Every now and again, when I discuss music with others, this happens. I mention that I am a fan of the band Deftones, and the inevitable questions are asked. "Do you like Korn, too?" "What about Limp Bizkit?" "Have you heard the new Puddle of Mudd album?" I politely tell them no, while in my mind I am kicking them in the jazz. So, let's get one thing straight. Deftones is not nu-metal. Chino Moreno doesn't rap in his songs. He doesn't whine about his childhood in every song (a la Jonathan Davis). He doesn't name his albums after an anus and a certain bodily fluid. Listen to Deftones' "White Pony" and then compare it to the sonic turd that is "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water." "White Pony"'s subject matter includes a hot Brazilian chick torturing guys on a TV show and electrocuting a girl in a bath tub. Badass. Musically, you can hear the influences of The Cure and Depeche Mode, but the band never loses its own sound. There is no DJ scratching on the turntables. There is no rap-rock. The album is beautiful. Now consider "Chocolate Starfish." Durst, who has been referred to as the worst leading man in rock today (a statement with which I am inclined to agree), named his album after a butthole. Wow. Not only is it not creative, it isn't funny or edgy. The only song off of this album that I have heard is "Rollin'." However, I am willing to assume that if a "song" such as this is on an album referring to a bodily orfice, everything else has to be just as bad, if not worse. So, there you have it, folks. Two albums, two bands. One is one of the best albums in recent history, from one of the best bands today. The other is a complete aural abortion, from one of the worst bands in the history of music. Unfortunately, these bands are often dumped into the same genre and mentioned in the same conversations, although they obviously shouldn't be. So please, do me a favor and respect Deftones. Because the next person who asks me if I picked up Slipknot's latest is going to get my fist in his throat.