Kings of Leon: Threat or Menace?

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The annoying Kings of Leon hype machine rolls on,
crushing a full page of the Los Angeles Times'
Sunday Calendar section.

A free-lancer furnishes the Hagiographa: The Kings of Leon
are former wandering churchmen who lived out of the backs
of cars and campers to bring singing and religiosity to the
south and midwest. Butter wouldn't melt
in their pie holes. And there could be nothing
more legitimate and praiseworthy than the combination of
privation, working poverty and simple man goodness that
naturally comes to those who grow up as toilers
in rural America.

Anyway, some excerpts:

"For the handsome, longhaired Followell brothers, growing
up the sons of a traveling Pentecostal evangelist who worked
the revival circuit between Tennessee and Oklahoma ... was
more than just hard on their social life. They lived a brand
of southern life few Americans can imagine."

Speak for yourself, buddy-boy.

"The [Kings of Leon] have experienced the country as outsiders,
looking at the world from inside a Flannery O'Connor story."

"An image that sticks in the mind is [the Kings of Leon]
out water-skiing, fully dressed in shirt and bluejeans so
as not to show any skin..."

"They made a home of gospel tents, eating and getting
their schooling out of back of ... camper trailers ..."

"Aretha Franklin was raised Pentecostal, as were Al Green
and Elvis. Pastor Followell preached and played bass, Mom
played organ and eventually first Nathan and then Caleb
played drums."

"...Nathan and Caleb suddenly saw they wouldn't be going
to Bible College like all their friends. They picked up
guitars and learned how to rock."

It is said they are beloved in England by way of citation
of NME.com "user popularity" polling.

― George Smith, Sunday, 27 July 2003 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Already savagely dealt with...

The Kings of Leon...SOMEONE FETCH ME A WEAPON AT ONCE!

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Sunday, 27 July 2003 20:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Fuck, didn't we have the black crowes already?

― Ramon (Ramon), Sunday, 27 July 2003 21:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Jesus, did these sad fops shred ILM in an interview somewhere? The level of malice is reaching hilarious Pitchfork levels.

― ham on rye (ham on rye), Sunday, 27 July 2003 22:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't believe anyone is paying this band any notice at all

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 27 July 2003 22:38 (twenty-two years ago)

My friend gave 'em a pack of 'moustache top trumps' cards...

― Jacoob, Sunday, 27 July 2003 22:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I shaved off my beard due to these fuckers.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Monday, 28 July 2003 01:39 (twenty-two years ago)

i stopped playing bad rock and stopped wearing overalls

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 28 July 2003 01:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Aesthetically one of them is a diluted ersatz version of Alan Lancaster of the mighty QUO :(

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Monday, 28 July 2003 08:25 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

I just saw these guys last night, and it was pretty wack. The drummer was the only guy who didn't stare at their hands while playing (the bass player did make a "sexy" face now and then, seemingly at choreographed times), so I have to assume he's the pro. Nice beat but the songs were really mundane and uninvolving. First I yelled "STARE AT YOUR HANDS WHILE YOU PLAY! PLEASE!" but they wouldn't react. A couple songs later I yelled "SOUTHERN FRIIIIIIIED STROKES" but they still wouldn't react. In fact, they played their most blatantly Strokes-sounding song yet, during the instrumental part I was actually able to yell "LAST NIITTE....SHE SAID..."! IN KEY! This finally pissed off some young hipsters in front of me, who didn't tell me off so much as beg me not to make the band seem even more pathetic. I just kinda smiled and gave them a thumbs up. Audience was VERY pathetic, desperating hoping something cool would wander down to State College.

I think they wear wigs.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 6 September 2003 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Now this is the kind of heckling of which I wholeheartedly approve. I am evil.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 6 September 2003 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, and I didn't go there to heckle. I'd never heard them and hoped some of the hype was justified. It sooo ain't. I probably wouldn't have heckled if they'd worn Confederate Officer outfits. I'm enough of a Paul Revere & The Raiders fan to have appreciated that.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 6 September 2003 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

the album might be better than their live performance, though. machines might help them a bit.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 6 September 2003 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

They were on Letterman one night this week. If I didn't already know they were a real band, I would've thought it was a comedy gag.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Saturday, 6 September 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

fuck these guys

― meme economist (special guest stars mark bronson), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:40 (seventeen years ago)

i can't believe anyone is paying this band any notice at all

― Pfunkboy in blood drenched rabbit suit jamming in the woods (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:41 (seventeen years ago)

hard not to when they're everywhere

― Gukbe, Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:42 (seventeen years ago)

how these sucks survived is a mystery.

― meme economist (special guest stars mark bronson), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:42 (seventeen years ago)

while such talents as the datsuns vanished without trace.

― meme economist (special guest stars mark bronson), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:43 (seventeen years ago)

thank u, britain

― Gukbe, Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:43 (seventeen years ago)

im just worried that Wolfmother are the next band from early 00's to get big

― Pfunkboy in blood drenched rabbit suit jamming in the woods (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:55 (seventeen years ago)

cannot go anywhere without hearing them in the UK at the minute, from cheesy DJ's playing 'sex on fire' and turning the chorus down hi ho silver lining style, to hearing them blast out of modified saxos, they are absolutely huge at the minute

― vain_bowers, Thursday, 26 February 2009 08:44 (seventeen years ago)

sorry for the overuse of 'at the minute'!

― vain_bowers, Thursday, 26 February 2009 08:45 (seventeen years ago)

People I know keep saying things about how much they like the new album. I think it's a sign that you've totally given up on music if you like KoL.

― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 26 February 2009 11:31 (seventeen years ago)

For two Sundays running I have been subjected to jobbing pub musicians playing 'sensitive' piano version of Sex On Fire. I might have to stop drinking if this continues.

― David Bentley: Rhythm Ace (Matt DC), Thursday, 26 February 2009 11:34 (seventeen years ago)

Wolfmother split. Soz Neuname.

― Reflex Gaffney (Raw Patrick), Thursday, 26 February 2009 11:34 (seventeen years ago)

Fucking hell, Matt.

― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 26 February 2009 11:34 (seventeen years ago)

One-time relevant PDC superstar Jelle Klaasen is using "Sex On Fire" as his walk-on music now, so KoL are officially "big".

― Eerie, Indierocker (The stickman from the hilarious xkcd comics), Thursday, 26 February 2009 11:36 (seventeen years ago)

Weird that last year amid all the Jay-Z controversy, it got completely overlooked that Kings of Leon were headlining Glastonbury, whereas if you put them on this year they'd probably be a bigger draw than, say, Blur.

― David Bentley: Rhythm Ace (Matt DC), Thursday, 26 February 2009 11:41 (seventeen years ago)

i really like that song "Manhattan".

― jed_, Thursday, 26 February 2009 11:49 (seventeen years ago)

AAAAAARGGGGHHH!! The new post-One Hot Minute Chili Peppers, in the way they're really really boring American rock bands who get played absolutely everywhere in the UK and seem to have hordes of fans who really should know better.

― the next grozart, Thursday, 26 February 2009 13:11 (seventeen years ago)

at any given moment, there is always one band that typifies all that is wrong with popular music. Right now, that band is the Kings of Leon.

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Thursday, 26 February 2009 16:49 (seventeen years ago)

No love for these lame-os at all?

I kinda like some of their songs.

― staggerlee, Friday, 27 February 2009 01:54 (seventeen years ago)

i kinda agree with you.

i heard one of their new songs on our local hard rock/metal station!

they were sandwiched in between white zombie and linkin park

― The Notorious B.Y.O.B. (M@tt He1ges0n), Friday, 27 February 2009 02:00 (seventeen years ago)

next to these guys, hearing biffy clyro is positively refreshing

― w/ sax (electricsound), Friday, 27 February 2009 02:09 (seventeen years ago)

always HATED these guys with a fiery passion but i kinda LOVE the new album....something weird is happening here

― rizzx, Friday, 27 February 2009 12:59 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, OUR BUS IS ON FIRE!

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654748/20101221/kings_of_leon.jhtml

― markers, Saturday, 25 December 2010 00:54 (fifteen years ago)

"Kings of Leon scorched the charts with their hit song "Sex on Fire," but on Tuesday morning (December 21) it was their tour bus that caught fire, forcing the rock band to postpone their sold-out O2 arena show in London."

― markers, Saturday, 25 December 2010 00:55 (fifteen years ago)

h8 those ppl
so racist
so shit

― No Wicked Heart Shall Prosper.rar (nakhchivan), Saturday, 25 December 2010 00:57 (fifteen years ago)

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=OUR+BUS+IS+ON+FIRE!

― markers, Saturday, 25 December 2010 01:00 (fifteen years ago)

don't see what so funny about this

they could have been killed

and weren't

etc

― No Wicked Heart Shall Prosper.rar (nakhchivan), Saturday, 25 December 2010 01:02 (fifteen years ago)

lol

― markers, Saturday, 25 December 2010 01:03 (fifteen years ago)

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