Went to IKEA yesterday. Dangerous place, that. You have to walk past so many things on the way to the check-out that you're bound to see something you never before knew existed, but now cannot live without. (I think I stole that line from Calvin & Hobbes.)
I think of IKEA as some designer's utopian vision: thoughtful design for the masses. So many cheap furnishings are poorly designed. But why? Everything that's produced has to be designed anyway--why not put a little more thought into it and exceed people's expectations? I don't like everything about IKEA, but I appreciate that they respect their customers' taste, even if we aren't bajillionaires.
On the way back, listening to the Mountain Goats, I was thinking about vocalists who have that good-bad sound. Like Bob Dylan: a voice well out of the mainstream, but that sounds all the better for being unusual. I think They Might Be Giants fall into this category, too. I really like listening to these guys. Sort of like adding vinegar to a recipe--the slight tang wakes up your senses. But I can't think of a single female artist who falls into that category. I don't know if that means women with non-commercial voices don't get signed, or if I'm just listening to the wrong music.
