OFF: Queen et al.

[Keith Henderson]

Torgo champs in with...

>Queen is a MAJOR group who released some MAJOR tunes. They are an easy
>target because they have such legions of devoted fans. Some people judge
>their music on what other people feel about a group. "OOH, too many
>people like this band, I'll look like a front runner if I like them." I
>say bullshit to all that noise, I like whatever pleases my ears and I
>don't give a wet slap if other people like them or not.

Well, I think you can turn that right around and say 'bullshit' to slagging
people for putting down popular bands.  It's hard to know (without going
through an entire list of every popular band vs. every unpopular band) just
what motivates people to say what they like and what they supposedly don't
like.  So I can only speak for myself...and I can guarantee you that I don't
really like Queen simply because I don't really like Queen.  Some bits and
pieces of things I thought were kinda cool and different, but I always say
there's a fine line between artistic brilliance and sounding pretentiously
weird, and Mercury's on the wrong side of that line for me.  (Of course,
Christian Vander and Daevid Allen are brilliant IMHO.)  :)  But I wouldn't
expect anyone else's 'line' to be in the same place as mine, except maybe
that there should be no question that Huey Lewis & the News are on the other
side of the line between what 'is', and what really lacks enough substance
to even identify as music in any coherent way.

And so too, I can only guess to what sort of distribution of 'popular' stuff
and 'unpopular' stuff listmembers have in their collection.  But I can tell
you that there are plenty of 'platinum' albums in mine (I've got the
Zeppelin, Floyd, Rush, Yes, Who, Deep Purple, etc. albums to prove it), and
I don't hesitate one minute to buy them because of any perceived notion of
supporting the 'sell-outs'.  And if I *had* to guess, I would guess that
most of us are like that.

>It amazes me how many bands mentioned on this list I have never heard of.

Well, really, what's the point of coming out and saying, 'Hey I heard this
great new album by a band called Pink Floyd!! You should all go out there
and buy it!!  They need to be supported, you know.'

Doesn't *somebody* have to be the first to mention a group to an
acquaintance, before they can ever grow to the point of being a group
*everybody's* heard of??

>Gee, I'm a huge fan of Agony Booth, they didn't sell out like Queen. :^D

Yeah, but they're not as cool as Sphincter Sandwich.  :)

>In fact, I find it all kind of interesting to hear who likes/hates what.

OK,  I like The Buck Pets, but I hate the Pet Shop Boys.
     I like King Crimson and Queensryche, but I hate Billy Jack.

Keith H. (FAA)

ObCD:  Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd