Lemony Snicket's Playlist

What songs does Lemony Snicket have on his iPod?

Lemony Snicket Quizzes Unfortunate Events, Book the Twelth Unfortunate Events, Book the Tenth Unfortunate Events, Book the Seventh Unfortunate Events, Book the Third Unfortunate Events, Book the First More Lemony Snicket Quizzes Infoplease Poll Who is your favorite Lemony Snicket character? Violet—because she likes to invent and build strange devices. Klaus—because he likes to read and knows a lot of things. Sunny—because she has sharp teeth and likes to bite. Count Olaf—because I want to see what evil thing he'll do next. I have no favorite character. Take another poll

Apple's iTunes store has a special section where they ask celebrities to list songs on their iPods and make comments about why they like those songs. This is what Lemony Snicket had to say about his favorites.

1. The Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Marianne Faithfull
   This first song is a sort of opening theme for this somewhat lachrymose playlist. If the entire playlist can be called "A Series of Unhappy Songs," then Ms. Faithfull gives us a map.
2. One Day Late by Sam Phillips
   I normally do not have much enthusiasm for gospel music, but Ms. Phillips succinctly preaches a philosophy to which I adhere.
3. Calculation Theme by Metric
   This band is from Canada, where misery has been raised to an art.
4. 4th of July by Aimee Mann
   Normally, summertime is thought of as a cheerful season. This song demonstrates the fallacy of this assumption.
5. Nobody's Fault but My Own by Beck
   While Ms. Mann's song blames other people for her misery, Beck prefers to blame himself.
6. Ramon by Laurie Anderson
   Ms. Anderson here tells a story I often tell myself on damp and chilly evenings.
7. Sonata No.9, Op.68 "Black Mass" by Vladimir Horowitz
   Alexander Scriabin thought that he could bring about the end of the world if he composed the proper symphony. He died before this task could be completed, which is perhaps why the world has not yet ended.
8. String Quartet No. 7, in F Sharp Minor by Borodin String Quartet
   Of all the oppressively melodramatic and melodramatically oppressive string quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich, #7 is perhaps the most melodramatic.
9. Ever Falls the Twilight by The Gothic Archies
   The Gothic Archies remind us that even the most miserable of days, just like the most miserable of playlists, will eventually end.