Louder Than Karaoke

The 16-year-old version of myself must hate me right now. I've broken so many promises, forgotten so many credos and I never got the chance to marry Michael Hutchence. But now that I have committed the ultimate sin against my teenage convictions, I'm not sure I can ever win her back. She hated The Smiths with a passion; I love them. Though I totally wore black on the outside ('cause that's how I felt on the inside), there was a good reason for my hatred of all things Moz at the time: My best friend sported a pompadour and was widely known for his gladiola—and chiffon—enhanced sartorial sense. He beat you over the head with everything Smiths so much that you just couldn't like it. As far as I was concerned, The Smiths could take their girlfriends in comas and rockabilly hairdos and pretentious lyrics and walk right into an oncoming double-decker bus. And then last week I went with the aforementioned friend to The World Won't Listen, a celebration of Smiths devotees around the world and the best time you'll ever have at a museum. Phil Collins' exhibit totally captures what it means to have music really speak to you as he immortalizes fans from Indonesia, Turkey and Colombia doing their best karaoke versions of Smiths tunes. You'll laugh at the funny ones, marvel at the joyfulness and then hover on the verge of tears when one of the Turkish singers gets so lost in the song that she kind of forgets where she is. It's amazing. You'll need about an hour to fully appreciate the three simultaneous screens, but whether you're a Smiths fanatic or a Linkin Park apologist, you'll think about the songs that make you laugh or make you cry and you'll understand completely. Experience it yourself through March 23 at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St. Visit dallasmuseumofart.org.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Dec. 28. Continues through March 23, 2007