Don’t steal my sunshine. I need it for my celestial portrait.

All last week I was trying to remember the name of this terrible song/video from the 90s. Yesterday with a little help I finally got it. It was Steal My Sunshine by Len.

At least watch up to the part where she spells out L-A-T-E-R for extra cringe factor. And if that’s still not enough, they were brother and sister. Jheeps!

As I was getting close to remembering it and finding it on YouTube I got this rush of excitement. That was quickly followed by a sort of dull feeling of disappointment. I mean yes Len suck and the video was bad but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I mean as far as bad 90s bands are concerned I’d say that Smash Mouth or Limp Biscuit were worse than Len despite achieving greater success.

Shudder!

I guess my mind just built it up to be a lot worse than it was.

You know what it’s like? It’s like that film technique that directors use where you don’t see the violence or the scary part but it’s implied so well that your mind fills in the blanks. Alfred Hitchcock used it for the shower scene in Psycho.

And Quinton Tarantino used it for the ear scene in Reservoir Dogs. You never actually see the ear being cut off but you still remember it as being a very brutal and violent scene.

Of course there’s also a technique that’s the complete opposite of this but still very effective. Like the Frank and Beans scene in There’s Something About Mary.

Something from the 90s that didn’t suck.

Sigh. Did you know that Len and Smash Mouth and Limp Bizkit and Reservoir Dogs and There’s Something About Mary are all considered retro now. It’s true. The 90s are now retro. Don’t believe me?

See!

I don’t know about you but I don’t think I’m ready to hear Chumbawumba again anytime soon. And look at the t-shirts they’re selling over at  Urban Outfitters now. ODB, Dr. Dre, Sonic the Hedge Hog, Kramer and yes, even Reservoir Dogs. There are people that aren’t even done wearing these the first time around! I think there needs to be a 20 year cooling off period before something is considered retro. If you think it would be cutting edge to start dressing like Saved By the Bell now, that’s up to you. But I hope you know what you’re getting into.

In fact the 90s can be summed up with the same feelings I had when I finally found that Len video. Not quite as bad as you think but still kind of disappointing.

L-A-T-E-R

P.S. Thanks for sitting through an all-together not that funny post. To sweeten the pot here’s a link to a site where you can get your  celestial portrait done by Erial Ali. I think you’ll enjoy the before and the after pictures.