Carm On “People”
Visionary ranting from one-time FT contributor Robin Carmody on Pulp and “Common People” and pop before and after the Britpop boom. Stirring, on-form stuff. Probably because he doesn’t hoist his banner (ironically or otherwise) for or against the “Poptimist” cause, Robin is one of the few writers who can still fleetingly convince me of how much pop directly matters, or used to, and make me feel a little ashamed for treating it as simple entertainment.
No offence meant here, but I am so teeth-grindingly fed up of ‘poptimist’ ’causes’ – today’s St. Etienne and Paris Hilton threads being the same irrestibly tedious arguments again and again that I’ve long stopped getting any more enjoyment than frustration from. The blacklash starts…. OVER THERE!!
ha ha I have long since forgotten why we started arguing about ‘poptimism’ or what it’s meant to achieve. It’s now a compulsion.
Sarah OTM, except not offensive enough for my liking. Still I am as guilty as anyone.
it is bcz the NOW polls are over of course — we are insane with interregnum ennui
luckily lord sukrat has intimated he is ready to being the W!RET4PPER polls!
Sarah I apologise for the St Etienne thread cos it was in totally the wrong place! I found it quite interesting though!
I agree though about the horror of talking about Poptimism as if it was an ideology not a club night – hence the scare quotes.
I have all the Wiretapper CDs I think. Does this disqualify me from voting in anything on Poptimism ever again?
The poptimism thread on Paris H was my fault I suppose. But I am a bit fed up of what I am trying to write today.
yes my contribution to the st et discussion = up YOURS AH-arse-C (more like DYS)
Tom, it was interesting when it managed to put aside the question “b-b-but he said POPTIMIST omgz” and started engaging – I am as guilty as anyone of this but the word “poptimist” and “poptimism” has turned into a far less funny EGG I SAID EGG. It was part THAT element that made me cross,not the location of the discussion (the brief spat about that seemed silly even though I wasn’t participating meself loike). It stops us talking about pop and instead sets up a straw man/pop fan/pop ideology that er – well, has it thrown up anything apart from the superlative club night? I TOLD YOU WE SHOULD HAVE CALLED IT CLUB WEASELS. I dunno! I think I am having a bit of a crisis! I am at my peak sfficiency of polls and you know how much I generally lub them… O noes! :)
I feel that Matt has got things firmly BACK ON TRACK by asking us to consider whether Brian Blessed or Jade Goody would make the better pop star.