Friday, November 1, 2024

Hard Taco Digest - The Avril Lavigne Reader's Club

Dear Friends,

The Hard Taco song for November is called, "Jen's Got a Second Book Group." It's dedicated to my sister, who is not named Jen, but has almost certainly committed book group infidelity on multiple occasions. 

I wanted to pitch a variation on the traditional book group. How about a book group... aimed at kids... featuring picture-only books... about 2000's radio hits? 

As a proof of concept, I've storyboarded a few sample books. See if you can figure what line is represented by each image.

Book 1:

1-1

1-2

1-3

1-4

1-5

1-6


Book 2:

2-1

2-2

2-3

2-4

2-5

Book 3:


3-1

3-2

3-3

3-4

3-5

3-6

3-7


3-8

With warmest regards,

Zach


Answer Key:

1. Teenage Dirtbag

1-1. Her name is Noelle. I have a dream about her. She rings my bell. I got gym class in half an hour. Oh, how she rocks In Keds and tube socks

1-2. I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby. Listen to Iron Maiden, baby, with me.

1-3. Her boyfriend's a dick. And he brings a gun to school and he'd simply kick my ass if he knew the truth. He lives on my block and he drives an IROC.

1-4. I feel like mold. It's prom night and I am lonely.

1-5. I got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby. Come with me Friday, don't say maybe.

1-6. Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby like you


2. Party in the U.S.A.

2-1. Hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and my cardigan

2-2. Jumped in the cab, here I am for the first time Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign

2-3. So I put my hands up, they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away

2-4. Get to the club in my taxi cab, everybody's looking at me know like, "Who's that chick that's rocking' kicks?"

2-5. All I see are stilettos. I guess I never got the memo"


3. Sk8r Boi

3-1. He was a boy. She was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious? He was a punk. She did ballet. What more can I say?

3-2. He wanted her. She'd never tell secretly she wanted him, as well. But all of her friends stuck up their nose. They had a problem with his baggy clothes

3-3. She had a pretty face but her head was up in space She needed to come back down to earth.

3-4. Five years from now she sits at home feeding the baby. She's all alone.

3-5. She turns on TV. Guess who she sees... Skater boy rockin' up MTV.

3-6. She calls up her friends. They already know and they've all got tickets to see his show.

3-7. She tags along and stands in the crowd, looks up at the man that she turned down. 

3-8. Sorry, girl, but you missed out. Well, tough, luck that boy's mine now We are more than just good friends. This is how the story ends