Rated R: Reissued

Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri 

At 36, there are a lot of things that begin to make you feel old. You might find you manage to hurt yourself doing minor yard work. And then you don't heal very quickly. In fact it might take months before that shoulder sprain finally goes away... Yup.

Like learning that your body is beginning what will be a long decline, the anniversaries of landmark records from my 20s are signposts that time is slipping away. This week's release of one of my favorite records, Queens of the Stone Age's Rated R is a perfect example.

It's hard to believe that the Pixies' Doolittle is more than  20 years old. But the Pixies feel like history (they've felt like history for a long time, actually. Very good history, but history nonetheless). That Rated R is 10 years old is altogether different. Queens of the Stone Age do not feel like history. They're still around. Just last year, Queens leader Josh Homme was part of Them Crooked Vultures. The Pixies are the past. The Queens are now.