Tom, I know your heart's in the right place, but I worry about you sometimes ... :).
― Robin Carmody, Friday, 27 October 2000 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
But that said I've not had bad experiences with the B & S fans I've met, much less so than - say - Smiths fans back in the day. They've seemed mostly friendly, charming and intelligent people, and I'm never going to judge people by how 'eclectic' their music taste is, because it doesn't work. As Maura rightly said in some other thread, listening to cardigan music doesn't make you sensitive, but it doesn't make you an idiot either.
― Tom, Saturday, 28 October 2000 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Rodney Hatcher, Saturday, 28 October 2000 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Something else that strikes me about it is how little people actually reveal about themselves and how short their posts are, compared to most contributions to the Sinister list, which were intensely personal and like short essays and dissertations - in one month I learnt everything about where the people on the list had grown up, what job they did, the utter predictabilities and mundanities of their daily routine, and of course which other bands they liked apart from B&S, and what they *didn't* like. Nonetheless, I was being a bit cruel on it - I encountered some very friendly and sympathetic people on that list. I think the Sinisterines always revealed themselves as more interesting, diverse people when talking offlist, away from the constraints of its formulae, free to express their social or ideological views, or even to say that they liked Timbaland or Ghostface Killah, say, without fearing the indie boys' uprising in response.
Yes, Tom, you're right. B&S fans are often much more outward-looking and less obsessed with themselves than Morrissey fans had become by the early 90s (not so sure about Smiths days, though), although there's always the neo-conservative joker in the pack, and such people would be more likely to be drawn to B&S because of the band's essential parochial nostalgia and yearnings for a more inward, closed world (which to me actually makes them much more interesting, their utter denial of all the metropolitan trappings of the Blair era).
― Estuary English, Sunday, 29 October 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
I'll put forth that, judging on mailing lists, the worst fans are Madonna fans. If they aren't bitch slapping each other verbally in a race to see who is most "Madonna-like", they're trashing Mariah Carey. It's ridiculous. And god forbid that you don't like, say, American Pie (bar none the stupidest thing Madonna ever did). You're then obviously an infidel trying to break the unity of the list. Gah. Screw all of 'em.
I've noticed a peculiar tendency, as well, to pick apart each other's grasp of English on mailing lists. I mean, heavens, I have a million times the grasp of grammar and usage that these people have, but I don't jump on them if they misspell a word. I see it all the time though. That's one of the main reason I stopped doing the list thing - who needs a mailbox full of rants about how so-and-so put the i after the e? I used to reply to the ranters, "Well, you put the comma in the wrong place, and BY THE WAY, you need to put an s after the apostrophe if you're talking about a singular object, whether or not the object's name ends in an s", but alas, they hated it.
― Ally, Wednesday, 1 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Tom, Wednesday, 1 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― sundar subramanian, Wednesday, 1 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Josh, Wednesday, 1 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Sundar is just trying to make you feel better. You are, in fact, the only person in the world who liked "American Pie". :)
― Dan Perry, Thursday, 2 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Tim, Thursday, 2 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
It had me wondering whether I'd still hate the original as much as I do were it not for the negative connotations it has of pop music sinking into nostalgia for the first time, giving into the Nixon / Heath era. I suspect I'd loathe Maclean's droan whatever, but this was the first time I realised that there was *possibly* something good lurking beneath.
-- np: Piano Magic, "Dark Secrets Look For Light"
― Robin Carmody, Friday, 3 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
"Human Nature" is a FANTASTIC song. Absolutely. Not only is it a great song, it's one of the best singles she's ever released.
"Nothing Really Matters" is somewhat generic, but is still uplifting house goodness.
"You Must Love Me" is, well... fucking horrible. I guess you win on that one.
― Dan Perry, Friday, 3 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 4 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
American Pie is terrible because the original is a terrible song, the production is the exact same thing Orbit had been doing over and over (and did once more on Amazing, to better effect), and the delivery is dead. I gave the song a decent score (5? 6?) on the last focus group for one reason and one reason alone: the completely bizarro inclusion of Rupert Everett. However, this awful novelty has worn off and just become awful, and now I completely hate it, instead of slightly hate it. And the original is the worst song ever, without any exception.
Well, except Abraham, Martin & John, but that's a completely different saga.
Re: MacArthur Park: the only even decent version of this song is Donna Summers. Next. ;P
― Ally Cat, Monday, 6 November 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Michael Bourke, Wednesday, 6 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Nate Patrin, Thursday, 7 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― add D., Saturday, 3 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Tom, Saturday, 3 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Colin Meeder, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― fritz, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dave225, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Sean, Monday, 4 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Colin Meeder, Tuesday, 5 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Just to show that I'm not a musical retard that has had no exposure to great music outside of Radiohead, some other artists that I love:
MuseCanAphex TwinAutechreBoards of CanadaThe PavementNick DrakeSteven MalkimusThe Velvet UndergroundSome of Lou Reed's solo shitThe Smashing Pumpkins (Adore is nearly as good as Kid A)Sonic YouthFaustREMPink FloydElliott SmithPorcupine TreeTortoisePortisheadNeuThe Smith's (Morrisey's solo stuff is shite though)Godspeed you black emperorExplosion's in the sky
No overrated garbage like The Clash, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Arcade Fire or Bob Dylan for me. Ok, Bowie's not garbage but he is overrated."
The Pavement.
― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Sunday, 5 November 2006 05:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 5 November 2006 05:34 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 5 November 2006 05:38 (seventeen years ago) link
― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Sunday, 5 November 2006 05:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 5 November 2006 06:06 (seventeen years ago) link
point taken.
― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Sunday, 5 November 2006 07:02 (seventeen years ago) link
― Scorpion Tea (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 5 November 2006 07:14 (seventeen years ago) link
― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Sunday, 5 November 2006 08:28 (seventeen years ago) link
― James.Cobo (jamescobo), Sunday, 5 November 2006 10:15 (seventeen years ago) link
Actually, right after the post I quoted above, a few superfanz immediately criticized him for not giving The Bends the props it deserved.
― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Sunday, 5 November 2006 16:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 5 November 2006 19:24 (seventeen years ago) link
― James.Cobo (jamescobo), Sunday, 5 November 2006 19:50 (seventeen years ago) link
see also: NIRVANA
― new new wave of new wave new rave (fandango), Sunday, 5 November 2006 19:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― You've Had Your Chances (noodle vague), Sunday, 5 November 2006 19:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― Stephen Bush (Stephen B.), Monday, 6 November 2006 21:36 (seventeen years ago) link
But they are incredibly fanatical, and are the kind of fans who don't only see Rush personally as the most important thing that has ever happened, but they also believe most people think the same way.
See also Kiss, Guns'n'Roses and Marillion. (And Beatles - except they are right, in that The Beatles are considered the most important band ever)
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 6 November 2006 22:58 (seventeen years ago) link
A radiohead fan myself, these "this band belongs to ME, if a song of theirs charts they have sold out and I must die" minded fans drive me nuts. (See also: Modest Mouse ca. Float On on radio scandal!)
― his sister pam (hissisterpam), Tuesday, 7 November 2006 19:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 7 November 2006 19:27 (seventeen years ago) link
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 7 November 2006 19:30 (seventeen years ago) link
― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 7 November 2006 19:52 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 7 November 2006 20:10 (seventeen years ago) link
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 7 November 2006 20:48 (seventeen years ago) link
I might even have a chance of liking them if it wasn't for their annoying fans who stormed in and stood right in front of me, and then proceeded to keep poking me with their elbows.
― jellybean (jellybean), Tuesday, 7 November 2006 21:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Bongro (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 7 November 2006 21:59 (seventeen years ago) link
radiohead fan quote upthread is perfect
― niels, Monday, 7 May 2018 22:05 (five years ago) link
surprised no one mentioned Tool.
― campreverb, Tuesday, 8 May 2018 02:13 (five years ago) link
ween
― kurt schwitterz, Tuesday, 8 May 2018 02:21 (five years ago) link