i'm not a creep

i'm not a creep. i might be a weirdo, but i'm not a creep.

i can't help but think that sometimes radiohead's hit song, 'creep,' is what's wrong with my generation. i can't help but think that sometimes the song, 'creep,' is also what's wrong with generations after. i don't find any reason whatsoever to celebrate being a creep. i just don't think it's something to shoot for.

'creep,' came out into the world at the exact time in history you'd think it would. it was a time when it seemed  cool to be down and depressed and sad. it was a time when a lot of our heroes were kinda bummers. and, 'creep,' sorta perfectly captured that spirit. you could probably single out, 'creep,' and beck's, 'loser,' as the anthems for that time (at least, 'loser,' was sorta upbeat musically). that's how we felt, like losers and creeps. at the time when i was a stupid teenager, that seemed cool. but looking back at age 33, i want no part of that.

to this day it sorta bums me out to be in a bar and hear, 'creep,' come on the jukebox when suddenly everyone around me is singing the chorus in unison. and hey, i get it. i've been there. i've been that dude. i guess at some point in our lives, we all play the roll of the loser creep that no one's attracted to. so the song gives people some form of catharsis and that's always a pretty rad feeling, even if it's focused on something negative.

but no one's ever gonna be attracted to the loser creep who thinks of themselves as such. if you wanna rock out to this song, go ahead. but don't live it. don't hear it and think, 'this is about me.' cuz being a creep is not a good thing. i don't wanna be around creeps. it's in the name, they creep me out.

it's okay to be weird. and it's fine to be different. we should all be different. break molds. be unique. march to your own damn drumbeat. and if you find yourself misunderstood by most, that's cool. just like who you are. there's no joy in taking a look in the mirror and thinking, 'what a creep.' do whatever you gotta do to stop thinking that about yourself.

and for the record, i'm a radiohead fan. i even think, 'creep,' is a good song. but i think that it became too popular. and it's rise to popularity and it's lasting power for damn near 20 years says something about the listeners who keep that song popular. radiohead has a pretty expansive library. go dig around in it. stop replaying the song that makes you feel okay for being down on yourself. in fact, stop replaying anything that makes you feel okay for being down on yourself.