Obama did what?

HOSTAGE BRITUATION 2008

OhNoTheyDidnt - Read as the story unfolds

( My opinion to come much later. )

What is a Guilty Pleasure? I have the answer...

I've mentioned before that I used to be a big pop music fan. I've drifted away from it as I've gotten older, especially over the last two years, nothing was coming out that I even found remotely exciting. But with the release of the new Backstreet Boy record and the new Britney, I've really found that my 14 year old self is trying to make comeback. However, I'm not excited for the Britney release, the tracks that have been leaked don't speak to me at all. I'm trying to get excited about the BSB album, but I haven't heard a song that I love either, I'm hoping that will change when I hear the full releases and not just the 30 second clips.

So instead, I've somehow gotten sucked into the cheesy world that is the High School Musical cast. I've been listening to Vanessa, Ashley, and the HSM soundtrack pretty much non-stop. Make fun of me if you will, but it actually reminds me of the day when pop music was GOOD. When I could dance around and giggle at the simple lyrics about love and loss, sung by people who have hardly reached the age to know what its like. I don't feel bad for liking this music, but I'm starting to understand, at the age of 22, exactly what a guilty pleasure is. I don't want to admit to it, but I love it.

The 14 year old inside of me is rocking out. Especially to this song.



Laugh if you must, but I'm pretty sure I enjoy life a lot more than you do.

The Nobody.

County Music and American Idol = Carrie Underwood

It's been a long time. I was in the process of a gigantic move across the country, hence the lack of pop culture related posts from The Nobody. Well, she's also no longer creeping around L.A. trying to find out what Britney Spears' drug of choice is. She's moved to Nashville.

And I'll stop talking about myself like that now. I have bigger and better things to update about.

I was never a fan of American Idol. I avoided it from the moment it started. But, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm a huge fan of country music. And when my best friend told me there was an great singer making her way through the ranks that sang COUNTRY, I got involved. Carrie Underwood (and country music in general) may not be everyones cup of tea. But the girl has a powerhouse voice, that can't be denied.

Upon my move to Music City (which it most definitely is, more musical than any other cities I've ever been in, and I've been in A LOT of cities... trust me) I took my first trip to the Grand Ole Opry. If you ever make the trek to Nashville I suggest you visit. There are performers there that have been performing for over 60 years. Not to mention some of the best musicians working their fingers in ways you never even dreamed possible. It's a real treat for anyone who considers themselves a fan of true musicianship.

On this particular night Ricky Scaggs was there, as was little Jimmy Dickens, among many many other greats. I felt blessed to be in the same room as them, as if it wasn't enough to see them live. But Carrie Underwood was the closer. I saw her once before at the CMA Festival in June of this year. And she was good, I was impressed, but seeing her in a setting like this only solidified her right to be as famous as she is.

She sang a stunning version of How Great Thou Art, a gospel song that you'd normally only want to hear sung by the best of gospel vocalists. She sang the single off her new album, Carnival Ride, as well as that ass kicking song Before He Cheats, and overall it was a great performance. She's grown a lot since her stint on American Idol, both vocally and performance wise. She was also the type that didn't show a ton of emotion when she sang, but she's starting to get the hang of it. As a young performer myself, I understand how hard it can be to connect to a piece of music, but she's really starting to shine in that department.

Anyway, I swear to get back in the swing of things. It probably won't truly happen until this Nobody finds a job. But you've gone on without me this long. I can imagine you'll last a little longer.

Here's a picture for your time.

When a Winehouse is invovled, it's always sloppy...

Somehow I've gained a lot of respect for Charlotte Church after watching this... who knew?

Fall Out Boy-Band

This weekend I did a nice thing for one of my friends. I went to a Fall Out Boy show with her. Why was this such a nice thing? Because I don't like Fall Out Boy, I don't know the words to one of their songs, other than the chorus of "Dance, Dance" and mostly just the part that actually says dance, dance. After that, I'm lost in the bad diction of the lead singer and trying to figure out what kind of music, exactly, these guys are making. I went along with her (mostly because I would also see +44) and was quite blown away by what I saw.

Not blown away in the good sense.

I've seen these guys perform on various television shows since they rocketed to stardom and I've always thought they were TERRIBLE live. The lead singer had terrible technique, and even at this show, was cracking throughout the song. He has trouble hitting some notes (write a song in a key that's comfortable for you, kids) and he has the stage precense of a rag doll. Seriously, could he be anymore boring?

But here's the reason I was blown away.

I'm not ashamed of my past, so let me just freely admit, I was a Backstreet Boy fan. When I was in high school I was sucked into the world of bubblegum pop, and it kept me interested, and I can still be caught dancing in my underwear to a number of those songs. All I remember is people constantly talked shit. They constantly had bad things to say about boy bands. But here's the things, that's exactly what Fall Out Boy is. These are guys that were too ugly to be in boy bands, so they learned to play instruments (thought not particularly well) and write annoyingly contrived songs that Max Martin could have written if anyone had ever asked him. Their stage show was remarkably familiar to me. Blowing confetti through the air at the end of the show, fire shooting up as a song finished dramatically, and Pete Wentz removing his shirt and (pretending) to remove his pants. (Keep it on Pete, we've all seen, and most of us didn't want to have sex for a good few years afterwards). It reminded me so much of the things that I saw as a teenager in fairly bigger arenas and with guys that may not have written every song or played instruments on stage, but could actually sing. We trade one talent for another and get the same thing. They even have choregraphy for fuck sake.

Here's the thing, if you want to be a star, learn to sing and be the lead vocalist. If you don't have any charisma at all, shut your mouth and play guitar in the background. It was ridiculous to me that Pete was the one encouraging the audience to sing along and clap, and Patrick just sat there like an idiot, singing his melody rather badly. Maybe I'm just having a hard time understanding the dynamic of this band. For a long time I thought Pete was the lead singer, until I saw a music video and realize that he wasn't.

I never thought I would be the old person bagging on what all the kids are listening to. Let's be honest, most people think my taste in music is crap. I think their taste in music is either a) crap or b) insanely predictable. ("I like the Beatles because that's what everyone else seems to like and idolize!") With Fall Out Boy, I couldn't help myself, everyone in the audience looked like everyone in an audience at a 'NSYNC show back when I was in high school. Only they were wearing all black, looked like they hadn't showered, and threw up the rock sign like they knew what rock and roll was.

They don't.

These guys can write a catchy song, I will definitely give them that, and Pete is famous for being an overdramatic blogger who has opinions on others opinions of him. There is a place for this music, I wouldn't have explored music further had I not had the Backstreet Boys. They were my stepping off point for things further down the line. So, by no means am I saying that people shouldn't like Fall Out Boy, what I'm saying is that I hope people see the similarities. They're the new teen dream. The bands that sound exactly like them are the same thing. This is not rock music by any means, and if you listen to it, you're not hardcore.

You're a teenybopper. If you find shame in that (as so many usually do) then maybe you should rethink your loyalty to the band. And please, PLEASE, don't throw the rock sign up at a show. I am in no way a rocker, so I don't do it, show the same respect.


And just for example sake:

Fall Out Boy



Backstreet Boys:



The Nobody

Chart News for 6/19-6/26

Last week we had a number of new releases that made us wonder who was going to take the top spot away from Toby Keith. Bon Jovi, Chrisette Michele, The White Stripes, Lifehouse, Mandy Moore, and Brad Paisley to name only a few.

1. Bon Jovi "Lost Highway"(292,000 Units)
2. White Stripes "Icky Thump" (223,000 Units)
3. Brad Paisley "5th Gear" (197,000 Units)
4. Toby Keith "Big Dog Daddy" (73,000 Units)
5. Paul McCartney "Memory Almost Full" (64,000 Units)
6. Linkin Park "Minutes to Midnight" (63,000 Units)
7. Amy Winehouse "Back to Black" (62,000 Units)
8. Maroon 5 "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" (62,000 Units)
9. Fabolous "From Nothin' to Somethin'" (59,000 Units)
10. T-Pain's Konvict "Epiphany" (56,000 Units)

Other Releases:
11. Shop Boyz "Rockstar Menality" (52,000 Units)
14. Lifehouse "Who We Are" (49,000 Units)
26. Huey "Notebook Paper" (29,000 Units)
29. Chrisette Michele "I Am" (26,000 Units)
30. Mandy Moore "Wild Hope" (25,000 Units)

I'm a huge country music fan, but I couldn't be happier to see that fool slip from the top spot, and Bon Jovi (a country release from the usual rock band) taking it's place. I actually got Bon Jovi, Lifehouse, and Mandy Moore this week. I'm a big fan of the new Lifehouse record, I think it's the best since their debut album, No Name Face. I haven't had a chance to listen intently to the Bon Jovi album, but I love the tracks with Leann Rimes and Big and Rich. I've only listened to a couple from the Mandy Moore album, and it's definitely a departure from what I'm used to hearing from her. I think she has a long way to grow with her songwriting, but her voice sounds beautiful, not as overproduced as it's had a tendency to be in the past.

Now the question on everyone's mind is who will take the top spot next week. Early predictions are saying that both Hannah Montana (seriously?) and Kelly Clarkson are estimated to to be over 300,000 units. We shall see.

The Nobody

The Foo Fighters Had a Secret

I attended a secret Foo Fighters show last night with a couple of friends. It was at this tiny bar in the valley, very small, very intimate. I had seen the Foo once before at the House of Blues in Anaheim years ago. I'm not a huge fan, but I like some of their music, and I respect them as artists. Not to mention Dave Grohl pretty much owns everyone.

Anyway, the show was totally packed. It was originally suppose to be an industry show that they opened up to a certain number of Foo fans at the last minutes. It was a very covert operation. You had to pick up your wrist band at a park about a mile from the venue and get all the information on where it was going to be, only two or three hours before the show actually went on.

I felt very shady, like I was doing a drug deal or something, it was awesome.

The show was great. They played all the songs you'd expect them to, Everlong, Monkey Wrench, and so on. It was their first show after being holed up in the studio for four months, but they sounded on top of their game, and I had a good time despite the fact that I didn't know the word to every song. The place was packed, the vodka in my system and my fear of huge crowds in small places made me miss the last two songs. That place needs air conditioning.

They're playing with the Police this weekend at Dodger Stadium. I won't be attending that show, but if anyone does, let me know how it goes.

http://www.foofighters.com/

The Nobody