It's Weird How Much I Hate Richard Marx

I've always hated Richard Marx. Consider yourself lucky if you don't remember that twisted bastard. He sang at least one song every year during the mid-1980s that would be put into heavy rotation on the top 40 radio station played in my parents' house and car. I still remember most of the lyrics from "Should've Known Better" and "Right Here Waiting," and I even remember that he wrote them for his wife on her birthday. The "Should've Known Better" year must have been rough for them. I thought it was his name fueled my hatred when I was a kid, but now I'm pretty sure that it was his mindless droning and derivative lyrics that don't even make sense. I compare him now to a band like the White Stripes, who I think I would have liked growing up even though I'm not particularly fond of them today. Or maybe the White Stripes melodic simplicity would have driven me crazy, too. Either way, the 80s were a rough time to grow up.