411 Music Fact Or Fiction 1.09.08: Week 40

Posted by Dan Haggerty on 01.09.2008

411’s John Nagle and Mikey MiGo join forces to call out the good, bad, and ugly in the world of music: Has Britney finally hit rock bottom? Should Jay Z have retired as Def Jam’s President? Do strong concert sales prove the music industry is doing well? Is Queen the greatest rock band of all time? All this and we take on the greatest guitar performances of all time, this week in Fact or Fiction: Music!

It's that time of the week again, hump day, and the good folk here at 411 are back to get you through the mid-week slumps. Lots of exciting and controversial news this week, so let's bring on the experts to sort this mess out:

Mikey Migo is the Savage Animal that takes on the music industry every Wednesday, dishing out objective commentary on the art we love. This week, he's joined by the man who tells it like it is, reviewer extraordinaire John Nagle!

I'm your host this week, and it's my job to organize the debate and keep score, even though the score is a bunch of endless hype that rarely means a anything in the long run. Kind of like the Iowa Caucus.

What? Carter was the only person to make the Iowa Caucus interesting and that was 32 years ago – Everything was different back then: Poor economy, problems in the Middle-East, oil prices, and more importantly the Eagles had a #1 Record… Crap - Never mind. Moving along, nothing to see here folks…



Round 1!


1. We have finally seen Britney Spears hit rock bottom.

John Nagle: Fiction. I've made that statement many times over the past year, and each time I've made it she has proven me wrong. I think death will be her bottom.

Mikey MiGo: Fiction. John is right. I think all the writers on this site have been waiting for her to die. It's not that we're morbid(well, some of us aren't), but it's just all adding up to the obvious demise of Britt, ya'll. My stock statement in a time like like is "she's sadly heading down the Anna Nicolle route". I get to use that line a lot these days.


Score : 1 for 1



2. Despite continually sliding CD sales, this years record breaking concert receipts is proof that the music industry is doing well.

John Nagle: Fiction. The music industry has nothing to do with the concert industry. The reason concerts do so well is because companies like Ticketmaster and Clear Channel have figured out how to corner the market. When you buy a ticket to a major show, you have to purchase it through one of those outlets you have no choice. The major record labels have not figured out how to do this yet. If you want to buy a Fall Out Boy record, you can purchase it, or you can download it through an illicit channel. The music industry is dying because people refuse to pay for music.

Mikey MiGo: Fiction. I say fiction, but for different reason than John. It's the music industry; concerts DO have a big part in it. The ticket companies like Ticketmaster make their rape and pillage fees, but the real winners are the labels and companies like Live Nation. There's more to the music industry than album sales. There is concert sales which generate more income for the artist and label, there are merch sales, and the entire package to think about. The music industry isn't going to be stopped by Radiohead or others being "revolutionary" in their MARKETING (yeah, ftw! I said it!). For every Radiohead trying to convince us they're giving us something for free, there will be a dozen new bands that the labels will sign and use the same methods as the past. It's not doing well, but it's not any worse. Revolution takes time, the 365 days of 2007 isn't enough.


Score : 2 for 2



3. The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" is the greatest love song ever written.

John Nagle: Fiction. I love "Unchained Melody," but I wouldn't call it the greatest love song ever written. My vote would be "Your Song" by Elton John. It's got a timeless melody with some truly heartfelt lyrics from Bernie Taupin. Great, now I'm going to be second guessing myself all week.

Mikey MiGo: Fiction. Where did this assessment come from? The brothers Righteous rocked the hearts with "Unchained Melody", but to me it loses its depth thanks to Patrick Swayze in Ghost. It's hard to pick just one, again it's all subjective. I'm a big fan of The Cure's "Love Song". That's been covered by tons of people and it's always as passionate as the original. I am big on U2's "One", "Sweetest Thing", and the slew of other classics. Then there's a lot of songs by Sinatra that are not only good love songs, but classier than a neck tie in August. It all depends on what you like, what your significant other likes, and what generation you're from. If you don't like what I do, then you're probably wrong though. (I kid.)


Intermission Score : 3 for 3

Grab your loved one for quick dance!


"And time goes by, so slowly,
And time can do so much,
Are you still mine?
I need your love…
I need your love…
God speed your love to me. "


OK… Enough of that. While your up, grab Mikey, John, and me a cold one from the frig.



SWITCH!




Round 2!



4. Queen is the greatest British band of all time.

Mikey MiGo: Fiction. You can't argue that Queen isn't ONE OF the greatest British bands of all time. I personally like them more than The Beatles and would agree with the recent BBC Radio 2 poll on that one. But we're forgetting about Led Zeppelin. There's a lot of media masturbation about Zeppelin right now, but it's all because they're the greatest rock band of all time. Hell, there's also this little band called the Rolling Stones. I'm just surprised no one has mentioned Oasis. Those wacky Britts loved the oh-so overrated brothers. What about the Spice Girls? When it comes down to it, who cares? Everyone has their favorites and to deem one band as the definitive British band is ridiculous. Then again who do the states have? Aerosmith and the Monkees?

John Nagle: Fiction. I totally agree with Mikey here. I really love Queen, but the greatest British band of all time?! I don't even put them in the top ten of British bands. I think it's impossible to make a list like this, because Britain has basically given us every important band that has ever existed. You could conceivably make this case for The Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin and The Who. I would have no problem with any of those, but Queen? I love Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at The Opera, but compared to Revolver and Let it Bleed? Please.


Score : 4 for 4



5. Jay Z made the right decision to resign as Def Jam's president.

Mikey MiGo: Fact. Jay Z doesn't care about art anymore. He cares about money and building his own empire. I can't hate him for that because he's a good business man. Def Jam has a legacy that should be respected and held at the highest regard. To me, Def Jam is to Hip Hop as Motown was to soul. Chuck D had thrown his hat into the ring as new leader and I hope it happens. With so many of Def Jam's top artists and icons (LL Cool J) leaving the label lately they need a shake up and kick in the ass. D can provide that ten fold. Meanwhile, Jay Z can stick with banging the chick from Destiny's Child, opening hotels, clubs or whatever he's opening, and boycotting some booze companies while selling out to others.

John Nagle: Fact. I wouldn't go as far to say that Jay-Z doesn't care about art anymore, but his heart definitely lies in the business world. It will be interesting to see who Def Jam picks as his successor. He or she will have some very big shoes to fill, considering how effective the past presidents have been. I know it's a pipe dream, but I think Nas would be a prime choice, because he truly cares about hip-hop moving forward as a genre.



Score : 5 for 5



6. You agree with the Tech Music School in Acton , West London where the students and staff voted the following songs the Top 5 Guitar Performances Ever:

1) Guns N' Roses – Sweet child of Mine
2) Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water
3) Bloc Party – Helicopter
4) Dire Straits – Money For Nothing
5) The Cult – She Sells Sanctuary



Mikey MiGo: Fiction. Look (why do FoF people start sentences with "Look", as if we can see something), the list has some of the best songs of the past twenty five years, but not the best for sure. I'm sorry(again, this is another FoF cliché; don't be sorry for having an opinion) but, as cool as Bloc Party and supposedly Kings of Leon and Artic Monkeys are, the greatest guitar performances should have some longevity and wider appeal. It's like the whole "if a tree falls in the forest" saying. No matter how great a guitar performance is, it's only as good as how many people know it's great. There's some picks on here that I can't argue with, but some that I could give or take. Besides this Top 5, we have solid picks like "Enter Sandman", "Walk This Way", or "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Those could be on the Top 5 with ease in some people's minds. I didn't see "Icky Thumb" on there by White Stripes, "Head Like a Hole" by NIN, or ANYTHING BY PRINCE. Again, it's hard to debate these lists because it's all subjective, but if there's no Prince so there's absolutely NO CREDIBILITY TO THIS LIST. Prince owns us all; it's only a matter of time before we're all clad in purple and requesting camels to be brought to us at 3 AM.

John Nagle: Fiction. For the love of God, why is Bloc Party number 3? They are a cool band, but when a kid picks up his first guitar, does he actually say "One day I'm going to be just like the dude from Bloc Party?" Hell no. I think putting such recent acts so high on the list immediately discredits it. Bloc Party and The Kings of Leon have no track record when it comes to longevity, so to put a song like "Helicopter," higher than "Walk This Way" is ludicrous. Lists like this leave a bad taste in my mouth. I also agree with Mikey that Prince owns you all. If you disagree with me, you must bathe yourself in the holy waters of Lake Minnetonka.

Final Score: 6 for 6



For the first time ever, we have a clean sweep. The guys joining forces to handedly spike the questions put before them! That's it for this week. A big thank you goes out to Mikey and John for participating and providing their great answers. A big thank you to you as well; we appreciate you taking time each week to stop in and contemplate the news and views that drive the music we all love. As for me, I'll see you this Friday in the The Mosh Pit, otherwise keep it real and I'll see you back here in seven.