Sunday, June 05, 2005
Autocratic facial hair and the case against Coldplay
Well, no longer discounting Kyle's vote, there was an even split between pro and anti-bearders, so we had to defer to the vice president to break the tie. I control every job in the executive branch, so it was my call, and I went for the shave with goatee. However, it doesn't feel like it used to, and I might go clean shaven soon. Thanks for getting out there and voting.
On a completely unrelated note, I found this great article in the New York Times that explains why Coldplay has become intolerable. If you need to get access, use username: "kargos" password: "demographer". Here is an excerpt:
While I enjoyed Coldplay's first album, I didn't even bother picking up the second, and the third just sounds even more pathetic. Anyone who is married to Gwyneth Paltrow should not be whining into a microphone.
On a completely unrelated note, I found this great article in the New York Times that explains why Coldplay has become intolerable. If you need to get access, use username: "kargos" password: "demographer". Here is an excerpt:
"There's nothing wrong with self-pity. As a spur to songwriting, it's right up there with lust, anger and greed, and probably better than the remaining deadly sins. There's nothing wrong, either, with striving for musical grandeur, using every bit of skill and studio illusion to create a sound large enough to get lost in. Male sensitivity, a quality that's under siege in a pop culture full of unrepentant bullying and machismo, shouldn't be dismissed out of hand, no matter how risible it can be in practice. And building a sound on the lessons of past bands is virtually unavoidable.
But put them all together and they add up to Coldplay, the most insufferable band of the decade.
Clearly, Coldplay is beloved: by moony high school girls and their solace-seeking parents, by hip-hop producers who sample its rich instrumental sounds and by emo rockers who admire Chris Martin's heart-on-sleeve lyrics. The band emanates good intentions, from Mr. Martin's political statements to lyrics insisting on its own benevolence. Coldplay is admired by everyone - everyone except me.
Coldplay's countless fans seem to take comfort when Mr. Martin sings lines like, "Is there anybody out there who / Is lost and hurt and lonely too," while a strummed acoustic guitar telegraphs his aching sincerity. Me, I hear a passive-aggressive blowhard, immoderately proud as he flaunts humility."
While I enjoyed Coldplay's first album, I didn't even bother picking up the second, and the third just sounds even more pathetic. Anyone who is married to Gwyneth Paltrow should not be whining into a microphone.
