a fight for the soul of poptimism...

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

...has broken out on this thread. Since I am now using 'poptimist' with scare quotes, it may be possible that I am about to publicly 'break' with 'the' 'movement'. :-)

Comments

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Clearly we will not be able to resolve this properly until the arrival of the PEACHES GELDOF album.

Also Lex, why is it that you are so pro-Paris Hilton 2006 for being all "I am a hugely famous and fancied celebrity but I really need true love" and so anti-Robbie Williams 1996 whose early records addressed that exact same theme AND challenged the listener to reassess the singer's baggage in the same way?

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

And the fact that Poptimists has been SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN to be very anti-Robbie in general vindicates my point that The Statement is of lesser importance to The Entertainment Value.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Poptimists = anti-Robbie because his music is a bit sh1t these days.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

these days = last ten years

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

because Paris chooses to convey this through shiny bright 80s-style pop songs with massive choruses whereas Robbie chose mawkish, leaden piano ballads!

(The Vehicle > The Statement > The Entertainment)

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

you mean because he was a boy near some guitars, don't you? ;)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

YES!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

There are several reasons why one might celebrate or indeed fetishise Paris Hilton but not Robbie Williams, irrespective of whether one fronts better (however you define that) music generally than the other.

This is a v interesting pickle tho. My probs with Robbie are not actually that he is barely a talent at all, quite mediocre in every respect (as is Paris, tho she has more of a 'blank slate' feel somehow - perhaps just because she is newer than Robbie) but more that his music and songs do not appeal, being as they often quite weak, awkwardly written ballads or pub-rocky/MOR plodders. He has come close to goodness on occasion but 'Rock DJ' and 'Supreme' do not qualify for my iTunes playlist regardless - and nor will 'Rudebox' because of the genuinely poor rapping for which I cannot see a virtue (it could've been great but was misjudged).

[cis.livejournal.com]

yr Robbie Williams point is awesome interesting! I haf tried to address it on ilm but am running up against the poxyfule so: I think one thing clouding the Robbie question is that he fits into that not-sonically-pop-yet-popular category that poptimists tend to have issues with anyway. nevertheless, his whole 'take back your singing in the rain' Freesom '96 thing is key, innit.