Joel French profile picture

Joel French

joelfrench

About Me


Currently Listening To
- John Mayer - "Heavier Things"
- Motion City Soundtrack - "Even If It Kills Me"
- All Time Low - "So Wrong, It's Right"
- The Dixie Chicks - "Taking The Long Way"
Currently Reading
- "The Great War For Civilization" by Robert Fisk
Quote of the Day
(or week if I feel like it)
"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." - Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
My name is Joel French. I am not better than anyone else, regardless of religion, age, race, gender, favorite hockey team, sexual orientation or ethnicity. I stand up for what I believe to be right. I am an intellectual. The way I live my life can be described as "pessimism of the intellect and optimism of the will" (quote by Antonio Gramsci). I have flaws, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I never want to be rich. I try my best to help people. I have compassion for humanity. I believe there is one God and that he unconditionally loves each and every person on Earth. I believe He died for me, was resurrected, and one day will return for anyone who is willing to live for Him. I've never met anyone who comes anywhere close to understanding me, nor do I expect to.
Check out my new band "Dear (Your Name Here)" at WWW.MYSPACE.COM/DYNH !
Bands I Used To Like (but I don't anymore)
- Dashboard Confessional
- Fall Out Boy
- The Used
- Underoath
Bands That Are Overrated
- Angels & Airwaves
- Brand New
- Coheed & Cambria
- Matchbook Romance
- Panic! At The Disco
- Senses Fail
- The Faint
- The Killers
Strange Things About Me
- I have no fashion sense (and I don't care)
- I would rather be alone than in a large group of people
- I have an avid interest in American politics, but live in Canada
- I spent 2 years and thousands of dollars on a college education that I'll probably never use
- I only get my hair cut about 3 times a year
- I don't shop for clothes except sometimes pants if females make me
- I am less likely to like a band if they are popular
- I wear slippers when I'm at home, no matter what time of year it is
All-Time Musical Favorites
    BANDS
    ELLIS FRICKIN' PAUL Daphne Loves Derby Relient K The Reception Thrice
    ALBUMS
    All Time Low - "Put Up or Shut Up EP" Bayside - "The Walking Wounded" Cartel - "Chroma" Daphne Loves Derby - "Closing Down The Pattern Department EP" Ellis Paul - "The Speed of Trees" Ellis Paul - "Translucent Soul" Foreverinmotion - "The Beautiful Unknown" Moneen - "The Red Tree" MxPx - "Life In General" Relient K - "Mmhmm" The Reception - "Does It Keep You Awake?"
    SONGS
    Crowned King - "One In A Million" Daphne Loves Derby - "Come Winter" Ellis Paul - "Angel in Manhattan" Five Iron Frenzy - "Every New Day" Green Day - "Wake Me Up When September Ends" John Mayer - "Stop This Train" Mayday Parade - "You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I'll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds" Say Anything - "Admit It!" The Reception - "Quieting"

Things I Can't Stand
- George W. Bush (and every other mass-murderer)
- Stephen Harper's George Bush-esque character
- cliches
- legalistic people (especially legalistic Christians)
- dance music
- rich people
- cigarette smoke
- jocks (most of them)
- that vinegar-ish oily stuff they give you at Poverino's to dip your bread in
- hardcore music
- Nickelback
- the city of Regina
- volleyball
- shoes that leak
- long, pointless telephone conversations
- cold/winter/snow
- reality TV shows
- shopping for clothing
- poker
I've got a college diploma in Computer Science. I work at a pet store when I'm home. I play guitar and sing in a band called Dear (Your Name Here), and I used to play in a band called Farsighted. I toured a couple times with Farsighted. It was pretty cool. If you really want to know me, my blogs give a lot more insight into my thoughts than this does. Bye.

My Interests

People, Federal/International Politics, World Issues, Music

I'd like to meet:

Ellis Paul, Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, Warren Buffett, Mordechai Vanunu, David Kuo, Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich

Music:

Bands I listen to (bands I've seen live are in bold:

+44
Acceptance (RIP)
Alexisonfire
Alkaline Trio
All Time Low
Anathallo
Anberlin
Bayside
Between The Trees
Bob Dylan
Box Car Racer (RIP)
Brave Saint Saturn
Cartel
City & Colour
Copeland
Craig's Brother
Crowned King
Daphne Loves Derby
Dashboard Confessional
Dave Melillo
Dogwood (RIP?)
Down To Earth Approach (RIP)
Drive By Punch (RIP)
Dustin Kensrue
Ellis Paul
Emery
Fall Out Boy (old stuff)
Finch (RIP)
Five Iron Frenzy (RIP)
Foreverinmotion
Further Seems Forever (RIP)
Get Up Kids (RIP)
Ghoti Hook (RIP)
Glory Nights (RIP)
Go Radio
Good Charlotte
Grand Incredible (RIP)
Green Day
Halifax
Hangnail (RIP)
Heavens
Hidden In Plain View (RIP)
Jack's Mannequin
Joey Cape
John Lennon (RIP)
John Mayer
John Ralston
June
Kids In The Way
Kiros
Lakes
Less Than Jake
Letter Kills (RIP)
Mae
Making April
Mapping The Escape
Matthew Thiessen & The Earthquakes
Mayday Parade
Millencolin
Moneen
Motion City Soundtrack
MxPx
Name Taken (RIP)
New Found Glory
No Use For A Name
Noggin Toboggan (RIP)
Number One Gun
Plain White T's
Punchline
Relient K
Rookie Of The Year
Rufio (RIP)
Say Anything
Secondhand Serenade
Self Against City
Sherwood
Sick Of Change (RIP)
Silverstein
Sleeping At Last
Slick Shoes (RIP) (RIP)
Something Corporate (RIP)
Spitalfield (RIP)
Story Of The Year
Straylight Run
Strike Anywhere
Supertones (RIP)
Taking Back Sunday
Ten Second Epic
Terminal (RIP)
The Academy Is...
The Audition
The Early November (RIP)
The Februarys
The Fully Down
The New Amsterdams
The Pilot
The Postal Service
The Reception (RIP)
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
The Starting Line
The Undecided (RIP)
The Used (old stuff)
The Wedding
This Day And Age (RIP)
Thrice
Thursday
Tokyo Rose
Tony Sly
Underoath (TOCS)
Valencia
Value Pac (RIP)
Vance Gilbert
Versus The World
Waking Ashland (RIP)
Watashi Wa (RIP)
Yellowcard

Movies:

Occupation 101, Fahrenheit 9/11, Bowling For Columbine, V For Vendetta, An Inconvenient Truth, Orange County, Office Space, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Ace Ventura (both), Dumb And Dumber, and any other Jim Carrey movie (they're ALL good). Documentaries are usually my favorites.

Television:

"Entertainment television" is a waste of time. I don't watch much of anything (especially on the road).

Books:

Mostly non-fiction, but occasionally fiction. Authors: Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, Gandhi, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Norman Finkelstein, Howard Zinn, Ralph Nader, Greg Palast, and many more.

Heroes:

Noam Chomsky and Ellis Paul

My Blog

Life Canvas

Well, I noticed some people are still reading these, and I found in my archives a piece of poetry I wrote quite some time ago that I especially enjoy, and I'd like to share it with you.  Merry Ch...
Posted by Joel French on Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:02:00 PST

Working on the Kucinich for President Campaign in New Hampshire!!!

Hello everyone,I am very proud to announce that I will be working on Dennis Kucinich's Presidential campaign in Manchester, New Hampshire from mid-December to mid-January.  I know, I'm a Canadian...
Posted by Joel French on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:20:00 PST

Best Church Ever.

Well, it has been a while since I've attended a church service, other than the odd time when I'm invited to play in the worship band somewhere.  I don't really feel at home at any of the churches...
Posted by Joel French on Mon, 01 Oct 2007 10:18:00 PST

All I request is democracy.

Hey everyone. Sorry it has been so, so long since I've written on this blog.  I've been writing occasionally on the DYNH MySpace (www.myspace.com/dynh).  I'm writing here tonight because th...
Posted by Joel French on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:04:00 PST

I'm Home: Entry #6

Well, I think this is going to be a quick update...maybe. Vadasz and I are once again downtown Toronto, picking up a wireless signal from somebody's house.  I think people often get creeped out w...
Posted by Joel French on Sun, 08 Jul 2007 07:32:00 PST

I'm Home: Entry #5

Well, the past week has been great, to say the least.  I'll start with our entry into Quebec on Tuesday...:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />   We had a f...
Posted by Joel French on Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:31:00 PST

I'm Home: Entry #4

Well, it doesn't seem like it's been that long since my last entry, but honestly, I don't have much that I feel like doing (if I said I had nothing to do, that would be a lie, as it often is).  S...
Posted by Joel French on Sat, 16 Jun 2007 12:37:00 PST

I'm Home: Entry #3

(this blog was written about a week ago, so forgive me if some of the info isn't timely) Well, hello all you happy people. Greetings from the city of Kitchener, Ontario. It's been a while since I've ...
Posted by Joel French on Sun, 10 Jun 2007 11:36:00 PST

I'm Home: Entry #2

Well, tonight was a very good night.  I guess I should start with last night though.  We played a show in Langley last night with The Febs, and nobody came (okay, maybe 20 people)!  Hal...
Posted by Joel French on Sun, 13 May 2007 03:06:00 PST

I'M HOME!!!

Yep, I'm here.  I'm home.  And I don't mean "home on the west coast", I mean "home on the road".  This is the first of many tour entries, which I've decided to title: "I'm Hom...
Posted by Joel French on Thu, 10 May 2007 02:44:00 PST