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B Michael Tumblr is the personal weblog of B Michael Payne.

Awkwafina
“Janet Reno Mad”

I listen to the Awkafina album Yellow Ranger like a lot. I bought it like an adult with my own money.

This is one of my favorite songs on the album. I’ve listened to it a lot, but only just yesterday did I figure out what the title and hook is supposed to be saying. It’s “Janet Reno mad” as in “Janet Reno is mad”. It’s not “Janet Reno mad” as an adjective, like “tin roof rusted”. For the longest time, I thought Awkafina was saying she’s “Janet Reno mad” as in she’s really pissed off. Like, “that stupid kid talking shit about me has got me Janet Reno mad”.

This realization saddened me a little. I may still try to use “Janet Reno mad” to describe how I’m feeling. Let’s see if it just comes up organic-like.

Though I shouldn’t have been surprised. There’s this great line:

I’m like Amanda Bynes in that I don’t give a fuck.

Simile, not metaphor is the name of the game. I remember reading a great essay about the word ‘like’ a few months ago. Beside its philosophic heft, not quite an ontological 'is’, but more than a typographical adjacent, 'like’ rolls off the tongue like an ACME anvil. It starts all soft and lascivious and then stops in a plosive pop. In the line above, this effect recurs with the word 'fuck’. Something about Awkwafina’s deliveries are great. Highly recommended.