People love lists…magazines, broadcasters, and websites are always publishing them…the ones that seem to get the most attention are those that rank a specific thing from worst to best.

And let’s be honest: most of these lists are designed to court controversy, to create arguments, and to get people talking about how things got ordered and why or why not someone or something should be at number one…i get it.

But not all lists are created equal…some are just supposed to keep track of something…what to buy at the grocery store…errands that need to be done…things you need to pack for a trip.

Then there’s middle ground…lists that keep track of something while attempting to slot them in some order of importance, influence, or impact.

Such lists will still result in arguments and debate over how things were ranked—which is fine—but the primary purpose of such a list is an attempt to remember what happened.

We’re already 25% the way through the 21st century…and with the pace of life, it’s harder and harder to keep up with what happened this week let alone over the last quarter-century.

That’s why everything once in a while it’s important to stop, take a breath, look around, and try to remember what happened…and once we account for that, we can get a better idea of why we’ve ended up where we are: the advances we’ve seen, the mistakes we’ve made, and the happy (and unhappy accidents) that have occurred—and maybe, just maybe, figure out where we’re going.

This is chapter five of the 100 greatest rock moments of the millennium—so far.

Songs in this episode:

Cruisebox - On A Podcast

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

Patti Smith - Elegie

Black Keys - Lonely Boy

Metallica - Seek And Destroy (live)

Green Day - American Idiot

Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name Of

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Foo Fighters - Learning to Fly (live)

Nirvana - Polly

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