Just listening to The Essential Cheap Trick has been a revelation for me. Sure, it’s been 25 years since I bought “If You Want My Love” on vinyl, but sometimes it takes me a little while to get around to things.

Put simply, these guys are great. It’s like they took my favourite elements of the Beatles, hard rock, punk and New Wave and created something smart and ironic in the process. For me, it’s the ultimate guilty pleasure that I don’t need to feel guilty about.

They’ve definitely made my list as one of those groups to become obsessed by.

Today I bought tickets to see Def Leppard and Cheap Trick live in Sydney in November. How great is that? (It better be great—it’s costing me over $300…)

I’m really excited about this gig. Of course, it might end up being a huge disappointment, but even if Cheap Trick turn out to be the best thing about the night, I’ll still walk out of there with a smile a mile wide…