Opinion: While the Music Video for Sisqó’s “The Thong Song” Was Enjoyable, It Did Not Do the Novel Justice

Posted on by Steve Packosky

We hear it all the time when a literary classic is put to film: “I enjoyed it, but the movie was so much better.” Even the biggest exemplars of cinematic excellence fail to capture the scope, depth, and beauty of their literary counterparts. Films such as “Gone with the Wind,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “The Grapes of Wrath” are all brilliant works of art that sadly fit into this category. While my lack of desire to add to this list leaves me loath to write this, I simply must express my belief that, having revisited the music video for Sisqó’s “The Thong Song” after 24 years, it simply does not do the novel justice.

Back in 2000, when Sisqó announced the upcoming music video based on his 1999 novel “The Thong Song,” I was eager to see the brilliance of that homage to 19th Century Romanticism put to film, but was largely disappointed in the result. Where were the sprawling Nottinghamshire moors detailed so exquisitely in the book? The shocking juxtaposition in moral orders between the Corning and Henshaw estates?

This isn’t to say the adaptation was a complete loss. I was blown away by the scene portraying scantily-clad women playing beach volleyball, which I understood as a subtle nod to the back-and-forth letters penned by Wilkie and the widow Henshaw at the onset of their tragically doomed love affair in Act 1, and Sisqó’s dyed-white hair adeptly points to the snow adorning the hillside as Adelia rushes to halt their union. I simply feel the direction of the video ultimately went off course a little too hastily for my tastes.

Throughout the video, there’s little mention of the titular “thong song” sung by the forlorn Perry Corning after breaking the fastening on his favorite horsewhip, seen by the reader as an allegory for the ruined ties between the two houses. The “dun-nuh, dun-nuh” portion of Sisqó’s chorus references the sound of Corning’s approaching horse which so excited Catherine up until she tragically succumbed to scarlet fever, but the similarities seem to end there.

With all that being said, please do not let me stop you from rewatching the music video. It acts as a perfectly serviceable representation of the superb tale on which it is based. Its greatest sin is simply that, if you’ll forgive the hackneyed phrasing, it stands on the shoulders of a giant. Just know that you will surely be better off opening the printed work and losing yourself in Sisqó’s astonishingly immersive world of passion and intrigue all over again.

House Show Becomes Basement Show After Sinkhole Opens Beneath Living Room

Posted on by Ben Friedman

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A lineup of bands playing at popular punk house Chalet Cretin has been quickly re-billed as a “basement show” after a sinkhole suddenly opened up beneath the living room, injured attendees have reported.

“There’s no need to call 911 and put the kibosh on the fun, it’s just an extremely quick change of scenery caused by the domino effect of never clearing my gutters or checking for groundhogs. Besides, we’ve got like nine bands to go and it wouldn’t be fair to them if we canceled the show just because someone is trapped underneath the rubble,” said house owner Hank Paulson. “Look–we can sit here and cry about everyone’s grievous injuries, or we can point some flashlights into the gaping chasm that was once my living room and fucking party. Besides, I got a semi-famous band to play tonight and I’ll look like an asshole if we cancel the show.”

Members of hardcore band Britney Sneers, who were in the middle of their set when the floor collapsed, were surprised the damage wasn’t worse.

“Classic Hank, trying to spin this as a venue change and not an infrastructure fuck up. These floors have always groaned and creaked louder than the music, I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner. He’s just lucky our gear was already half busted up to begin with, or this would be ten times worse,” said lead singer Bea Richardson. “Not gonna lie though, the acoustics down are way better if you ignore the people screaming in agony. The biggest challenge now is waiting for EMS to come and help lift these Marshall stacks out of this hole.”

Scene veteran “Jackknife” Lewis commended Paulson for not letting a natural disaster interrupt a good time.

“Gotta hand it to Hank for sticking to ‘the show must go on’ credo. Nowadays I see bitch-ass showrunners cancel gigs before you can finish your first beer over some light rain, but this was a genius move on his part to rebrand the second the floor gave way,” said Lewis. “Real punks don’t let something like a cave-in stop them. Last year my buddy’s house burned down and he still had three bands play in the charred remains hours later. Called it the ‘Phoenix Festival.’ So casualties aside, tonight was a pretty good show.”

Later, Paulson was forced to alter the event title to an “acoustic show” after Jackknife windmill kicked an exposed power line.

Harris Campaign Disappointed By Lack of Turnout Amongst Dead Voters

Posted on by The Hard Times Staff

WASHINGTON — Members of the Kamala Harris campaign admit they were deeply troubled by the complete lack of dead people voting in this year’s election, a constituency they truly depended on, sources confirm.

“We thought we had the corpse vote locked up after Jimmy Carter endorsed Kamala, but they just did not show up on election day. We had shuttle busses parked outside of graveyards across the country to bring them to the polls, but not a single dead person emerged from their tomb to cast their vote,” said Harris campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez. “We know dead voters are a particularly strong voting block because most dead people have a favorable view of Democrats. They got to see Democratic leaders be champions of the working class, and fight for civil rights. Unfortunately, most alive voters don’t see Democrats the same way.”

Simon Grooms, a lifelong gravedigger, wasn’t surprised by the undead community’s low turnout.

“Once them bodies are in the ground they tend to stay there. Thought I saw a zombie in the graveyard once, turns out it was just some teenagers trying to find a private place to play around with each other’s wet spots,” said Grooms. “Now listen up, if that Harris woman wanted votes she should have tried to appeal to the werewolves. Plenty of them around, yup, see them all the time. Running around, biting joggers and howling at the moon. But Democrats turned their backs on cryptids long ago, darn shame.”

Political strategist Ari Spencer believes Harris should have focused much more on alive voters and their grievances.

“When your base tells you they are upset about an active genocide it might be best to listen and not silence them. It’s also probably in your best interest to appeal to the working class as opposed to the corporate class, but nobody at the DNC seems to want to heed that advice,” said Spencer. “I did some research and discovered that people who died before any voting started made up 0% of the votes in 2020, and in 2016 it was also 0%. It’s always been 0%, because they are dead.”

At press time, Harris and her team admitted they were disappointed by President Biden’s record number of deportations, believing that those people were solidly Democrat.

DNC Announces Plans to Learn Nothing from This

Posted on by The Hard Times Staff

WASHINGTON — The leaders of the Democratic National Committee announced they plan to learn absolutely nothing from their embarrassing loss to President-elect Donald Trump, multiple sources confirmed.

“We learned a lot this time around. The most important takeaway from all of this is that we have to stay the course. In 2028 we plan to put forward the most disliked candidate yet. The primary process will probably be truncated, maybe we will skip it altogether. It all depends on what our biggest corporate donors want,” said DNC chair Jaime Harrison. “But we can’t do this without raising money. If you thought our fundraising efforts were annoying before, you haven’t seen anything yet. We also want to congratulate our friends in the Republican party, they played a great game and we can’t wait to work with them more.”

Lisa Fouts, a reluctant member of the Democrat party, is not sure what to do from here.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to be an easy win. Trump is a felon, a rapist, and he’s legitimately losing his mind. But no, the DNC fucked everything up at every level. They just assumed people would vote their way despite doing nothing for years, it makes me want to puke,” said Fouts. “The DNC already sent an email with the subject line ‘Shame On You’ and it said I didn’t send them enough money to get them to win. Then they sent a follow up email that called me a ‘spoiled child’ and then left me a voicemail saying they are going to kick my dog if I even consider looking into a third part candidate.”

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley is excited to see his colleagues at the DNC make the same mistakes over and over.

“For the past few months everyone was talking about how the Trump campaign was floundering and how Harris had all the momentum, but I was never in doubt,” said Whatley. “I saw how the DNC ignored voters, I saw how they talked down to people, and that just made my job easy. I go in and say ‘Democrats think you’re dumb, but Republicans think you’re a genius’ and these dopes eat it up like the slop they feed their pigs. It’s going to be really fun to see them dust off the same exact playbook next time around, I already have two copies of it, I use one to even out the table in my kitchen, and the other I use the pages to pick up my dogs shit in the yard.”

Harrison followed his remarks with an email to registered Democrats hoping to quell criticism of the party’s current trajectory.

“To all those growing skeptical of this party’s strategies and overall agenda, let me just say we hear you loud and clear. Rest assured we will be doing everything short of interpreting that sound into words and responding to those words in any way shape or form.”

At press time, DNC board members announced they will be prepping Hilary Clinton for a historic 2028 run.

Trump Voter a Little Disappointed He Won’t Get To Shit on Desk in Capitol This Time

Posted on by Max Barth

WEST CHESTER, Penn. — Local Trump supporter Stephen Hall confirmed that he is happy about Trump’s win, but is a “little disappointed” that he won’t get to defecate on a Congressperson’s desk this time around, sources close to the man confirmed.

“I was a little surprised that he won, with all the cheating and fake ballots I saw flying around my Facebook all week,” said Hall, who is recovering from emergency intestinal surgery. “I started eating a bunch of expired cereal, rubber erasers, and energy drinks, thinking I could make it up to D.C. in time to express my opinion. Voting was fine, but it just didn’t feel as rewarding as ruining some legislative assistant’s keyboard by squatting over it, blowing out my back end, and yelling about how Democrats made Mr. Potato Head gay. Call me old-fashioned, I guess.”

Dr. Sadiq Abbas, the surgeon who saved Hall’s life, refused to say whether his patient would have in fact been able to carry his intestinal cargo across state lines before he faced serious health consequences.

“It’s hard to say, because we’ve been swamped with these cases all day. We had a lady come in before polls opened, claiming she’d eaten so much lentil soup she could hear her dead mother’s voice,” said Abbas. “Her plan wasn’t even to go to D.C., she said she was just going to do it right there in the polling booth. We monitored her for a few hours – we even helped her do a provisional ballot, which she hated – but couldn’t keep her. I’m really worried about how people in her position are going to take this nonviolent victory at the ballot box. She was so psyched to shit in public.”

Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Cheung issued the following statement in response to supporters’ concerns.

“Following President Donald J. Trump’s landslide victory, now is the time to unite as Americans to MAGA,” said Cheung. “The President-elect wants Patriots to know that they will get to poop and also pee in public on top of things they disagree with very soon, as our fight to drain the swamp continues. I would remind the fake news media and radical leftists that President-elect Trump will soon pardon the January 6th hostages, among them some of the finest fecal freedom fighters in the conservative movement, and trust me when I say – it’s a huge movement.”

As of press time, Hall was planning on taking a dump on the local Postmaster’s car for agreeing to deliver mail-in ballots.

History Buff Excited to Experience What 1930s Germany Was Like

Posted on by Tim Graham

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Local World War II enthusiast Edward Spencer says he is looking forward to witnessing the rise of fascism unfold in real-time, horrified sources confirm.

“It’s pretty rare that you get an opportunity to watch a historical subject you’re heavily interested in play out before your eyes,” said Spencer. “There are so many details that get glossed over in histories of 1930s Germany that we’ll get to bear witness to. Like what symbol will they choose for the flags? Who’s going to design the uniforms? Will they use traditional trains to cart off their victims, or will they go with the Tesla Hyperloop? This isn’t an endorsement of fascism, of course—I just think it’s cool to be a witness to history as it happens!”

Spencer’s wife Abby is not pleased with where her husband’s hobby has taken him.

“I knew Ed’s obsession with World War II would lead to no good,” said Mrs. Spencer while she booked a flight to Canada. “He’s actually pretty liberal, but his desire to know what the rise of fascism was like led him to vote for Trump, despite my pleading. Now he’s as giddy as a schoolgirl, getting to see in person how a society falls to right-wing authoritarianism. Luckily I have a sister in Saskatchewan so that’s probably where the kids and I will wind up. I don’t even think he noticed me packing—he’s too consumed with his WWII Discord group and discussing parallels between Trump and Hitler and Vance and Eva Braun.”

Actual historian Philip Snow of American University is adamantly not excited about the country’s prospects.

“No, there’s no way to frame Trump’s re-election as a good thing,” said Professor Snow. “Even if it illuminates how such tragedies occur. Mr. Spencer and his ilk should’ve been satisfied with the many books, podcasts and documentaries that are available on the topic. There’s no need to experience actual fascism in order to understand it. Now real historians like myself will be castigated by future generations for not doing more to prevent this. Listen, jackasses: I did everything I could. Year after year I warned students about the dangers of this shit. But apparently it’s no match for far-right adolescent Kick streamers and Nazis on X.”

At press time, Spencer had attempted to sign his sons up for the newly formed Trump Youth organization, though he was unable to locate his wife or children anywhere.

Man With $90,000 Chevy Pickup Accuses Cybertruck Owner of Being Ridiculous

Posted on by Rob Ryder

RICHMOND, Va. — Trey Bollinger, proud owner of a $91,273 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD, accused Tesla Cybertruck owners of being “totally fucking ridiculous,” confirmed sources wearing wrap-around sunglasses.

“I can’t imagine how big of an asshole you have to be just to walk into a Tesla dealership and agree to give half of your paycheck a month for a vehicle that looks like it’s made of aluminum foil,” said Bollinger while filming the latest in a series of videos for his eight followers online. “Sure, I pay three-quarters of my paycheck a month for my pickup, but not one of these battery-powered ‘trucks’ will ever be taken off-road like I did that one time four years ago. They’re just junk, probably break down the second you get them near a gravel road. My friend Donnie said they’re pretty fast off the line, but we’ll see how fast they are after I get $5,000 together for a new turbocharger.”

Cybertruck owner Chad Westerlund is puzzled by the hate he receives on a near daily basis while driving his new vehicle around town.

“Man, people really fucking hate this thing. I’m not talking Ford vs Chevy, I’m talking real visceral hate,” said Westerlund while plugging his truck into a free public charging station. “A guy in a pickup yesterday told me to ‘go back to Russia.’ I quickly reminded him that Tesla Cybertrucks are made in Texas by a company owned by Donald Trump’s biggest cheerleader. We’re getting ridiculed by the pickup owners daily. I’m all for free speech, unless it’s used to attack me or Elon Musk personally.”

Salesman Martin Darling of Pitman Chevy still believes that sticking with American brands is the only way to go.

“This is not just about choosing a quality vehicle, this is about supporting your country by buying a product that is assembled of approximately 62% American-made parts,” said Darling before pausing to approve a 10-year loan for a used Chevy Traverse. “The trucks we sell have features that no Tesla vehicle could ever offer, like a 28-gallon fuel tank, custom installed MagnaFlow Exhaust, and dual DieHard Platinum series batteries for extra cranking amps. I don’t know what any of this actually means, but the pickup truck community is willing to spend top dollar the more buzzwords I use.”

At press time, pickup truck-owning sources claimed that plugging in a Cybertruck to charge it was absolutely ridiculous while forking over $150 to fill up their gas tanks.

Deal Alert! This Man On Craigslist Is Giving Out Free Massages

Posted on by Rob Steinberg

It’s time we start to take better care of ourselves. We walk around with tense muscles that affect our blood circulation, stress, and proper posture. Many of us are still recovering from injuries and genetic issues that require physical therapy, but these ailments go untreated for years. These problems don’t have to be ignored if you look in the right places.

Thankfully we are finally able to bring you a solution. Craigslist still offers plenty of great deals. You have photographers offering free photo shoots to aspiring nude models, fancy high rise apartments sold cheap for people willing to send over their social security numbers, and to many people’s surprise, free physical therapy as well.

This altruistic man doesn’t seem to have a name, just a cryptic email address, and a poorly lit selfie where his face is obscured by Oakley sunglasses and a poorly maintained goatee. Not only is he providing free massages, but the description states that he is looking to test out new techniques to anyone who is open-minded! This is clearly an expert who knows more than the average masseuse! He also appears to be a teacher as well because he said he will be streaming the session online as well. Where was this guy after we drove our car into Lubbock Pond and fucked up our back?

The average going rate for a massage is about $90, and that doesn’t include a tip. This man is saving you a hundred dollars per visit! You still should tip him regardless as he is such a good samaritan for helping people in pain find relief. He clearly also needs the money because he has to perform the services from his studio apartment. But that’s what happens when you put volunteering over profits. As a society we could do so much better, this is a man who should not live in squalor, but should be able to provide his massages comfortably from his beachside home.

We can almost guarantee that the shadowy forces behind “Big Massage” are going to try to shut this man down. We recommend everyone act fast and receive a free massage while they still can. Act now by messaging anything labeled “—★FReE M@sSAGes★–” on your local Craigslist website.

Are these kinds of services also on Facebook Marketplace? Who knows, only weirdos go on that crap of a website now.

Alanis Morissette Updates “Ironic” to Include Line About How the Only Hot Member of Limp Bizkit Wears a Mask

Posted on by John Danek

OTTAWA, Ontario — Beloved ‘90s singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette updated her classic song “Ironic” to highlight the absurdity that the only attractive member of Limp Bizkit, guitarist Wes Borland, frequently wears masks or face paint, her record label announced.

“I was chilling on the couch watching Rig Rundown videos when I saw Wes Borland’s face for the first time- dude is a fuckin’ dime piece! It’s a crime against humanity that he wears a mask,” opined Morissette, who last updated a song to add reference to texting via Motorola Razr into “Hand in my Pocket.” “Let’s just say the irony was not lost on me. All performances moving forward will contain the line, and the song will be re-recorded. And I swear to God if you little shits start saying that this isn’t ironic either, I’ll cut you.”

Borland, longtime masked guitarist of nu metal stalwarts Limp Bizkit, was apparently taken aback by the shoutout.

“This song is making my life really weird really quickly. Now I have a bunch of Gen-Xers sending me messages asking if I want to come over for some ‘Murphy Brown and chill,’” said Borland, who for years struggled with the image of being Limp Bizkit’s token talented member. “I had all my locks changed on my house, and I’m having all my masks changed just for safe measure. I’m filing a restraining order. And Fred has been supportive by sending me demos of Alanis diss tracks. They are heinously offensive, and none of them could be released after the year 2003. But it’s the thought that counts.”

People Magazine, creators of the annual Sexiest Man Alive feature, offered their thoughts on the hunks of the nu metal genre.

“Nu metal dudes are generally ugly as fuck, so when a genuine looker comes around we take notice,” stated Kelly Bloom, editor-in-chief of People Magazine. “Our list of the sexiest nu metal musicians was short lived from 1999-2001. Wes Borland topped it every time, followed by Wayne Static. No one could resist those locks. After that, it was pretty slim pickings. I dare you to try to write a convincing blurb about how you want to fuck Munky from Korn or the flat earther from Deftones. It’s impossible.”

Fellow singer-songwriter titan Tracy Chapman is rumored to be considering updating her hit “Fast Car” with a line about how thankful she is to not be riding in a Cybertruck.

Masked Militia Member Harassing Voters in Line at Polling Location Forgot Where He Parked His Squad Car

Posted on by Trevor Graham

PEORIA, Ill. — A masked member of a local militia who was harassing people waiting in line to vote embarrassingly forgot where he left his state trooper squad car, sources who were only there for the “I Voted” stickers report.

“So I was at the polling station at the VFW hall and getting all in everyone’s faces and ‘suggesting’ it would be in their best interests to vote for Trump. When I was done and feeling good about myself I went to leave but forgot where I parked my squad car… I mean regular car that is not at all for a state official,” said [Officer] Joe Grannings. “That car is like a company car and I need to find it otherwise my cap… boss is going to be really mad at me.”

Some of those who were waiting to vote say that despite the fact the man was wearing a mask and camouflage tactical gear it was quite clear he was a member of law enforcement.

“It was painfully obvious to all of us that he was a cop. At one point while he was screaming in this old woman’s face and chest lunging at her his badge fell out of his pocket. Then when I laughed he told me I was ‘committing a 602’,” said Jennifer Rafael. “He also was having a hard time keeping his eyes off the doughnuts the poll workers had inside. Dead giveaway.”

Jared Duluth says he and his fellow poll workers noticed the militia member causing trouble and decided to call the police to deal with it only to see the man leave and return wearing a uniform.

“We all noticed that quasi-military-looking guy was out there causing a disturbance so we called the cops. I saw the guy answer something on his walkie-talkie and then he left and came back a few minutes later dressed as a state trooper but was still wearing his ‘3-percenter’ hat,” said Duluth. “He asked us to describe the individual and when we gave him the description of exactly what the cop looked like he said ‘Sounds like we’re looking for a super good-looking hero whose daddy definitely went to all his little league games as a young boy.’”

At press time, the man who had switched back to his militia outfit had found his squad car and drove it past the polling line while yelling out the window “Whoa, this is so crazy that the keys to my normal car work on this cop car, right?”