Why do people like...?

ballysmate

SecretSam wrote:

Heavymental wrote:

Some bands are just rubbish though and you can certainly give yourself a pat on the back if you said Dido, James Blunt or Toploader were cr@p when they came out, because history has proven you right.

To which I would add Scissor Sisters, any X-factor/stars up their ars*/etc winner/runner-up, the vast majority of anything in the top 40 right now, everything the Stones have done since about 1975, and Basement Jaxx, all utter, utter shite.

TheCoo'sTail wrote:

By the way, I do agree with you on those other artists you named, along with most of the cr@p from the 80's!

I assume you are excluding The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Jesus and Mary Chain, (early) New Order, The Chameleons, early Hip-Hop (etc), some cracking pop from Duran Duran (among others)...I could go on, but I won't... :roll:

I certainly wouldn't be excluding the bands you listed. Send them to Room 101.

heavymental

Ballysmate wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

Heavymental wrote:

Some bands are just rubbish though and you can certainly give yourself a pat on the back if you said Dido, James Blunt or Toploader were cr@p when they came out, because history has proven you right.

To which I would add Scissor Sisters, any X-factor/stars up their ars*/etc winner/runner-up, the vast majority of anything in the top 40 right now, everything the Stones have done since about 1975, and Basement Jaxx, all utter, utter shite.

TheCoo'sTail wrote:

By the way, I do agree with you on those other artists you named, along with most of the cr@p from the 80's!

I assume you are excluding The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Jesus and Mary Chain, (early) New Order, The Chameleons, early Hip-Hop (etc), some cracking pop from Duran Duran (among others)...I could go on, but I won't... :roll:

I certainly wouldn't be excluding the bands you listed. Send them to Room 101.

Haha. Like I said before. Sometimes you have to accept something just isn't to your taste. The above is another list of artists that are good but just not what you like. You'd be wrong to say it's rubbish though.

It's funny though isn't it. In your own head you can flip between two points of view easily enough. When listening to The Smiths for example, you can easily see someones point of view that it is just maudlin rubbish but then also that it is finely crafted songs of great profundity. The same with For No One by the Beatles as discussed above. I find that to be a profound song with a beautiful melody and lovely use of a French Horn but I can see your point. It's not complicated but then that's the beauty of it, for me...and for millions of others!

We need examples! What are better songs in your opinion?

DavidBelcher

Richard Farrant wrote:

VinnyMarsden wrote:

Ok, here's another one... Pinarello bikes..I don't get it, they're good bikes of that there's no doubt, but suddenly, since Team Skys usage, their "want rating" has gone through the roof, but each to their own I guess, but I know there are far better bikes at the top end costing no more than the dogma etc....but I guess everyone has their pet stuff..I'm no different!!

+1

Can't stand all the wiggly bits...

Wiggly bits? I know who might be to blame for those....

(I'll get me coat)

David

DavidBelcher

simonhead wrote:

Caviar - no thanks, tried it and I imagine that eating frogspawn would taste similar.

Still on the seafood front: squid. See below for obvious analogy



David

mr_goo

Hilary Mantel books. I really like a good read, especially a well written historic novel. A friend of mine got this on the basis that it had won the Man Booker Prize and other plaudits. He gave up after 30 pages. Passed to me and I think I may have persevered to page 35. Utter, utter, self indulgent drivel.

DavidBelcher

Mr Goo wrote:

Hilary Mantel books. I really like a good read, especially a well written historic novel. A friend of mine got this on the basis that it had won the Man Booker Prize and other plaudits. He gave up after 30 pages. Passed to me and I think I may have persevered to page 35. Utter, utter, self indulgent drivel.

On the plus side, at least it's not Ulysses. I've enjoyed other stuff that Joyce wrote, but this proved to be tough going and hugely over-rated.

David

simonhead

DavidBelcher wrote:

simonhead wrote:

Caviar - no thanks, tried it and I imagine that eating frogspawn would taste similar.

Still on the seafood front: squid. See below for obvious analogy



David

Sounds like you have never had good calamaris, good fresh squid is not rubbery at all, only goes like that once its been overcooked.

mr_goo

I like a really good book. Got to be well researched, well written but not bogged down by an author who has over indulged Roget's Thesaurus (see Hilary Mantell) and easy to read without insulting my intelligence.

My heart sank when opening this a couple of Christmases ago, which prompts the question Why?

mrfpb

Mr Goo wrote:

I like a really good book. Got to be well researched, well written but not bogged down by an author who has over indulged Roget's Thesaurus (see Hilary Mantell) and easy to read without insulting my intelligence.

Try Neal Stephenson's Baroque Trilogy or Cryptonimicon

heavymental

See also 50 Shades. What is the point. I recommended Cloud Atlas to my boss and she couldn't make it past the first chapter yet she happily whipped (no pun intended) through the 50 Shades trilogy in a matter of days.

mr_goo

CJ Sansom's, Shardlake series is excellent. Great stories and a learning experience in Tudor England.

keef66

Heavymental wrote:

See also 50 Shades. What is the point. I recommended Cloud Atlas to my boss and she couldn't make it past the first chapter yet she happily whipped (no pun intended) through the 50 Shades trilogy in a matter of days.

I read Cloud Atlas on holiday a while ago and loved it. Desperately trying to avoid seeing the film version as I fear it will spoil it.

This year's villa had 50 shades and the sequel on the bookcase. Fortunately there were also 50 books I'd rather have read.

freddiegrubb

I could forgive Mr. dyson if his cleaners were not so ugly

pinno

Why do people like...?

Jeremy Clarkson
Simon Cowell
The Dailly Mail
(C) Rap music
TV dinners
Basketball
Baseball
Package Holidays
Reptiles for pets...

DavidBelcher

pinarello001 wrote:

Why do people like...?

Jeremy Clarkson
Simon Cowell
The Dailly Mail
(C) Rap music
TV dinners
Basketball
Baseball
Package Holidays
Reptiles for pets...

For people of a certain mindset, items 1 & 3 can be considered under the banner "counts as one choice"; both seem to be good at spouting outrageous, un-PC opinions to a strict deadline for money*.

David

*Rant borrowed from Stewart Lee.

heavymental

I notice we never did get an opinion on better illustrations of songwriting than those songs discussed above. I'm interested to know what might be on the list.

secretsam

I'm going to add perfectly manicured lawns, because some twonk up the road is mowing his lawn AGAIN whilst I'm trying to work

I'm going to get his mower and ram it right up his garden path in a minute

pinno

SecretSam wrote:

I'm going to add perfectly manicured lawns, because some twonk up the road is mowing his lawn AGAIN whilst I'm trying to work

I'm going to get his mower and ram it right up his garden path in a minute

I'd like to see that.

ddraver

Jeremy Clarkson pretty cars and refreshing change to H&S and PC bullcrap that we re on about in the work signs thread

Simon Cowell - cos he puts stupid peopl eon TV making other stupid people feel better about themselves

The Dailly Mail - given people someone else to blame for their mundane lives

(C) Rap music - cos it's from da hood innit blud

TV dinners - well that's just convenient

Basketball - come now I ve seen some cracking Basketball matches and some of the plays are really impressive

Baseball - several hours where beer drinking is actively encouraged - see Simpsons episode when Homer gives up Beer

Package Holidays - some people have no imagination

Reptiles for pets - .............no you ve got me there

samtope

Crescent wrote:

The Pet Shop Boys.

Just heard their latest dirge on the radio - Bourgeois something or other, basically sounds like every other offering they have unleashed.
I can't believe they have made a living for nigh on 30 years by one of them playing a stylophone and one singing with a clothes peg on his nose.

You're right, glad they made it to this list. When I hear the first horrible bars of any of their songs I count to what time it will be in 3 minutes and turn the radio off until then. Most over rated pointless drivel ever..

secretsam

samtope wrote:

Crescent wrote:

The Pet Shop Boys.

Just heard their latest dirge on the radio - Bourgeois something or other, basically sounds like every other offering they have unleashed.
I can't believe they have made a living for nigh on 30 years by one of them playing a stylophone and one singing with a clothes peg on his nose.

You're right, glad they made it to this list. When I hear the first horrible bars of any of their songs I count to what time it will be in 3 minutes and turn the radio off until then. Most over rated pointless drivel ever..

I quite like "West End Girls" but the rest is a big fat "Meh"

I don't mind "Top Gear" either, Clarkson is just deliberately irritating but it's worth watching for James May, who was always a fine journalist.

I'm going to go all Grand Designs now, though, and put in BRICKS. A truly stupid material to build a house out of: heated up mud. Complex to build with, time consuming too, horribly energy inefficient to make and too often the default choice. Why are we still building houses out of mud? And why - now I'm on the subject - don't new houses come with solar panels (UV, whatever) as standard? Surely that would soon cure a significant part of our energy crisis?

Oh, and all Toyotas. Wilfully bland.

Theomerchant

SecretSam wrote:

samtope wrote:

Crescent wrote:

The Pet Shop Boys.

Just heard their latest dirge on the radio - Bourgeois something or other, basically sounds like every other offering they have unleashed.
I can't believe they have made a living for nigh on 30 years by one of them playing a stylophone and one singing with a clothes peg on his nose.

You're right, glad they made it to this list. When I hear the first horrible bars of any of their songs I count to what time it will be in 3 minutes and turn the radio off until then. Most over rated pointless drivel ever..

I quite like "West End Girls" but the rest is a big fat "Meh"

I don't mind "Top Gear" either, Clarkson is just deliberately irritating but it's worth watching for James May, who was always a fine journalist.

I'm going to go all Grand Designs now, though, and put in BRICKS. A truly stupid material to build a house out of: heated up mud. Complex to build with, time consuming too, horribly energy inefficient to make and too often the default choice. Why are we still building houses out of mud? And why - now I'm on the subject - don't new houses come with solar panels (UV, whatever) as standard? Surely that would soon cure a significant part of our energy crisis?

Oh, and all Toyotas. Wilfully bland.

Yeah bland....


And don't get me started on Supras!!!

secretsam

Window dressing for the repetitive dross they otherwise churn out.

I-phones.

robklancs

Darts

Why?

Under breed culture.

the playing mantis

robklancs wrote:

Darts

Why?

Under breed culture.

wtf

KarlCrawford

Theomerchant wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

samtope wrote:

Crescent wrote:

The Pet Shop Boys.

Just heard their latest dirge on the radio - Bourgeois something or other, basically sounds like every other offering they have unleashed.
I can't believe they have made a living for nigh on 30 years by one of them playing a stylophone and one singing with a clothes peg on his nose.

You're right, glad they made it to this list. When I hear the first horrible bars of any of their songs I count to what time it will be in 3 minutes and turn the radio off until then. Most over rated pointless drivel ever..

I quite like "West End Girls" but the rest is a big fat "Meh"

I don't mind "Top Gear" either, Clarkson is just deliberately irritating but it's worth watching for James May, who was always a fine journalist.

I'm going to go all Grand Designs now, though, and put in BRICKS. A truly stupid material to build a house out of: heated up mud. Complex to build with, time consuming too, horribly energy inefficient to make and too often the default choice. Why are we still building houses out of mud? And why - now I'm on the subject - don't new houses come with solar panels (UV, whatever) as standard? Surely that would soon cure a significant part of our energy crisis?

Oh, and all Toyotas. Wilfully bland.

Yeah bland....


And don't get me started on Supras!!!

It is just awesome... I am glad some useful steps are taken to solve our energy crises.. I hope it will become part of our daily life

ballysmate

samtope wrote:

Crescent wrote:

The Pet Shop Boys.

Just heard their latest dirge on the radio - Bourgeois something or other, basically sounds like every other offering they have unleashed.
I can't believe they have made a living for nigh on 30 years by one of them playing a stylophone and one singing with a clothes peg on his nose.

You're right, glad they made it to this list. When I hear the first horrible bars of any of their songs I count to what time it will be in 3 minutes and turn the radio off until then. Most over rated pointless drivel ever..

I too am glad they made the list. The one thing I would take issue with though is the fact that their records were not unleashed. They were not even issued. They escaped.

shockedsoshocked

Downtown Abbey - Girlfriend loves it but luckily managed to convince her to watch other things each time I've been in danger of having to sit through it. I assume everyone who watches it is boring and sexually repressed, possibly my girlfriend too. Luckily I've got her to watch Breaking Bad, Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones, where people you actually like are ruthlessly dispatched. I assume the toughest Downtown gets is if someone passes the Port the wrong way round the table or there is no clotted cream left for afternoon tea.

Mumford and Sons - Probably liked by the same people who like Downtown Abbey. Awful faux-emotional songs that sound like they should only ever be used to sell Irish Cider in summer. Again I assume people who like them hate music and possibly have a deep rooted disdain for everything that is good and right in the world.

How I Met Your Mother - Barney Stinson has given lads with no personality an excuse to wear suits on nights out, pose into cameras and pretend they have something about them. Probably have never actually chatted to a girl.

PercyFlage

'The Big Bang Theory' - lazy & hateful

fleshtuxedo

Okay, a few years over their pomp, but the Kaiser Chiefs. Why why why were they chosen for success? I can still not forgive public opinion....