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How long must we sing this song?
by anna at 06:25 PM on October 18, 2004
Growing up there were some hot bands. Or at least they seemed that way at the time. I'm thinking about the likes of the Police, Steely Dan and Starship (itself a bastardization of Jefferson Starship, an outgrowth of the hippie outfit Jefferson Airplane.) But when you hear their stuff on classic rock stations, it seems really dated. It hasn't stood the test of time.
The Police had a minimalist, reggae-influenced style that wore thin with repeated airplay. Same goes for Steely Dan's improvisational, jazzy style featuring polished sessions players. As for Starship, VH-1's countdown of worst songs of all time had their We Built This City on Rock and Roll at #1. All of it was music for the moment, not all time. Which doesn't dissuade classic rock stations from playing their crap ad nauseum.
It's the same way with old sitcoms. Regardless of which Dick you prefer, Bewitched holds up well (the beguiling Elizabeth Montgomery doesn't hurt.) Yet a real similar premise with an equally fetching Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie just seems silly now. Same goes for Petticoat Junction and Green Acres.
Among more modern shows in syndication, Seinfeld and Friends seem to hold up reasonable well. While Home Improvement and Roseanne seem hopelessly 90s. Maybe it's all that domestic bickering.
Among current acts I would nominate the goddamn Dave Matthews Band and the equally sappy John Maher (who might have written the worst lyrics ever here) for immediate discard onto the scrap bin of history. Classic rock stations of the future will steer clear of them like the plague. Any other nominees?
As for today's TV, let's face it. Aside from Desperate Housewives and Lost, it is a vast wasteland. It's difficult to imagine any of the current shows winding up in syndication. But there are two I am certain will never make it no matter how long they hang around unnoticed like Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman and Murder She Wrote: According to Jim and King of Queens. Jim Belushi is to his brother John Belushi as a perfunctory hand-job is to an orgy of (Linz's word) debauchery? Am I wrong about this?
Oh wait, I forgot. Nobody watches TV or listens to mainstream radio anymore. My bad.
comments (14)
Oops I forgot to dis Heart. Whenever I hear them on the radio I cringe. I'm embarassed for my entire generation. Oooooh, barracuda! Oh mama, he's a magic man. He's got magic hands. Ugh.
by anna at October 18, 2004 6:44 PM
Naw, The Police rock! And I'm 28... I didn't even discover them until like, 1994 or something. 1994! I don't think they sound dated. Heart is okay, but Fleetwood Mac is very cool... I always sing along when their stuff comes on the radio. They're a '70s band, right?
by jean at October 18, 2004 11:50 PM
The odd thing about the Police is that a lot of "modern rock" playlists include them. They play Roxanne (which my sister Roxanne hates) Message in a Bottle and Don't Stand So Close to Me (about a child molester. Go figure.
by anna at October 19, 2004 7:45 AM
ANNA! You dissed the Police. Now you must pay!! We had that best-of 8-track when my Mom was driving the big Jeep that went put-put-put... I loved it then, and love it now. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic is one of the top 5 songs likely to make me feel happy. I pretend he wrote it about me. Yet at the same time, they might be dueling John Mayer for some of the worst lyrics ever. Ha!
I love Dave Matthews Band. I don't care if they're considered frat rock or pop rock or what, they are fucking good. *ducks for cover*
by Linz at October 19, 2004 10:51 AM
Let us not forget Santana here. Despite any technical skill that is the most boring crap ever to achieve such longevity of popularity. At least with, say, Steve Miller Band, we can all laugh at ourselves for loving bad music, but people take Santana seriously.
by Rebekah at October 19, 2004 12:22 PM
Anna! Blasphemy!! The Police rock. Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity are still two of my favorite discs. You can't go wrong with Greatest hits either. What about these Hoobastank, Blink 182, Sum 41 poseurs. They all sound alike, groomed for MTV.
Rebekah, you're so right. I loved the sound Santana had back in the day but now everything just sounds tired. Stop it for God's sake.
*Throws shit at Linz for liking Dave Matthews Band* I saw them one too many times in Charlottesville before they were famous. Never got it. They're great musicians but his voice is like fingernails scraping down a chalk board to me.
by Ezy at October 19, 2004 2:19 PM
Oh, can I just say that Starship is the worst thing I have ever heard. I'd kiss Dave Matthew's ball sack before I'd listen to an hour of that trash. At least the pain and suffering would be over faster.
by Ezy at October 19, 2004 2:21 PM
Steely Dan, talented group, in their own right. Heart(These dreams go on when I close my eyes...) good song while getting your teeth cleaned... Check my blog for a good trade idea coming up within a week: SHORT USD/JPY. Sell U.S. dollars and buy Yen with the proceeds... read the blog and you will see the light...
by LOCKHEED at October 19, 2004 3:10 PM
I'd kiss Dave Matthews' ball sack too, and you wouldn't even have to threaten me with Jefferson-anything. Change 'is like fingernails scraping down a chalkboard' to 'is like fingers bringing me to orgasm' and I'm totally with you, Ezy!
by Rebekah at October 19, 2004 3:11 PM
We should hang out Rebekah. We could start a "kissing Dave Matthews' ballsack" fan club since we'd both do the deed, albeit for different reasons. It'd be all the rage.
If you get me into trouble Lock, I'm not going to be amused.
by Ezy at October 19, 2004 3:46 PM
Linz the alternate title was Their logic ties me up and rapes me. Always loved that line. I think Santana falls into the same proficient but boring category as Steely Dan. Especially now that Carlos is rent-a-guitar-legend for all the young stars. Rebekah/Ezy, doesn't Dave have two balls in that sack? That's enough to go around.
Now what about today's music? Sure they are a bunch of groomed for stardom iconoclasts and poseurs but surely there's someone besides Coldplay whose music will stand the test of time.
Oh and let me apologize on behalf of my generation for the embarassment that is Aerosmith. I'd rank Love in an Elevator and Dude (Looks Like a Lady) as among the top 5 worst of all time. I'm so sorry.
by anna at October 19, 2004 6:08 PM
Oh God, Aerosmith are bad. I hate how they appear all respectable now. I know how it happens, too... radio promotions executives sit in their offices and badger radio station managers until they give in.* That's all it is.
I love "Ghost in the Machine"... especially Invisible Sun and the other philosophical songs. It is pretty cool to see that a lot of you guys are also fans! Are they so rad or what? *gush like a teen*
I don't know which of the current pop bands will stand the test of time. I'm not sure about musical tastes in the rest of the country, but here in L.A. it seems like everything that Top 40 played in the '80s have pretty much become one-hit wonders, but on the other hand there's a whole station now which plays The Cure, Depeche Mode, and New Order quite a lot. And it's a big, mainstream station. Back in the day, no station would touch those bands except the grungy little alt-rock stations, who'd play them along with Concrete Blonde and the Dead Kennedys and stuff.
* I guess technically they go through "promoters"
by jean at October 19, 2004 11:26 PM
The classic rock station here did a weekend long deal where they played "classic" songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s. For some reason new wave bands like that can never be considered classic. But that is all I heard in the 80s. So damn was I shocked to hear how awful the so-called "mainstream" music was at that time. The absolute worst, churned out by corporate bands I can't even name. I think they were called "hair bands."
by anna at October 20, 2004 7:46 AM
Yes, the Hair Bands. Terrible. But long hair doesn't always equate to junk music. Iron Maiden, more popular in the UK, is very talented, with lyrics and overall composition. So how come there ain't any new posts? I'm batting 1000 in my analysis for the Eur/Usd and Usd/Jpy. Check it out, and comment by selecting 'Anonymous'. www.tradinganddrugs.blogspot.com Thanks.
by LOCKHEED at October 20, 2004 10:27 AM