Comments on: The allure of top 40

By: Corey Vilhauer

Corey Vilhauer — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:22:52 +0000

Do you for a second think she was brought into the Black Eyed Peas because she’s a good singer?

And if I hate the songs already on the radio, why would I want to listen to the rest of them?

By: Deane

Deane — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 03:25:16 +0000

Listen to Fergie’s entire album. There are some fantastic songs on there, though I’m under no delusion she had anything to do with writing them.

Watch old episodes of “Kids Incorporated” sometime. Like her or not, she can sing.

By: Will

Will — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:01:14 +0000

Off topic:

David Sedaris has a new article out in the New Yorker:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/07/09/070709fa_fact_sedaris

By: Corey Vilhauer

Corey Vilhauer — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:02:47 +0000

Well, you ARE a provincial bastard, Deane.

I understand where you’re coming from. I used to hate top 40, and now I’m fine with it. I wasn’t trying to say I’m better than the people who do or sound elitist, though with some things I’ll admit I am. It comes through in my writing. Sometimes I’m cocky. That’s me. Sorry. No harm meant. I still hate Avril Lavigne and Fergie, and I will never understand their appeal.

By: Deane

Deane — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:19:52 +0000

Sorry, I was trying not to be a prick. I must have come off like one.

I just like Top 40 and always have. Your post seemed a little elitist to me, as if you were apologizing for liking the same thing as us poor provincial bastards.

By: whatever

whatever — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:48:52 +0000

You must have too much time on your hands to do a word count on a blog post. Why don’t you just say, “You’re pretentious, you prick”? It’d be a lot easier.

If no one questioned pop culture it would be even worse than it is.

By: Corey Vilhauer

Corey Vilhauer — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:36:05 +0000

“I can say this now because I know there’s no shame in it.”

The post was partly sarcastic, as if I’m apologizing to my friends very much in the way of that Onion article.

And as you see above, I don’t have any shame in it. But I used to – as an indie-addled fading scenester, I was vehemently against top-40 music stations. Now, I’m finding stuff I like on it.

I also have no shame in saying that a good chunk of it is totally horrible as well.

Listening to some indie, college station is not against the norm for me. It’s what I do – though I don’t even do that much anymore. But listening to a top-40 station IS against the norm.

That’s why it rates 433 words of explanation. Also, it rates 433 words of explanation because I wanted to write about it. Don’t take offense – laugh along. I’m not damning it.

Everyone has had something like this in their lives — a once shunned item slowly becomes accepted, and consessions and apolgies to that person’s history are considered because, well, it seems hypocritical to like something you once hated. Guilty and hypocritical.

I also have JT on my iPod. And as a phone ring. And not ironically.

By: Deane

Deane — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 05:04:38 +0000

Do you think it at all pretentious that you felt you had to post an “admission” for this? By doing that, aren’t you backhandedly damning it? What compelled you to over-justify the fact that you listen to the same thing as 90% of the population?

Would you apologize in the same manner for listening to some indie, college station? I’m assuming no. So, why not? Why would that be so inherently acceptable as to not be worth a mention, but a Top 40 affinity rates 433 words of explanation?

Your post reminds me of this Onion article:

Local Hipster Over-Explaining Why He Was At The Mall

For the record, I’m an unapologetic Justin Timberlake fan. JT rules.