The self-aware PFAs that we are, we took a step back from our category and tried to think of the 100 public figures you've just GOT to know if you want to be a pretentious fuck. These can be artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, actors, thinkers, politicians, whatever.<br /><br />I even went so far, tonight, as to rank them in a top 100, VH1-style countdown. Since Emily and I thought of way more than 100 last night, I had to cut a bunch, and of course I didn't remember them all. So consider this a prelimarily list. Here's where you come in: Check the list out, enjoy it, and e-mail me back with your suggestions of who we left out. Feel free to gripe about the order too, though I think it's pretty impossible to contest #1.<br /><br />100. Arianna Huffington<br />99. Robert Pollard<br />98. Henri Langlois<br />97. Laurie David<br />96. John Kerry<br />95. Stephen Colbert<br />94. John Darnielle<br />93. Barack Obama<br />92. Edward R. Murrow<br />91. Cole Porter<br />90. Colin Meloy<br />89. Sofia Coppola<br />88. Bill Maher<br />87. Gary Trudeau<br />86. Michael Azzerad<br />85. Neil Gaiman<br />84. Arthur Miller<br />83. Irvine Welsh<br />82. Voltaire<br />81. Steven Sondheim<br />80. Janeane Garafalo<br /><br />79. Frank Miller<br />78. Valerie Solanas<br />77. John Linnell and John Flansburgh<br />76. Emo Phillips<br />75. Robert Altman<br />74. Calvin Johnson<br />73. David Cross<br />72. Henry Rollins<br />71. Oscar Wilde<br />70. David Lynch<br />69. Stan Brakhage<br />68. John Lennon<br />67. Nick Hornby<br />66. Camille Paglia<br />65. Garrison Keillor<br />64. Abbie Hoffman<br />63. Richard Linklater<br />62. Marcel Duchamp<br />61. Yoko Ono<br />60. Pier Paolo Pasolini<br /><br />59. Allen Ginsburg<br />58. Eve Ensler<br />57. Gore Vidal<br />56. Steve Buscemi<br />55. Jackson Pollack<br />54. Robert Smith<br />53. John Lydon<br />52. Roland Barthes<br />51. George Orwell<br />50. Bob Dylan<br />49. Charles Bukowski<br />48. Julian Schnabel<br />47. David Bowie<br />46. Jello Biafra<br />45. Steven Wright<br />44. Tom Wolfe<br />43. Stanley Kubrick<br />42. Albert Camus<br />41. Patti Smith<br />40. Susan Sontag<br /><br />39. Chuck Paluhnick<br />38. Michelangelo Antonioni<br />37. Stephin Merritt<br />36. Ira Glass and Sarah Vowell<br />35. Ingmar Bergman<br />34. Brian Eno<br />33. William S. Burroughs<br />32. Matthew Barney<br />31. Laurie Anderson<br />30. Truman Capote<br />29. Lester Bangs<br />28. Howard Zinn<br />27. Sylvia Plath<br />26. Salvador Dali<br />25. Woody Allen<br />24. Soren Kierkegaard<br />23. Chuck Klosterman<br />22. Hal Hartey<br />21. Leonard Cohen <br /><br />...And the top 20 all-stars!...<br /><br />20. David Sedaris<br />19. Salmon Rushdie<br />18. Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon<br />17. Jean-Michel Basquiat<br />16. David Byrne<br />15. Jean-Paul Sartre<br />14. Jim Jarmusch<br />13. Lou Reed<br />12. Jack Kerouac<br />11. Morrissey<br />10. John Zorn<br />9. John Cage<br />8. Hunter S. Thompson<br />7. Kurt Vonnegut<br />6. Bertolt Brecht<br />5. Tom Waits<br />4. Frederick Nietschze<br />3. Jean-Luc Godard<br />2. Noam Chomsky<br />1. Andy Warhol
