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Never heard of either of them. So, what do you think the chances are for a Dave Clark Five reunion tour?

They're just...so...BLAND!

There are/were popular bands that I like/liked. I just can't think of any off the top of my head.

But, just for the record, I don't recall having berated anyone or any band just for being popular. ...not that anyone said I did that, it's intended as more of a preemptive thing.

I would like to throw out the obvious for consideration, that sometimes we lose something when we make something palatable for the masses. ...the masses having, by definition, very average tastes.

It's like Panda Express. I don't have anything against Panda Express per se--I'll come back twice for more General Chicken as quick as the next guy. ...but we all know it isn't the same as an evening spent in a really great Cantonese restaurant. And it isn't just the mass production that makes Panda Express different. The Cantonese restaurant focuses its menu on traditionalists and gastronomes; Panda express is competing with the five dollar footlongs at Subway.

I'll get a sandwich at Subway sometimes.

I like ambient music sometimes. I just remembered too, I really liked The White Stripes. ...they were pretty popular, weren't they?

When it comes to something like Toad, I don't think I dislike them, it's just that they have to compete with all the other stuff I listen to for ear time. If you want me to take the time to seek your music out, there's gotta be something that really perks my interest... I'll drive across town and through traffic for a really terrific Cantonese restaurant, but I've got a lot of things that can compete with Panda Express right in my back yard, so I'm not drivin' across town for Panda Express. Know what I mean?

Oh, and I just remembered. I'm really getting back into reggae. San Diego has so much reggae floating around--most people find reggae pretty blah I guess. ...pretty stereotyped and rigid and just generally tired, I guess. ...but I'm almost back into it like when I first discovered the stuff. Shouldn't that count as popular? ...around here anyway? 'cause reggae in San Diego is a bit like Country Music in Amarillo.

Oh, and I still love surf music from the 60s. Some of that can be pretty obscure, but it's super accessible too. ...doesn't that count?

It's okay, Ellie, I like Toad the Wet Sprocket. I also own more than one Gin Blossoms album.

I have heard of God Speed You Black Emperor but don't think I've heard anything by them.

I like "Walk on the Ocean" by Toad the Wet Sprocket and many years ago and bought the CD just for that song.

For many years I have also owned New Miserable Experience by the Gin Blossoms, and I listened to that CD while driving to Nashville this weekend. My favorite songs on it are "Found Out About You" and "Hey Jealousy."

I own the Better Than Ezra CD that has "In the Blood" and "Good" on it.

I own the self-titled CD by Candlebox.

I own three CDs by Oasis and two by Cracker.

(I got exposed to a lot of music that I liked in the 1990s.)

I own CDs by Staind and Korn and Limp Bizkit.

Shall I continue to hurt you? All you have to do is say, "You have good taste in music, Stevo!" and this can all end.

I think the extremely varied tastes in the music forum make it all the more interesting.

I listen to dhex's stuff and smacky's stuff, and judging from what they've posted, they're into very different stuff. I've always liked alt country--I came to it by way of the cow punk of my youth. ...but don't get me started on punk rock clogging again. I like the grindcore stuff too. ...but it's not like the forum's limited to obscure stuff either.

I just checked again, and I see just about everything cited somewhere there. ...from Devo to Iron Maiden. If there's a band we haven't talked about that people want to talk about, I don't think it's because any of us are hostile to it or anything. I don't see any fanboys around here anywhere, so, you know, jump in. The water's fine.

There should be more Glam though. ...definitely more glam. I wish the whole world would go reggae and glam for a while--that's what the world needs. Maybe that's what you guys are complaining about? ...not enough glam?

Yeah, yeah, I guess dude had a problem there. ...but that wasn't until twenty years or more after the fact. I wasn't suggesting the whole world should jump on that wagon... But it does seem like there's very little new going on in the world at the moment, and glam inspired so much.

Maybe I should have gone with some T. Rex?

...besides, I was makin' a joke. I didn't think what Ellie was really sayin' that what the music forum needs is semi-obscure glam references. I was just being semi-obnoxious.

I take back what I said about these heathens not berating other people's taste.

I did it myself to Jake once, but that's different. I was just agreeing with his friends.

...I mean, even Jake'll tell you that's different.

We should sell "Your favorite band sucks." t-shirts around here. ...that's the only good way to get back at the heathens--relieve them of some of their cash.

"Hey Jealousy" is one of my favorite songs to sing while driving. I also own "Congratulations, I'm Sorry."

If I were to put my iPod on shuffle and list the next 20 songs to play, my taste in music would be mocked and boo'ed. I do my best not to sing any of it too much in the presence of others, but that's all I can promise.

Nobody ever asked me before. But I like Toad the Wet Sprocket.

It's also one of the few bands that I can recognize when I hear them.

Mostly when you kids start on about the bands you like, I'm all, "WTF are they talking about?" :)

continuing on this theme, i actually wrote something on the topic in "Venetian Snares: A User Guide of Dubious Value That’s Slightly Not Safe For Work"

factoids: gybe is no longer in operation (most members went onto the a silver mt. zion project which is far more rock and vocal oriented) and they are all canadian to boot! or aboot, whatever the proper term may be.

I forgot that "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You" were Gin Blossoms songs. That said, I think those are pretty good pop songs - they're listenable and hummable - it's just that I'm not usually into pop. But it wouldn't make my ears bleed if somebody put on decent pop. I don't avoid popular music, it's just that most of the things I like happen not to be terribly mainstream. But then again I can spend one day listening to Dimension Zero and Arch Enemy and the next listening to Funkadelic and the Ohio Players, so who the hell knows.

Ok, I think we've reached that point. The zombie apocalypse. It's here. Somebody get an axe.

:)

I can't believe I'm talking abotu the Goo Goo Dolls on the internet, but they were pop punk-ish in the mid 90s.

And I've seen them live.

And I've seen the Gin Blossoms live.

I used to have the Goo Goo Dolls A Boy Named Goo CD until I loaned it to my cousin and he loaned it to one of his stoner friends .... and that was that.

I think "Name" was the song I bought the CD for, but I also liked "Long Way Down" and "Iris." EDIT: Only "Iris" wasn't on that CD. It was on another one.

Hey, know what would be really cool? If we could listen to it while we drive around your town, and the cops chase us around.

Something might be found to take its place.

If Ellie hadn't told us in the intro, I wouldn't have known if Godspeed You Black Emperor was a name for:

a) The theme song for Barack Obama's inauguration. (kudos to dead_elvis for that one);
b) a music group;
c) Prince Harry's Australian Aboriginee love child;
d) a brand of non-prescription viagra; or
e) a large ebony vibrator.

Well, based on the existence of Steely Dan, I would say some of those choices are not mutually exclusive.

Steely Dan Viagra, coming soon to a TV infomerical near you.

And the regular commercial -- I can hear the the theme music.

"Gooo back ... Jack ... do it againnnn ... "

I've had "Hey Jealousy" in my head since yesterday and it won't go away. I WONDER WHOSE FAULT THAT IS!

And also, Superstar Carwash in the best Goo Goo Dolls album, obviously

Originally this gave me evil satisfaction, but ever since I read this, O Karmic Kitten, it has been stuck in my head also. Especially when I'm at home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U91HDpUjYbo

i love how the women's outfits go from the dorkiest, ill-fitting smocks to cowgirl skankadoodle and back again.

the whole prairie gal revival look didn't last long enough, if you ask me. it was big in 2006 and then just kinda went off and died.

edit: for the benefit of those like myself and (i presume) dar, who were unaware of toad the wet sprocket:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcHB060NKYo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZpUUrEWnWQ

these were their two big hits according to wikipedia.

Dude, that's not funny. I think I threw up a little bit.

I like a lot of the same stuff JasonL mentions. I was listening to some Santogold and MGMT in the gym this very morning. I like a good pop song. Just please no Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Fountains of Wayne. I have a few of their songs on my Winamp list at this very moment. I would call them a pop band.

well if you like santogold you'll probably like MIA. that's fairly high energy without being, you know, german guy in a tracksuit type "hi-NRG."

hmm.

lightning bolt? maybe too sloppy.

speedy j? too dutch.

high on fire? too stereotypically metal? (hilarious video)

pig destroyer? perhaps not.

aphex? everybody loves aphex.

fugazi? perhaps too old.

kid 606?

early mastodon?

burnt by the sun?

boris, maybe. either pink or heavy rocks.

mia?

Yes. Yes I did.

i just figured they were luded out or something.

this morning's subway ride was soundtracked by a russian dude in a bomber jacket who was listening to the sort of HI NRG techno one would hope he would listen to.

i am still a little freaked out by people with canal phones who play music so loudly you can hear it on the other end of the subway car. it's a small consolation that we'll be paying for their hearing aids in 10 years.

Yeah, I agree...when I saw My Bloody Valentine in Chicago a month ago, I actually had to leave the ballroom and go into the lobby just to collect my sanity during their 22-minute wall of noise gimmick at the end of their show. There were a lot of other people doing the same thing, but the majority of the crowd stayed in the concert hall to have their hearing ruined. I stupidly put up with it for ten or fifteen minutes, but then realized I was being a fool and so went to the lobby to attempt to resuscitate my hearing. It was like being hooked up to the machine in the Pit of Despair. Allegedly they played another song, but I don't even care...I don't think I would have heard it, anyway.

But yeah, the whole thing left me puzzled: you reward your fans by...making them go deaf? So perhaps their ears will remain in a forever virginal status after the concert, eternally unhearing. (That's just one theory I've contemplated).

EDIT: for the record, I was wearing earplugs...it didn't matter. That's how loud it was.

Can you recommend a good pair? I use the disposable ones, but they're not that great.

Meh. I guess. I mean, I can kind of see the appeal of the noise they were making...but it didn't have to be *that* loud. The loudness just ultimately detracted from it...I mean it was unlistenable loud (unless you're a.) wearing fancy earplugs or b.) willing to go deaf). The people who were leaving the show in droves all looked like they were going insane, literally. And the ones who stayed looked mildly retarded as they all finally filtered out of the venue.

transcendence ain't pretty. (i.e. beautiful agony, that semi porn site comes to mind)

i used the screw in types from the folks who make those airplanes thingies. it was loud, don't get me wrong, but i had them in there good. plus i was near the back. 20db reduction seems just about right for something that's completely ridiculous. (i had no tinnitus the next day whatsoever)

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/mackshearplugs.html

One reason for my hearing loss is probably the problem I have in getting ear plugs to seat properly in my ears. It was like years and years before I realized that the little foam plugs weren't doing anything because they weren't fitted correctly.

Where I work, we had some stethoscope style plugs that worked great. They didn't have all that much attenuation, but they seated correctly without having to fuss with them. Now we can't use them because they aren't metal detectable, and I wear the Micky Mouse ear muffs. They work great too. For concerts, I guess I'd go with the disposables, and just take the ten minutes putting them in right. Or you can get custom fitted ones. We have a guy here that with a set, they just pop right in. Perfect fit every time.

Those women are dressed like Oompah Loompahs!

I can understand why they look so sullen. I wouldn't want to dance in an Oompah Loompah costume, either (it just makes them look more like Oompah Loompahs when they dance).