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@mooks
Thought I'd add my story to this thread - unfortunately this is going to be a serious post, so sorry about that.
I'd mentioned to one of my best friends, who's a serious roadie, that I wanted to get a road bike so I could do some cross training (I was pretty seriously into running at the time). Looking around, it seemed like the only road bikes I could afford were Halfords jobbies that were going to fall apart within 6 months - whether I rode them or not.
I saw this picture of the Howies office...
...and liked the fact that the bike looked so utilitarian - not like the fragile carbon-fibre things I'd seen down the LBS. As I was heavier than most roadies I was worried whether a road bike would take my weight as well.
Said friend told me to get a fixed - and sold it to me with mystical words like 'souplesse'. In the end though, when I got the bike up and running, I found it was much more practical for getting around on, as 20 gears was a bit of overkill when I was only popping down to the shops.
As it happens, I did buy a geared bike too, but whenever I have a choice between the fixed and the geared, I go for the fixed. It just feels more natural.