"Hook" - Blues Traveler

Taking a break from the obscure bands I listen to now and flashing back to my days as an 8th grader back in the mid 90's. Actually, Blues Traveler might be obscure now too, but I'm hoping that's not so. This band was a phenomenal success in the 90's, especially this song and "Runaround". People knew them as the band with the obese lead singer who could really tear it up on the harmonica. He's even responsible for the harmonica part in "What Would You Say" by Dave Matthews.

Whenever I hear Blues Traveler I think of an interview I saw of John Popper (the fat singer/harmonica player) about 10 years ago. Popper had undergone a liposuction and a stomach stapling to trim off the pounds. He didn't even look like the same person any more, he was so skinny. His new look could actually be in direct correlation with the bands loss in popularity, though it could also be attributed to a decline in people who wear Birkenstocks and tie-dye t-shirts. Back to the liposuction. I applaud people for their motivation to lose weight, but I was shocked to hear Popper admit to a national audience what had been his deciding factor.
Apparently Popper was spending an evening alone, and had been browsing the  plethora of x rated video content online. After several minutes of taking matters into his own hands (so to speak) Popper began experiencing strange, painful sensations in his chest and left arm. Concerned, he stopped, the pain passed, and he began the process over again. A few minutes into his second attempt, the pain returned, he took another break. According to his interview, this went on for 4 hours before he decided to go to the ER. This must be the only man to check himself into the hospital with an erection lasting longer than 4 hours who hadn't consumed Viagra. As it turned out, Popper was suffering from a heart attack because he was too out of shape to masturbate. I'm left puzzled here. The man played harmonica with ferocious intensity without any sign of heart failure. In a live show, Popper would steal the stage, sweating like a half-fucked-fox in a forest fire, cranking out on the harmonica with more stamina than I think I could find in myself. He sits down to watch a porn, and almost dies? What the hell was the guy doing to himself? Thankfully, during his over-share on national TV, he didn't get into that.

Popper's issues aside, this song is incredible. It's catchy, fun, energetic, and for me, it's a bit of middle-school nostalgia.