Write-Up: So... this ranking pisses me right the hell off. Nothing against Tears for Fears but how does one f*** up their own song? You'll never hear me praise their version of this song further than recognition but thankfully a dude came along by the name of Gary Jules and set right with the universe a version of this song that was (IMO) originally meant to be. And to be honest it is the legitimate version here IMO. I actually got annoyed with the TFF version and am listening to the Gary Jules version as I write this up.lol Anyway... yeah, that is how I feel about this song. It's a special song that can give you special goose bumps when used appropriately (yeah still talking about the good version). My favorite appearance of the song is in one of my favorite films of all time (btw for which it was created for!) by the name of Donnie Darko. The better version would rank much higher on the list so I whipped up an approximation for all to see: [8.1][9.3][7.2][9.2][8.2][9.1][10.2] = [61.3] = [8.757] which would come in right around 275th - 300th Place!!! Now you see why the version I had to rank here (but deliberately tried to ignore) annoys me. >_>
Best Version IMO: Gary Jules - Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets - 2001
Write-Up: Another tune from Madonna and getting a bit better. I like the backtrack to this one for some reason. Not sure if it's the percussion or the vocals but it really makes the song. Overall though unfortunately this isn't exactly a song I'd be listening to much outside of the radio. It is the 2nd song to drop from 1985 which isn't too big of a deal but I thought I'd mention it since 1985 survived the longest before having a song fall. The song itself was actually written for the film "Vision Quest" and almost wasn't released because Warner Bros. initially didn't want the song to impact the sales of Madonnas newly released album "Like A Virgin". It was eventually included on the film's soundtrack and as it turned out, not only did it boost the sales there it may have actually increased the interest for Madonnas other album. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: Remember how I've mentioned a few times about songs that you've heard just so damn much that you can only despise the sound of it? Well... this is another of those tunes for me. I totally used to like this song then one day it just didn't jive with me anymore. I can recognize that it's got a catchy mainstream kinda beat but I dunno... perhaps I suffered a tragic event that I have blacked out to with this blaring in the background but that would have to be a pretty sad moment in my life I'd think. Nevertheless, the song was a powerhouse hit for the band and if I try to think of any of their other songs I can only think of this one. I stopped taking Rob Thomas seriously when he co-op'ed a song with Santana anyway so even if I didn't scale this tune quite as accurately as I probably should have... I simply don't care. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: Is this a Disney band or something? Of course I know it isn't but I certainly get that vibe. It's mildly catchy I suppose but it is too dance pop-py for my taste. Plus I don't usually respond all that much to teenage love songs. I prefer love songs to be a bit more poetic/tragic and harmonious in a certain way that isn't so sappy if I can use that description. There are a couple tunes in this vein that I do make exceptions for later on in the ranking though so just sayin' before I get called out in a contradiction later. Anyway, clearly I'm not the only person that feels indifferent about this song since it only peaked at around 65th place on the Billboard Top 100 charts. One thing I found funny as I was researching this tune is that one of the singers mothers actually leaked the title of the song in a tweet that was promptly deleted like anyone in the world actually gave a s*** lol. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: Weird. I originally anticipated that this song would fare much better than it has. It is a tune that I have heard loads of times at the local pool hall and everyone always seems to be having a great time when it's on. You'll have to excuse my habit of listening to the melody of the song over it's content because I couldn't tell you one way or another if I'm supposed to feel like a racist for liking this song. It has been the subject of scrutiny over the years as it was originally created sometime in the 18th century as a marching cadence. The first official recording was produced in 1939 by Lead Belly on the album "Negro Sinful Songs" and is classified as a work song. The reason why I say I'm not sure if it makes me racist to like this song is that it clearly was intended to be serious in meaning yet it entertains me. I am told by another source though that the term "Black Betty" doesn't have to do with slaves at all and was a common expression starting at around 1827 to mean a "Bottle of Whiskey". But I dunno tbh... it's definitely a classic either way though. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
==================================== { 970th Place } [10's][ 177th Place]@azuarc Song: "Sing" Band: My Chemical Romance Album: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys ---{ 2010 }--- Genre: Power Pop Score:[4.2][3.3][5.2][6.2][6.1][3.2][9.2] = [37.4] = [5.342] Video:
Write-Up: Certainly not my favorite song from the band but it at least makes the list through a nomination. As you can guess from that first statement though, this won't be the last time you hear from this band. I don't know why I'm precisely not more supportive of this song since I generally like MCR. The video doesn't quite help me understand the meaning of the song unfortunately so I guess it's good news that I don't dock points on the video lol. Anyway, either it's because it's late and I'm feeling tired or I simply don't have much else to offer you in this write-up but... short write-up. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
I dunno what the top 100 bonus really represents, but hey, a 9.2!
I don't pay attention to videos. Hell, I often don't even pay attention to lyrics. I just love the way S.I.N.G. sounds. Although, in this case, the lyrics are pretty decent.
Oh well, scratch one song. I thought that one might outperform some of my others, but I still have 9 left, so I'm hardly complaining. I don't remember what my 90's song that went out is, but this is otherwise the only track from the last three decades that's met the axe. ---
Video Game Music Contest 12 winner: Ys 8 - Sunshine Coastline
Write-Up: The piano play is probably my favorite thing about this song but other than that I feel like this song is very mediocre. I'd probably most likely skip over it on the radio if I'm being honest. As you can see in the video, one of the dudes from Black Eyed Peas is featured here but that doesn't exactly sell the song for me. The song is supposed to be about doing great things and being someone less than nobody imo but it could directly be about a boxing match I suppose. Some songs are that literal with their videos in translation but it doesn't happen that often as far as I can tell. This goes down as simply another forgettable song from the 2010's imo. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Although I'm pretty surprised the kid in the Zelda tee looked like he was trying to get in the way of the dude they pissed off from going after the "WE JUS' WANNA EAT (and tell racist jokes)" guy.
Write-Up: Multiple listens don't really help me on this song for some reason. I like the intro riff that carries on throughout the song but the vocals are shrill (which I know is common for the band) but I still can't seem to accept it. My eldest brother was a fan of the band when I was a kid but I'm not sure if he still is or not. I actually haven't talked to him in a few years unfortunately. Anyway, I haven't really experienced a ton of Styx references in my lifetime but one of the biggest places I do is on That 70's Show where the band gets several mentions either verbally or visually (posters/t-shirts) as they were the band that unlocked Eric Formans world so to speak. (There is an episode about it I believe). Other than that... not much to say here. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: So... it's time for me to admit... that this isn't a perfect ranking in the way that I clearly have broken the rules of the ranking here. It was an honest goof but this version should not be the version I am ranking since it is not the earliest recording of the song within the decades I have chosen for the ranking. It was actually written and recorded originally in 1975 by Ian Hunter. It wouldn't have helped the 70's list much bit does hurt the 80's list slightly. Oh well, it isn't the best version of the song anyway. That goes to the Great White version posted below. Great Whites version nearly topped the charts which was something the previous versions did not even come close to doing. It doesn't matter which version I hear though, the only part of the song I even think is kinda catchy is the chorus.
Best Version IMO: Great White / ...Twice Shy / 1989
Write-Up: I'm sure this song is a bit catchier than I give it credit for but eh... I'm not too worried about it. The overall score is about right where I am confident it should be. I do have to say that I was shocked when Fuels Bad Day song dropped far below this one as I thought I liked that one better. This score system has proven to me otherwise disturbingly lol. I'm kidding though this guy isn't that bad, I just don't listen to his music on a regular basis. I actually couldn't even tell you another song he has done tbh. I was surprised that this wasn't one of the songs my wife selected either as it was a favorite of hers while it was over played on the radio. Despite the message in the song I'm really never gonna use this song to get all melancholic about my day and try and feel better about it. I'm sure it works for some folks but the decibels in the chorus peak to annoying 3 or 4 times in succession to my ears which is the largest reason it'll be dropping this low. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: This might annoy some Van Halen fans but I bought the Guitar Hero Van Halen game and I gotta say if all of the best songs are there... this isn't as great of a band as I thought. Sure given the decade they became most well known I can understand why they rose to popularity but none of their songs stand out iconically to me (if that is a word...). It isn't all that obvious but I guess David Lee Roth confirmed on Howard Sterns show that this song was written about a race car which honestly makes it much less interesting to me. Eddie Van Halen supposedly used his Lamborghini to make the revving sound heard a few times behind the music. It seems that most Van Halen fans consider this song to be among their best performances which doesn't say much for my opinion. Hell for the longest time I didn't even know that they were screaming "Panama". Up until I bought the Guitar Hero Game when it was realeased I'd be caught singing "Animal" in it's place every time I heard it. >_> ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
I always associate this song with some 90s sitcom; I think it was Home Improvement though I can't be sure. The main character was having a feud with someone, so whoever it was was torturing the main character by staying outside their house and playing Panama on an endless loop.
"That was Panama by Van Halen! Before that it was Panama, by Van Halen! Next, *starts describing another song as the main character gets his hopes up*...it's Panama by Van Halen!"
I don't know why that scene has stuck with me for decades, but I can't hear the song without thinking of someone using it as a torture device. ---
"That's life. All the trues are false and all the falses are true."-Charlie Brown
Write-Up: Another example that I get to be annoyed with in terms that I find a version better than the original. I really do prefer Paul Youngs version here as it is far more harmonic and melodious imo. I don't even recall any other version from my childhood tbh. One thing that is noticeably different between the two versions is the slight spelling change of the title but I don't think it's any type of significant change really. The pacing and charismatic interpretation in Young's version far exceeds that of the one ranked here so as you can imagine it would have scored higher imo. Hall & Oates does have a couple of songs I like better that (I hopefully) included on the list. Nope s***. Only got one of the 2 other songs I liked by them. For some reason I skipped on "Maneater" but I did include... Out of Touch.
Best Version IMO: Paul Young / The Secret of Association / 1985
==================================== { 963rd Place } [70's][ 154th Place]@Johnbobb Song: "Welcome to the Machine" Band: Pink Floyd Album: Wish You Were Here ---{ 1975 }--- Genre: Progressive Rock Score:[5.2][5.2][5.2][7.2][6.2][4.1][5.2] = [38.3] = [5.471] Video:
Write-Up: The 2nd song from Pink Floyd to drop in the ranking thus far. It's a band that I've always liked and respected to a point. Certainly if you are looking for great psychedelic tracks to behold you'll find quite a few in their discography. The guitar play is quite often unique and soothing to the soul and the band has fused various methods of electronica in their music in almost every release. However... a lot of their portfolio is crafted to a specific type of ear and if lenghty tracks with unchained beats and riffs aren't your thing you may not approve of most of it. Granted I've never really heard anyone in my circles of friends say that they didn't like Pink Floyd but they are still kind of a like 'em or not kinda band imo. As you can see by the score, I'm stuck at middle of the road with this tune. The tough part here is that I don't find much of the melody memorable as in as soon as I stop listening I couldn't recall it easily at all. It is one of those tracks that I could zone out to while I'm reading my graphic novels though as it offers a pretty decent atmospheric background which bodes well with most of the books I read. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: The first thing I think of when I hear this song is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and I can never shake it. I logged in nearly 1,000 hours into that game and frequently when rampaging across town with this blaring in the background not to mention that it plays during the loading screen of the game. I think it's funny that Ice Cube is singing about having a great day and getting stoned etc. while the original cut/length of the song is 4:20. That isn't evident in the version here unfortunately but that is because the video I had got taken down for some reason. It's a nice beat and one of my favorites from Ice Cube even though I admittedly don't listen to too much of his work. I do love nearly every movie he is in though so that should make up for it I suppose. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: Not the usual Pink Floyd I listen to but still a great mellow tune all the same. I almost forget sometimes that Pink Floyd still made music through the 80's since most of their stuff I actually prefer is from the 70's. I don't have a whole lot of memories attached to this song or even this album tbh. It does suck to have to drop two Pink Floyd songs so soon together and to do it to you John especially but that is exactly why I created the scoring system to prevent me from using personal bias to hand out advantages or disadvantages for that matter. You still got four more nominations left though so your fate in the nominator challenge is still yet to be determined. Great nomination though as I don't think I even pulled this up during my own search for songs here and hearing stuff that I'd almost forgotten about is part of why I did such a large ranking in the first place. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: One of the best scream out loud classic rock chorus' that I've heard... if I was talking about the Quiet Riot version. While the original here isn't all that bad it sounds really rough around the edges tbh. The song boosted both bands careers to a point and guaranteed the success of Quiet Riots album Metal Health. I always get into some sort of nostalgic zone when I'm at the pool hall and this gets played on the jukebox. Speaking of that, this would be another of those tunes I consider "Jukebox Rock" as it has been featured in nearly every jukebox I've ever looked at. It definitely makes for a great atmosphere boost when you are out partying at the bar though imo.
Best Version IMO: Quiet Riot / Metal Health / 1983
Write-Up: Gee thanks Paul for nominating a song that my wife literally gets pissed at me over it's placement. There are two musicians that my wife loves a ton and Ed Sheeran and Eminem are them. This song has a pretty powerful message about relationships but I wasn't getting 100% invested in any of the listens I made because I dunno.. it's kind of a weird duo to me. Eminem doesn't even sound like he's at the top of his game and Ed is meh I guess. I was surprised that I'd be dropping an Eminem song this low though tbh since there are a few on the list that I don't think we'll see until at least the top 500-600 or so. I don't have much else to say about this one but I am a bit curious what circumstance would have brought these two together. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
==================================== { 958th Place } [70's][ 152nd Place] Song: "Black Dog" Band: Led Zeppelin Album: Led Zeppelin IV ---{ 1971 }--- Genre: Hard Rock Score:[7.2][6.2][6.1][5.2][3.2][2.2][8.3] = [38.4] = [5.485] Video:
Write-Up: The 2nd Led Zeppelin song to make an appearance here. This one was always a classic for me and I remember cruising around with a friend of mine after high school jamming out to this album and looking for trouble to get into which was a weird time because I was always a good kid honest. We'd usually check out the various after school events before hitting up the local pizza shop and then pretty much go home having done nothing exciting whatsoever lol. Anyway, it brings on the instant memories which was a plus even though there weren't any significant events to point to. I'm honestly surprised that I didn't put this entire album in this ranking though since it's one of a few that I can actually tolerate in it's entirety. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
==================================== { 957th Place } [70's][ 151st Place] Song: "My Sharona" Band: The Knack Album: Get The Knack ---{ 1979 }--- Genre: Power Pop Score:[8.3][4.2][4.1][7.3][2.2][2.1][10.2] = [38.4] = [5.485] Video:
Write-Up: Hmm... it would seem that this has slipped through the cracks slightly in terms that I wouldn't personally bump it higher intentionally but it has climbed the list anyhow due to the beat, memories and Top 100 scores. Let's be honest the beat is kinda bland but something about it remains catchy. As far as the memories go, I can't stop thinking of Weird Als version even though I've heard this version almost as much. Somehow it topped the charts in 1979 but I'm guessing there weren't a ton of other hits that year which opened up the path for success here. The tune is overly repetitive and corny as hell and I don't think there are many folks this day and age that would praise this song tbh. It's kind of aged poorly imo. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: Hey it's Bryan Adams! One of the most popular artists of the 80's who turned out several heavy hitters on the charts. There is more of his work to come in this ranking of course but it may actually be awhile until we get to my favorite selections from his portfolio. This tune has a lot of connections to my childhood as I heard it quite a bit growing up. I don't remember anything significant but I'd be playing in my room listening to the radio most of the time when I was 5 or 6 and soaking up the 80's nostalgia unwittingly. I'd also get to hear it a bit when my mother was cleaning house and had the stereo blasting. I can't say for sure what exactly "cuts like a knife" but it appears to reference a break-up but why would that "feel so right"? I dunno. Sometimes I'm not the best at interpretation. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
==================================== { 955th Place } [70's][ 150th Place] Song: "Stay With Me" Band: Faces Album: A Nod Is As Good As A Wink... to a Blind Horse ---{ 1971 }--- Genre: Glam Rock Score:[6.2][4.2][5.3][4.2][5.3][4.2][9.2] = [38.6] = [5.514] Video:
Write-Up: Here is an old song for sure appearing and dethroning "Cum on feel the noize" on the Glam Rock list. Faces was a band that Rod Stewart actually began building his popularity in long before he went solo. He was one of the 2 writers for this song in particular and it did well to boost the bands popularity. Ask anyone nowadays though and there probably won't be too many folks that remember them off the top of their heads. I actually almost forgot Stewart was even in the band before completing this ranking. Train eventually did a cover of this song but it didn't do it any justice imo. When I was a kid my mother had the vinyl in her collection of records but she didn't really listen to it all that often... or at least when I was around anyway. The message of the song is a little crass for todays standards as Rod is proposing to a girl he found on the floor somewhere that she stay for a one night stand as long as she gets lost the next day. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: I honestly didn't expect that I'd have a Slipknot song even in this ranking let alone 3. For the 3rd time around we get a little bit higher on the list obviously but I can't really say I feel any particular change in my opinion of the band. There is a very good guitar riff going on here, one that I probably owe more credit than given but the song feels broken up to me for some reason. That s*** at about 4:45 seconds in is annoying as hell. Without that cohesive feel I can only like parts of the song and that just isn't good enough for the top part of the ranking. That being said, you could very well see this pop up in a ranking regret later on.lol We'll see I guess. I've already listened to it about 10 times in a row just during this write-up. (Yeah that's how slow I type lol) Spoiler alert, and I hate to do this to you man... but you got another one coming right up Raka. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: Definitely have never heard this one before. It's interesting to say the least. I kinda dig the banjo intro and segway into the that kick a** shredding of guitars. The vocals are appropriate but louder than the music slightly which sort of bugs me. Overall it reminds me of a mix between a couple other bands which I can't seem to spit off my tongue for the life of me atm. Maybe Godsmack... and some other similar bands. Man I think my brain is tired. Anyway, You certainly won't find me listening to this on a regular basis and definitely if I did it'd be away from anyone I know around here lol. Heavy Metal scares the average type of person that lives in my area. Lots of ritzy folk and old retirees. So yeah as I said Raka, sorry dude. That's two in a row and the end of your 10's. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Yessss finally beat Chapter 11 with No Damage. That achievement has been pissing me off for a while, often getting hit at the last wave of enemies at the purple door before Cragalanche.
118/120 for Viridi now! The last 2 left are 30 Gem Trades, and 3000 Hearts From Gems. I've currently got 22 trades, and 2343 hearts from gems ---
Write-Up: Once upon a time I actually wore out a cassette tape of this album from excessive playback. That might have been kind of weird for an 8 year old but I had just gotten my mothers old stereo system (the one she listened to while we did chores since she got a new more compact radio) and I spent a lot of time spinning records and playing cassettes in my room on it. I even started to dub a whole lot of the Doctor Demento show over the pile of cassettes that I didn't want and may have dubbed over an extra Lionel Ritchie tape as well. The song is nothing fantastic but in the 80's this was primo Pop. The kind that most people were into at that time. Listening to it after all these years kinda makes me realize that my standards weren't exactly too high back then. Generally anything with a happy positive beat was right up my alley. Speaking of Lionel Ritchie though, I once had the hots for his daughter nicole. Remember that stupid show "The Simple Life"? Yeah... I kinda owned all 5 seasons at one point. Don't you f***ing judge me!!! XP ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter
Write-Up: I remember hearing this tune a bit of course since I essentially grew up in the 80's but It isn't one of Phil Collins tunes that I really had much interest in. It's got a catchy chorus but it isn't all that special honestly. The beat is mediocre and other than it's performance on the charts, my memories are the highest scoring thing here. Unfortunately you lose another tune here Alanna but I think at this point you still have the most nominations remaining... yep, double checked and you still have the most nominations remaining. ====================================
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"Best read of the game goes to se7en. Who correctly surmised this town is full of idiots." - Corrik Se7enthrust ~ Dude_Dexter