Man, Besterberg is a weird listen. He once said his most hailed work is usually the stuff he recorded at his most miserable. In the liners for this comp, he says he started crying at the end of "Things," easily the best track here. At least I can assume he's been fairly happy for a while now! His wife is pretty cool - I'd like to read the book about her tenure in Zuzu's Petals she's working on. Anybody heard that band? Her piece on female touring archetypes in the entertaining if unfortunately titled Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-A-Rama is hilarious. If they ever break up I'm going to be bummed and probably buy his next album.

I can't even imagine how laughable this comp must sound to people who don't swear by Let It Be. Best songwriter of his generation getting by on familiar vocal timbre? On the BEST OF? "World Class Fad" and "Love Untold" deserved their MTV play, "Runaway Wind" is cute when you know he wrote it for the Robin Zander solo album and the b-side "Seein' Her" reaffirms the dude should be forced to do punk toss-offs with Josh Freese whether he wants to or not - way better batting average on those than the meaningful ballads. One of the best songs here is from the Friends soundtrack. I'd say that album would probably be less of a drag ("I Go Blind" was cute!) but I'd rather hear his most sluggish gotnuthinsorry than "Big Yellow Taxi," a fuckyoujesuschristno which precedes his track on the TV tie-in. Nonetheless, it all sounds like Keith Richards frustratedly trying to get some Goo Goo Doll money. The irony is kind of heartbreaking, but the dude deserves happiness more than a comeback. I mean he only made my favorite album ever.