have on my list. Blink 182 was an easy choice, as was The Weakerthans and the album that follows. Even Osker was fairly easy, because it’s a punk rock album that punk rockers don’t like. (I inherently like things that so-called fringe groups look down upon. I will never be fully “indie,” I will never be fully “punk,” I will never be fully anything. I will listen to whatever I goddamn please, thank you very much, even if that includes Better than Ezra, Our Lady Peace, or any other mainstream music.) So this was a hard spot to fill. I wanted to use The Lawrence Arms’ Apathy and Exhaustion. I wanted to use Lagwagon’s Let’s Talk about Feelings. I wanted to use Bad Astronaut’s Houston, We have a Drinking Problem. I wanted to use Saves the Day’s Stay What You Are. And while all of those are exceptional albums, it was hard for me to pinpoint how, exactly, they were influential. So I thought about it, and what I came up with is... Junction 18’s This Vicious Cycle. An infectious pop-punk album that rocks. It just rocks. Those songs are damn fun to sing along to, and catchy as hell. And, in high school, when I first found out about the album, I wanted to share it with everyone I knew. In fact, I made a little system where my circle of friends would pass the album from one person to another. The album got an overwhelmingly positive response. I felt good about exposing my friends to music they had no chance of discovering on their own. And it’s only now that I realize that that one act, sharing Junction 18’s debut album, is probably what sparked my interest in becoming a radio DJ.

6. Explosions in the Sky’s The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place: And now we come to the end of my college years. I drifted from my punk rock roots and started dabbling in the “indie” territory. One of the biggest leaps for me was getting into instrumental music. Before, I always associated my love of music with the lyrics. I didn’t think music without words could affect me. And then I heard “Your Hand in Mine,” the zenith of The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place. I was floored. How could music evoke such feelings in me? Music that doesn’t even contain a single word, for that matter? I don’t know. Even after dozens and dozens of listens, I still don’t know. But it does. Somehow, it does. This album takes me places. This album helps me sort things out. This album is absolute perfection.