I think people are finally realizing that routine and repetition are boring.

The term “sell-out” used to get tossed around a lot at my high school. Since I mostly hung out with the punker/stoner kids, I heard it a lot more than others may have.

The lines were pretty clearly drawn: Marilyn Manson was a sell-out, Rancid was close but not quite there, Green Day was a group of sell-outs to top all sell-outs, etc, but not once did I ever hear anybody talk about selling in.

I asked someone about it when I was in eighth grade, and since I held this particular person in high esteem, his reply of “Dude, that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard” kept me from asking any more questions along that line.

I have noticed, however, that a lot of singers, actors and even artists (I’m sorry, but 97 percent of all artists I’ve met are actively seeking to sell out, though if you say so they will get pretty mad and may threaten tears) seem to be doing just that.

To clarify, “selling in” happens when a person who was once famous and is in fact still in a position of relative fame suddenly decides to take a significant pay cut for the sake of their artistic vision.

Darren Hayes, formerly of the “I Want You” band, Savage Garden, had just released the most successful of his solo albums when he decided to break with his label, Columbia, and both release and distribute his next album himself.

When I actually took a few minutes and thought about it, it seemed like a lot of people have done that lately. Paul Rudd, for one, is still a bankable name thanks to his roles in the Judd Apatow flicks, yet he’s also doing movies that I wasn’t even aware existed until I checked them in at work.

I think that after being swamped with all of these cookie cutter crap-o-rama products for so long, performers are finally just as sick of it as their audiences are. I realize that the previous statement makes it sound like they are attempting to become more well-rounded for the sake of retaining an audience, but I don’t think so. I think people are finally realizing that routine and repetition is boring.

All these random connections that we make to other people when we’re least expecting it, or those little annoyances that throw monkey wrenches into our pre-set plans, are really affirmations that we’re actually feeling something outside of ourselves and that we’re really alive.

I have always had a beef with artists who churn out cookie-cutter products, because that doesn’t accurately represent life (Warhol, I’m talking to you). Say what you like, but you won’t learn anything about life if all you do is plan it out, and that is the harsh reality of the whole business.

Plans change no matter what, and somehow the fact that so many entertainers are doing projects that are not as likely to be enjoyed as their previous efforts reflects that; it gives people exposure to other things, which is the point of art, and life, in the first place.

In essence, it’s the follow the leader game at its best. I still hate the artists who feel the need to change their style dramatically so they’ll be more liked by the populace.

I saw the Black Eyed Peas in concert before Fergie joined, and I was able to enjoy them much more when they were talking about real issues instead of Fergie’s silicone humps.

Very often, following an artist off the beaten path leads you to much more interesting places than the other way around. To summarize, selling out is idiotic and pathetic; selling in is the sign of a true artist. Follow the “sell-ins.”

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