Down at our rendez-vous

Even when the subject matter is trite, my conversations with Stanley Roper are always fertile. Earlier, we were discussing my ranking of the worst songs of the nineties, about which we generally concur.

(Quick review -- No tease here: I opened at the top with "Silent Lucidity," by Queensryche. Third Eye Blind's "Jumper" follows.)

While Stanley insists that Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" belongs in third place -- if not higher -- I'm sticking with "Glycerine," by Bush, plodding by even prog rock standards. But the landlord isn't far off: "Jeremy" places in my four hole. Bush, however, has taken the early lead for "worst band of the decade."

Who should be 5th, 9th, 123rd ... ? Does anyone suck more than the Gavin Rossdale-led quartet?? Your nominations are welcome.

Of course, when you're discussing crappy 90s bands, Limp Bizkit is bound to enter the conversation. But then Stanley and I realized something wonderful, something neither of us expected: Fred Durst has, basically, disappeared. You never hear his name anymore. (Although the fat Floridian is likely to re-emerge on a future edition of VH-1's "Surreal Life.")

Sometimes, it's good to count your blessings.