my gmail password is close to 40 characters. It would be impossible to manage without keepass. I just assume that any password you can recall from memory is not secure enough.
I think I'd rather stop reading FUD articles on Wired written by noobs, than give up passwords.
I've quizzed most of the people I've encountered who claim to use this technique. They all use four words that "pop into their head". That's quite a big different from using random words, and almost certainly much weaker.
Obligatory: http://xkcd.com/936/