Image Credit: Paul Natkin/WireImage.comI just finished reading Julie Klausner’s profane, hilarious new memoir I Don’t Care About Your Band, in which she recounts a veritable fail-parade of romantic encounters—like “please alert the FEMA clean-up crew” bad, not “oh, he didn’t pull out my chair for me at dinner” bad.
But what stuck with me was how associated her cavalcade of chronic masturbators, obese cheaters, and all-around nutballs was with certain movies, music, and TV shows: making out to Glengarry Glen Ross; believing a shared teenage love of Kids In the Hall and They Might Be Giants = true love 4ever; recoiling at a smelly boy bedroom filled with Star Wars paraphernalia or Family Guy DVDs.
For various heinous and highly subjective reasons, I can’t listen to the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” (junior high, your cuts run deep), hear a certain sitcom theme song, or watch the otherwise perfectly nice Merchant Ivory movie A Room With a View without wanting to stab myself in the eye with a plastic spork. I know you’ve got your own date-related pop-culture Waterloos, PopWatchers. Please share the ugly in our comments section below.
I now hate Billy Joel and Hootie & The Blowfish because of one ex…
…but the worst is that my one-time all-time favorite movies (Ferris Buehler’s Day Off) reminds me of another ex.
Thanks Leah, I thought I was the only person in the world with this kind of a hang-up
Billy Joel was a big one I had to axe out of my iPod thanks to an old boyfriend. Who knew?!
Not much of a loss, really.
The Bangles’ HAIR is hilarious!
Trust me, that’s an old picture. That was the happening style in the 80′s, even the all male bands looked like that! I still have the hots for Leah no matter what she looks like today!
A lot of songs…a lot of songs bring back a LOT of memories. Also, can’t watch Flavor of Love anymore.
I think the latter is probably a good thing!
I can’t watch Flavor of Lover EVER
I was thinking about this this morning! Metallica and other dark rock is off-limits – too many bad memories.
The movie Closer with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen (also Jude Law and Natalie Portman – I cursed the day my ex was born for having ruined it for me) The song ‘Blowers Daughter’ By Damien Rice (by the same ex). Oh, I also always grind my teeth at the metnion of the name Tiffany which I hate like New Yorkers hate Bin Laden (was cheated on with a girl named Tiffany). I totally get the whole ‘Crappy by association” thing
Yes! That movie hit too close to home thanks to a cheating ex, so I can’t go near it.
But that movie had “Caramel” by Suzanne Vega…Awesome song!!!
love Caramel! and Suzanne Vega in general, but especially that song!
A certain asshat has forever ruined the movie Clueless for me since we were watching it when we first kissed. 2 weeks and more kissing later, he stopped talking to me. WAY HARSH!
I’ve refused to listen to The Dresden Dolls because I dated someone who was OBSESSED with them who then dumped me. They were kind of a tool about my music tastes, and yet I was supposed to fall to my knees at the Church of Amanda Palmer.
I’ve also only just begun to able to listen to “Hotel Song” by Regina Spektor again.
awwww – Amanda Palmer kicks ass
That’s a sad story. I’m not an obsessed fan, but.. I definitely dig her. I hate when people belittle your music tastes because their music is “superior” – Just thought i’d throw that out there.
I just realized last night that Deadwood is ruined for me because my ex and I spent a whole winter Netflixing it and watching together. Unfortunte because my husband would really like it. Stupid Ex.
November Rain by Guns & Roses. Have to change the station immediately.
Mine is Patience. I just avoid G’nR all together.
It might sound silly but I can’t listen to Metallica. I used to enjoy them but my ex was BEYOND obsessed with them. After a ridiculously dramatic 2-yr relationship, those albums just feel like the soundtrack to it now and I officially can’t go there. Thanks a lot jerkface.
Exactly.
The song “Forever” by Mariah Carey and “Linger” by The Cranberries. Everytime I hear those songs, they remind me of when my boyfriend in high school and I broke up. Ugh!
I had one really pretentious, pseudo-intellectual ex who was a big Bob Dylan fan. I was never a big Dylan fan to begin with, but the negative associations I have with this guy pushed me firmly into the “I hate Dylan” category. I can only hope that I’ve permanently ruined Radiohead for him in return.
Thanks for making me feel better, since I absolutely abhor anything related to my ex – The Lightning Crashes song by Live, Pearl Jam, the SIMS games, and all things Eminem.
HATE. THE. SIMS.
Ah, Pearl Jam. Once, an ex asked me, “who do you think of when you hear the song ‘Black?’” And at the time, the answer was “nobody,” but now, for 15 years, I think of HIM asking me that question whenever I hear that song (which is my favorite, incidentally). So he essentially guaranteed I’d always associate him with that song, a-hole.
Could not watch Frasier for a year after breaking up.
Bette Midler’s version Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most reminds me of a break up in University.
Live, Throwing Copper.
Yeah Live is a huge one for me. Especially after the ex told me that while his current wife was in labor, they heard this song on the radio and he thought of me. Creep and creepy
the scientist by coldplay – way harsh
Yellow by Cold Play does the same to me. In fact, my current girlfriend found out about this and immediately removed the song from her iPod. For all the painful songs that remind us of exes, at least we can say we’re better off.
I can’t watch The Princess Bride anymore, thanks to my high school boyfriend. He wasn’t a jerk, he just took the breakup really hard, and made us sing “Storybook Love–a cappella–together before we parted ways.