There have been many days, more than I care to remember, when the Bee Gees' 1968 ballad "I Started a Joke" (written and sung by Robin Gibb) was the only song that made any sense of a world that seemed hellbent on shoving overblown, insincere nonsense down our throats and making us pay for the privilege with a tragically forced Olan Mills smile.

While a lute-like acoustic guitar rustles and a cymbal tinkles, Robin emotes (as if John Lennon were being lightly choked with a scarf): "I started a joke, which started the whole world crying / But I didn't see that the joke was on me, oh no / I started to cry, which started the whole world laughing / Oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was on me." (The joke was really on Robin when he left the group after continuing to battle with older brother Barry for lead-vocal leadership; his immodestly titled 1970 solo debut, Robin's Reign, was soon deposed from the charts and he skulked back to the family business.)

I was reminded of "I Started a Joke" when I saw preliminary copies of SPIN's November issue with 2008's cryptically waifish, alt-rock prom kings Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT peering quizzically from the cover, draped in rented tuxedos. Going back to when everyone still called them "the Management" or "those two stoned Wesleyan doofuses who think they have a band" or "those clowns who think Brooklyn is Great Adventure for liberal-arts majors in headbands and '70s gym shorts," it's always been an essential part of MGMT lore that they started their so-called career as a "joke" and that things just sort of haphazardly spiraled out of control from there, until they became widely respected and well-compensated songwriters/producers/international pop icons with a cadre of spiritual followers.

Of course, this is a common rock conceit, and whether it's true or not doesn't particularly matter. What really matters is whether the illusion of happenstance is convincingly maintained. Do you keep asking -- despite all evidence -- did they or didn't they? And MGMT seem to have a preternatural ability to keep the illusion going.

Some of my biggest musical obsessions -- the Monkees, John's Children, Devo, Butthole Surfers, the KLF, the Pooh Sticks, Unrest -- began with nagging questions: Is this all an elaborate goof? Who's really in the band and who's making the music? Are they kidding or winking or serious? And if it's a joke, who's it on?

The fact that these bands went on to write or perform songs that were deeply, emotionally affecting just intensified the obsession. Teetering between laughing and crying and just plain fucking with you, certain bands keep the tension and mystery growing and growing, and when a truly great song suddenly appears, like, for instance, MGMT's inexplicably heartbreaking and hopeful rite of passage "Kids," it can send you off on endless, blissfully meaningful/meaningless tangents.

It's like that moment in JFK, when Kevin Costner, as Kennedy conspiracy bloodhound Jim Garrison, addresses his plainly freaked-out minions in his under-siege District Attorney's office and finally floats the idea that Lee Harvey Oswald really may have been a patsy. Pumped full of Costner's fading, delusional gravitas and Oliver Stone's overheated, lunatic direction, the Garrison character announces, "We're through the looking glass here, people," with a desperate, Am-I-fucking nuts? lump in his throat and an arrogant, I'm-fucking-Eliot-Ness glint in his eye. Every time I see it (which is as often as possible), my blood races, I get a chill, I wonder what I'm doing with my life, and then I bust a gut laughing (see also Millhouse in The Simpsons' episode "Grampa and Sexual Inadequacy"). It's rare when any band reaches a Through the Looking Glass Moment.

In his book The Accidental Evolution of Rock'n'Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music, Chuck Eddy muses wisely: "Rock seems to work best when greedy kids on the make, ones who don't mind looking like they're on the make, contemptible bastards who'll serve up any tossed-off perfunctory garbage their audience will swallow, inadvertently let their humanness leak out."

With all due respect to Messrs. VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, this could certainly apply to MGMT, but there's also another possibility: That rock works best when insecure, smart-aleck kids decide they're fed up with how stupid and degraded music has become and wanna turn the whole self-righteous mess into a ridiculous charade that will reveal the true nature of our bullshit existence, and…well…um…uh…then they finally have to sit down and actually write a song (or two) or they'll be revealed as even worse charlatans than the people they originally hated. They may have a nervous breakdown -- but it'll be the best, most important one they'll ever have. And then they're through the looking glass.

Then they write "Kids."

Or so I like to imagine it. More likely MGMT went back to their dorm room after a raucous night of beer pong, smoked a bowl, and knocked out a sketch of the melody and lyrics on a laptop in 20 minutes.

Who knows -- or cares? It's all in the imagining.

And so how does the Bee Gees' "I Started a Joke" end? With Robin Gibb warbling away, maintaining the illusory mood, like a solid professional pop star, but voicing words that are, frankly, excruciating: "I looked at the skies, running my hands over my eyes / And I fell out of bed, hurting my head from things that I said / Till I finally died, which started the whole world living / Oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was on me."

Rumor had it that he was singing from the point of view of the Devil. See what your imagination can do with that.

Next week, in I STARTED A JOKE (OR CAREFUL: MGMT AT PLAY) VOL. 2, Charles Aaron will compile some of the best (and worst) MGMT remixes, mash-ups, alternate versions, and various errata for your downloading bemusement. And yeah, he thinks the "Kids" version from the We Don't Care EP is way more poignant than the Time to Pretend gloss. FYI.

As you get ready to celebrate Columbus Day, check out our scoop on Green Day's next full-length and Metallica's upcoming tour, and listen to exclusive new tunes from Manchester Orchestra, Minus the Bear, and others. Plus: Get more of the best from the past week:

What We Learned...

-- Green Day's next record: It looks like the boys have impeccable taste in producers. Click here to find out which musical maestro is manning the boards.

-- Metallica's upcoming American tour: We hope you like Death Magnetic -- not to mention lights and, uh, shit that blows up. Click here to prepare yourselves accordingly.

Audio/Video:

-- Exclusive: Download a New Minus the Bear Song
Grab the previously unreleased "Guns & Ammo" from the indie prog band's new acoustic EP -- for a limited time only!
-- Exclusive: Download Unreleased Song from Manchester Orchestra
Frontman Andy Hull tells SPIN.com the story behind the stirring "I Was A Lid," a tune from the budding rockers' upcoming EP.
--'SNL': Tina Does Palin, Killers Perform
VIDEO! The comedienne returns to applause aplenty, while Brandon Flowers and Co. unveil two dance-y tunes off their new album.

Features:

-- 'Twilight' Soundtrack Tracklisting Unveiled
A new song from Perry Farrell plus 11 other tunes from various artists make the album. Click here for details!
-- Death Cab Triumph at Radio City
On top of their game, the Seattle quartet uncorks a sublime, career-spanning set while selling out the landmark venue.
-- SPIN.com's Top 5 Up-and-Coming Montreal Bands
Our intrepid reporter hits the underbelly of Pop! Montreal to discover the new Arcade Fire.
-- Ben Kweller Reviews S.F.'s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest
Think you don't like country music? The Texas indie-rocker explains why you're wrong -- and offers his favorites from the event.
-- Franz Ferdinand Debut 6 New Tunes
For SPIN.com's definitive "first listen" of the Scot quartet's new album cuts click here!
-- Exclusive: Franz Ferdinand Tell All About New Album
VIDEO! Watch frontman Alex Kapranos and drummer Paul Thomson reveal new details about the band's much-anticipated third record.
-- Rage Against the Machine to Record New Album?
Guitarist Tom Morello sounds off on rampant web speculation claiming the reunited rockers are going into the studio.
-- Led Zeppelin to Recruit New Singer?
Twisted Sister's Dee Snider claims the rock legends may replace Robert Plant. Click here to find out more!
-- Stream the Pretenders' Complete New Album
Frontwoman Chrissie Hynde and Co. return with the SPIN-praised set Break Up the Concrete . Hear the whole record here!
-- Travis Barker Talks Plane Crash Recovery
Just over one week after his release from a Georgia burn center, the ex-Blink-182 drummer finally speaks.
-- My Morning Jacket's Jim James Hospitalized
The Southern crooner suffers injuries -- and upcoming shows are cancelled.

Editors' Blog:

-- Why America Needs Oasis
Coldplay may be bigger, but Chris Martin can't touch the Gallaghers when it comes to being a rock star, says SPIN's David Marchese.
-- Who Could Fall in Love to These Songs?
Movie music matters. But in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist…oddly, not so much, says SPIN's Phoebe Reilly.
-- Music to Lose Your Freakin' Life Savings By
What do Lil Wayne, Joey Ramone, and CNBC's Maria Bartiromo all have in common? SPIN's Steve Kandell explains.
-- End the Trend: The Lumberjack Look!
Is the Brawny paper towel mascot to blame for music's most tired fashion trend? SPIN's Ellen Carpenter investigates.
-- Welcome Back: Echo and the Bunnymen & Good Rats!
SPIN editor Doug Brod riffs on this week's rare concerts of two longtime favorites -- and tells you why you should care, too.
-- What's Up With Guy Bands Who Call Themselves 'Girls'?
We've noticed a disturbing new trend in gender reversal -- but what can it mean? An investigation (um, kind of), by SPIN's Abigail Everdell.

Reviews:

-- The Pretenders, Break Up the Concrete (Shangri-La)
-- Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul (Big Brother/Warner Bros.)
-- Tindersticks, 'The Hungry Saw' (Constellation)
-- Marnie Stern, This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That (Kill Rock Stars)
-- Deerhoof, Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars)

We've heard Paramore's new theme song "Decode," had a peek into author Stephenie Meyer's musical world, and even studied the tracklist for the teen vampire series' eyebrow-raising soundtrack. But where's the drama? The action? The romance? Look no further, dear Twilight fans -- the official trailer has finally arrived and it's jam packed with all the gushy stuff!

Sink your, ahem, teeth into the video below. And sound off in the comment section below. Bubbling with excitement? So is Paramore's Hayley Williams. Aren't you, Haley?

Twilight Movie Trailer:

Beck rarely puts on a conventional live show. In fact, the eclectic artist has incorporated puppets, pinstriped suits with lights, and a fully stocked dinner table into his previous tours.

Thursday, the SoCal slacker pulled out all the stops for his appearance at Harlem's stylish United Palace Theater, bringing a film crew, a massive lights display, and a buzz-worthy opening band for night two of his three-gig New York engagement.

Longhaired Brooklynites MGMT kicked off the evening with renditions of "Electric Feel," "Time to Pretend," and "Weekend Wars" off their celebrated set Oracular Spectacular.

Then Beck took the stage and slid into the unmistakable guitar licks of "Loser," which led to a raucous sing-along in the spacious theater.

The rest of the set was a tour through his funkiest hits off 1996's Odelay ("Devil's Haircut"), 1999's Midnite Vultures ("Nicotine & Gravy"), and 2005's Guero ("Black Tambourine"). More recent tunes like The Information's "Nausea" and Modern Guilt's "Orphans" also made their way into the set list.

While the genre-bending musician looked ageless in a wide-brimmed hat and dark jacket covering an oversized checkered flannel, his moving performance of somber acoustic ditty "Lost Cause" revealed the troubadour's old soul. Beck remained mum, wasting no time between songs, and finally closed the evening with a beats-heavy version of "E-Pro." The dazzled audience clapped along and followed the star's lead, chanting in unison, "Na na na na na na na," while dancing to the fuzzed-out guitar riffs echoing to the rafters.

Check out pictures from last night on page 2.

Beck / Photo by Jen Maler

Beck / Photo by Jen Maler

Beck / Photo by Jen Maler

Beck / Photo by Jen Maler

Legendary Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant may have recently refuted rumors that he's reuniting with the band for a world tour -- but according to, er, Twisted Sister screamer Dee Snider, that doesn't mean that the Zep's efforts are kaput.

Apparently, remaining members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham -- son of deceased original drummer John Bonham -- are threatening to recruit Myles Kennedy, lead singer of God-rock Creed offshoot, Alter Bridge, as a bargaining chip to convince Plant to change his mind.

Said former cross-dresser and one-time fictional Internet predator Snyder to MuchMoreMusic: "They're saying [to Robert], 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go, here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid. And he can sing the shit out of Zeppelin.' And they're gonna, like, hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK', and step in…" [via Idolator]

We're not entirely sure how Dee Snider is privileged to such groundbreaking news, which makes us a little suspicious. (We weren't able to reach Zep's management by press time.) But still, a Led Zeppelin reunion without Robert Plant? Do fans really to want to listen to this guy sing "Black Dog"? We think we know what Led Zep fans' reaction is going to be to this rumor.