Merged duplicate threads.
And really, what does your taste in music have to do with your actual physical capabilities? Do you have any evidence that the average hard-nosed, rough and tumble rock fan, tattoos and all, wouldn’t get the crap beat out of him by the average Lady Antebellum fan?
Why do people invest so much in musical preference? To me, it’s like arguing over mustard vs ketchup on a hamburger.
But I’ve done some research, and I think I’ve found out why groups like Nickelback get gigs. It’s because they actually play and sing.
I haven’t listened to a top 40 station for a long time, but this morning I found one on Itunes that just plays the current top 20, over and over and over (AudiogratedTop20).
I literally couldn’t believe my ears.
I had to turn if off after about five songs. There was simply no music there. Wait, I take it back, one of the songs interrupted its tuneless, banal rap with a rendition of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” that sounded exactly like some drunk at a bar singing it. I think the artist on that one was “Drake,” but I might be mixing it up with the other four songs that sounded exactly the same, except there was no attempt whatever at singing.
So it’s no wonder that Katy Perry or Taylor Swift or Nickelback stands out from crap like that. I don’t know how well they would have done in the 60’s, when they had to compete against, you know, musicians, but against the horrible “hits” of today, they sound like angels.
You’re missing the point. Fuck Madonna. Fuck Nickelback. Fuck Bruce Springsteen. Fuck The Beatles if the reanimated both John and George for the reunion.
Half-time is supposed to be 15 minutes long so I can take a shit, run out for more beer and wolf down some wings before getting back to the regulated concusions I tuned in for in the first place.
My poo-poo-ing of Madonna in this instance is my way of saying to all the people who were down on Nickelback because they were too corporate, or too fluffy, or to not-American – shut the fuck up; who cares who’s playing the goddamned half-time show in the first place?
And if you do care … seriously … fucking Madonna?
Not to speak for Ludovic, but I think you missed the point. If you like a certain genre of music, and Nickelback happens to be typically grouped into that genre, then the sad fact is that any station that plays that genre is probably also going to play Nickelback. And when they’re playing a Nickelback song, they’re not playing something you might like better. Most of the “new” music I like doesn’t get a lot of airplay, so I don’t listen to the radio a lot. But when I do, I listen to the local “classic rock” station because they play a lot of stuff I like. They also play a lot of Billy Squier, who I can’t stand (seriously, KKRT, is it necessary to play Billy Squier four times in an eight-hour period? Does he really deserve the same amount of airtime you give to Zeppelin and Skynrd and AC/DC, and approximately eight times the airtime you allot to, say, Rush?). But I don’t jump up and change the station, because hey, the damn song will be over in three and a half minutes. But I can still wish they’d play something “better” instead.
Thanks for clearing that up; I really did miss the point. Three and a half minute stretches of your day where faceless strangers at a radio station aren’t making life perfect for you? How do you stand it?
Fallacy of the excluded middle much? It’s a misnomer of the thread title to claim that I “hate” Nickelback. I simply respond to these sort of thread to explain why I dislike them and many bands in the same vein, that play music that is not completely dissimilar to music I might like.
Would you feel somewhat less fulfilled if a station which normally plays fairly listenable music somehow got the urge to play John Cage’s 3’33 in heavy rotation? Or would you feel that while it wasn’t your favorite song, it isn’t even worth mentioning that you happen not to like it?
The Nickelback hatred meme is an interesting case, based on right place at the right time dynamics.
It boils down to dislike of popular music. White, middle-class teens and young adults need a sacrificial lamb to represent everything they hate in music today and by all looks Nickelback perfectly fits the bill.
They’re listened to by a predominantly “white” audience so white people are “socially allowed” to make fun of them. Rap is trickier nowadays. People constantly hate on rap in general with lines like “rap is crap”, or “they’re just talking about bling”, etc. You rarely hear hatred by white people towards specific rap artists. I think they’re afraid of crossing the race card dynamic. Even when white people do make fun of specific rap artists it’s towards parodies like Flavor Flav, who nobody takes seriously, rather than truly bad rap artists such as Gucci Mane who many people actually enjoy.
Nickelback has had a solid 5-10 year run of success on Top 40 radio. Their songs have been near the top of the Billboard and constant on radio for a decade of people’s lives. They are familiar with the band and comfortable with them. Thus comfortable making fun of them.
A theme common with Nickelback that hits with mainstream audiences is the “moderation” of the music. It’s not too hard for those with soft ears, and not too quiet for those who like to go to the bar once a month. This alienates hardcore metal fans, and those who enjoy creativity and passion in their music. They view Nickelback fans on par with people who never go over the speed limit, sit out rollercoasters, and listen to their CD players on medium volume. In other words, bland and boring people.
To top it off Nickelback songs have been called out by many blogs for using the same exact formula in every single hit song. This is not unprecedented (Linkin Park got called out as well), and is done with most mainstream artists such as Rihanna and Katy Perry. Again Nickelback is the sacrificial lamb that represents “everything that is wrong with music today”. Their lead singer, the face of the band, looks like a guy you can easily beat up if it came down to it. The hair and grungy voice tries to give the impression that he is a “rocker” but is easily seen through by many people as a guy who tries too hard.
Shake it up, put it in a blender, give them a Super Bowl halftime show and there is your answer. Social dynamics, suppressed frustration over popular music, and the need to laugh at those perceived as weak.
What do I think? I think Nickelback blows.
Just catching up here…sorry for the delayed reaction, folks: A corporate band? One hit band? I’m not defending them, but how does that make them any worse than any other band out there when they ALL fit this description today? Like, any contemporary author today is not a slave to the same puppy mill philosophy of the corporate world? [Like,we needed Rocky MM? 
] That’s what “America Lacks Talent” (sic) is looking for! Years ago, Greg Brady of the Brady Bunch said it best “because I fit the suit”. Pop music doesn’t want good taste! They want music that tastes good for the next 30 secs before hopping on to the next “big thing”. Just fit the template…
I mean, did rock stars really need video? No, but MTV - the Hugh Hefner of pop - manufactured this artificial need for video rock! I mean, really, some rockers have a face for radio! Like, did we really need to see what Mick Jagger looks like?
And, if U2 or The Rolling Stones (both of which I once was a fan) puts out one more droning song that recycles the same bars of the past million songs, I will put out the scream heard around the world! Let’s face it…the pop industry is a self-defeating industry in a race to the bottom as to whom can turn the fastest buck. Now, Lady Gaga…there’s talent! :rolleyes: