Poptimists Year-End Review: Most Awful Thing / Best Other Thing

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The Poptimists EOY polls are now boldly SPANNING the 2006/2007 divide because I was busy last week and nobody was online. Two more categories today, and then into the lifetime achievement, act of the year and track of the year categories for the rest of this week.

Today we voyage into the negative zone with the well-stocked "most terrible musical thing" category. To introduce the nominees:

Sandi Thom is the troubadour of Tooting whose "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker" topped the charts last spring.
Muse are indie-rockers who have given themselves a pomp-metal makeover.
Arctic Monkeys are the saviours of British guitar pop, apparently they were discovered on the INTERWEB.
Indie rock in general rumbles listlessly on.
The Streets third album was felt by some fans to be a bit ghastly.
"Before The Music Dies" is a fillum.
Westlife delighted grannies everywhere.

We also tackle the less well-stocked "best other thing" category - this was poorly explained by me, in that it was meant to cover 'other things there isn't a category for', not 'other things you couldn't fit into the other categories' boxes'. Anyway some items did get multiple nominations:

YouTube is a site that is NO LONGER blocked to me at work!
Beyonce's "Ring The Alarm" sleeve has alligators on it.
The Pop World Cup was a much-loved and little voted-in feature on this website.
Eurovision heralded the return of ROCK.

[Poll #898962]

You can still nominate in the three remaining categories, if you can be botherd to trawl through the archives and do so!

Comments

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Youtube has totally changed everything, much more than myspace ever could.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I had never heard of "Before The Music Dies" before the nominations for this poll - however it swiftly SURGED ahead of Sandi T (who lets face it has vanished) to take my tick.

YouTube should win the 'other' category, though for personal enjoyment (and a good idea actually quite well realised for once) the PWC got my vote.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

i am watching the trailer now and i am troubled

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

surely this stands a good chance of being WORST THING EVER 2007

oh noes dave matthews now too

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

oh it was out 2006. then i may change my vote...

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I think it may get UK distribution 2007 (though I pray not).

The Most Offensive Thing

[koganbot]

The most offensive thing about Before The Music Dies is that there are actual evils that it is in position to dissect, if it wishes to (and maybe does in the movie, which I haven't seen, though it sure doesn't in the trailer), such as ClearChannel's bullying market tactics, but instead its subtextual message is that The Way To Fight Evil Is To Join Our Social Set And Be Smug, Ignorant, Style-Damaged Quasi-Liberal Dorks. So simultaneously I'm watching liberals like myself be ignorant bigots AND I'm watching liberals like myself shoot themselves in the foot. It's agonizing.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I know nothing of this movie and hope never to hear of it again.

Sandi's career may be dead but her horrible song lives on (heard it twice on the radio over Xmas/NY), so must be ticked.

P.S. Apologies to Carsmile and others for not attending Poptimism on NYE. I did turn up at the UT at 8.30 ish (having failed to read the instructions that it was a late start this time), but I had to be across town by 10pm anyway to meet family so decided not to stick around.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Sandi Thom's song was in the Virgin Radio Top 500 Of All Time. I know Virgin Radio is like Kerrang! Radio taking itself more seriously and having a cup of tea but honestly, WHY, PEOPLE OF BRITAIN, WHY?

I once made up some new, historically corrected words to '...Punk Rocker' but I was drunk at the time and the only line I can remember was 'In '77 and '69 Agent Orange was in the air,' which is itself historically inaccurate I suspect so it's probably just as well I've forgotten them.

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Sandy Tom is getting spectacularly dissed here. Good.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Sandi Thom is actually the least offensive to me out of everything in that category! except the 'before the music dies' thing cos I don't know what it is. But I'd rather have Thom than Muse/Arctic Monkeys/indie rock in general/Streets/Westlife. By FAR.

[koganbot]

Lex, Before The Music Dies is more offensive than all the others COMBINED.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I have ascertained this from the shocked reactions above! But I am not going to willingly watch the trailer no sirree.

I Wish I Was An Dylan Fan With Ashes In My Hair

[koganbot]

Ah, but there are things to savor in it, such as the interviewer telling Ashlee fans - who'd admitted to never having heard of Dylan - that "Bob Dylan used to inspire people to drive to Washington and burn their bras." Maybe one day it will be a camp classic.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Also kids, the #1s poll will be back at some point this week. I know it's meant to be Tuesdays but aargh.

2006 success

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I have still never heard even one note of any Arctic Monkeys song :D

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Noooo, the crocodiles cover is possibly cruel and at the very least a bit silly.

I Am Dismayed That No One Else Nominated Prog's Takeover of Prague

[koganbot]

I am dismayed that no one else nominated ProgRock's takeover of the Czech charts in the "Other" category. But also, I think asking us to vote for the "best" Other thing undermines the beauty of the category as I chose to conceive it: the winner shouldn't be the Best other thing but the Most Other other thing. (However, I went along with your instructions, so voted PWC. But perhaps I should rebel and vote the crocs.)

[mostlyconnect.livejournal.com]

Seriously best nation ever.

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

I wish Muse would win this. They are truly evil for two reasons:

1) Having first concert at nu-Wembley
2) Their co-opting of metal