411 Music Fact or Fiction 01.25.12: Spicing Up The Olympics
Posted by Joseph Lee on 01.25.2012
Will a collaboration between Dave Grohl and Corey Taylor be any good? Was Nicki Minaj's "Stupid Hoe" video entertaining? Are we interested in an Amy Winehouse tribute album? 411's Dimitri Dorlis and Joseph Lee debate these topics and more in this week's 411 Fact or Fiction: Music!
Welcome to another edition of Fact or Fiction: Music. I'm your host, Joseph Lee.
For the second week in a row I'm replacing someone that couldn't step up. I'm hoping we'll be back to normal on this next week. Anyway, this time I've got Dimitri Dorlis stepping in.
I can honestly say I've never been entertained by anything Nicki Minaj has ever done. Even the song she did with The Lonely Island, "The Creep", was one of the worst songs put out by that group. I don't understand exactly what Nicki's place is in the music world. The sideshow act is covered by Gaga, there are a number of female artists that are far more talented and she's not really attractive, in my opinion. So what does she bring to the table? This video, like all of her others, showcases her "mehorablity", as a friend would say.
Dimitri Dorlis: FACT.
It was painful, though. This is the result of the Lady Gaga effect, where Lady Gaga releases weird videos that are actually good, and then other female artists try and copy her style to no effect. This was really just the perfect combination of bad song and bad visuals to make a truly bad video. The one thing I did like was Nicki's look in the platinum blonde wavy hair. It was a good look for her and I'd like to see her go back to it more often, rather than the straight hair wig thing she does now.
I think we all know at this point that Chris Brown is a reprehensible human being. He beat the poor woman up, and then released a series of songs crying because nobody liked him anymore. The man showed zero remorse. But then there's Rihanna. I'd hate to be harsh and call her stupid if she's considering it, because I know about the stories of women who have trouble leaving abusive people. But she already got away. She's free. So why in the world would she ever willingly go back to someone who did that. Of course this is all moot, since I think the rumors are false, but I just had to vent about the idea of it.
Dimitri Dorlis: FACT.
But really, I could care less if they are or not. Honestly, if Rihanna wants to get back together with a guy who beat her like a government mule (TM Jim Ross), then more power to her, I guess. I'm always of the opinion that celebrities have their own lives and that they can keep them that way. My personal feelings are that this is just some tabloid nonsense, in the same vein as Brad and Angelina breaking up every other week, the other week featuring some extremely fat celebrities who should totally be dieting. Can't have fat people in MY America, no sir.
This may be the easiest question I've ever had to answer in a Fact or Fiction ever. I don't watch tribute concerts. I don't care about Jessie J or Lily Allen and I didn't listen to Amy Winehouse. I still don't listen after she's dead, because her music just isn't my style. So no. I won't be watching it.
Dimitri Dorlis: FICTION.
Yeah, not really. I mean, I like Lily Allen and think she has a great voice, and I feel like Jessie J is not as great as people think she is, but this wouldn't be a good idea. Part of that is the reason Amy Winehouse was so great is because you could feel the pain in her voice. She sang those songs from her heart, much in the same way Billie Holliday ran jazz with her sorrowful blues songs, or how the late Etta James sang strong r&b ballads. I don't feel like Lily Allen or Jessie J would be able to match that same feeling, so I'd be against it just on that principle. Plus it just seems too early, especially considering how Winehouse died. Maybe in a few years, I'll be more behind this, but for now, I'd rather this not happen.
How could a Spice Girls reunion NOT be a success. The Spice Girls are one of the biggest all-girls group of all time, right up there with Destiny's Child and the Runaways. Hell, they got their own movie, and dammit if I don't enjoy every second of it. People will come out in droves for anything these girls do, and the media will cover them because they're the mother f#@%$ing Spice Girls. If you don't like it, tough. I for one am already excited.
Joseph Lee: FICTION.
Maybe I just underestimated how big the Spice Girls were because I personally don't care for them. I was more thinking about the reunion of the New Kids and the Backstreet Boys and how they didn't quite reach the heights that either group did when they were big. Maybe I should have changed the statement accordingly. Obviously people will care and the media will make a big deal out of it. Considering the state of pop music, they may actually sell a lot of albums if they go that way. I mean, Katy Perry's a huge success and she doesn't really have any talent, does she?
But maybe that's just my inherent dislike of televised roasts, which never tend to be good, combined with the fact that Zakk Wylde isn't that well-known. Case in point, I had to look him up to figure out who he was. So maybe I'm not the best person to ask this question, but if you have to ask who a person being roasted is, it's probably not going to be that good.
Joseph Lee: FACT.
Unlike Dimitri, I actually like roasts, especially if the target deserves it. Can't say whether or not there's a lot to make fun of Wylde for, but some of the people involved have me curious. Warrior's video is online, sure, but what about Stone Cold's? And wasn't Chris Jericho involved? It could be worth a watch.
But I'm mostly saying this because I love Dave Grohl and everything he manages to do. Corey Taylor will provide enough support (I do like what he did in Stone Sour) that this will be a good collaboration song. Well, I say it will be good, but let's be honest here. Anything is going to sound good after that Metallica/Lou Reed collaboration. I believe last time I was here, I told everyone it would be bad, and nobody listened. Guess who's the smart one now. This guy.
Joseph Lee: FACT.
Of course, there will be some that claim that neither Grohl or Taylor are any good, but that's their opinion. Personally, I love both the Foo Fighters and Taylor's two bands, and although it seems like a slight clash of styles, I'm very interested in what these two have made together. For that matter, I'm really interested in Dave Grohl's entire new project. He has a track with Ratt on there. Even if the whole thing fails, it's intriguing to see what he's got in store. Oh and Dimitri, I think everyone knew Lulu would be awful, it's just some people didn't want to admit it.
Score Card: 5 for 6
Anything you agree with? Disagree with? Sound off in the comment section.
Close to 100% again, but not quite. And for those who wondered why I said I was excited about a new Alice in Chains album and not a new Guns N' Roses album, I'll tell you. I liked Black Gives Way To Blue, I didn't like Chinese Democracy. Simple as that.
