catwank

Dear NME editors:
your recent issue misuses "offstage" on the fucking cover.
Nice one.
Maybe if you weren't so interested in promoting yourselves over the basic needs of the publication this wouldn't happen as often as it does.
But I guess you won't win any awards then, would you?
P.S. please hire me.

that's not the point.
If you like a band, and said band re-releases a record instead of offering an initial option of regular release (usually referred to as the Special Edition when there's nothing special about it) or release with bonus DVD, you have the option UP FRONT to choose how much of the band you want.
Releasing a record six months later with a bonus DVD is just RUDE.
It also seems kind of stupid move for a relatively new, unproven indie band.

saw them on popworld yesterday. clearly i am the only person in Britain who thinks they're overhyped and barely competent. Like the Killers with even less originality. The latest single sounds like it was recorded using a four track and a used cassette.

La Gallagher? you callin' him a girly-man or sumpin'? a sissy? a puss?
Poor Noelly G.
Personally I prefer El Gallagher. Sounds so much more macho.
Donde esta Los Gallaghers, etc.

So did Elvis Costello write this one too?

and the rather interesting participation ritual in which the audience chants BRUISES! whenever Linda Lovelace appears onscreen with bruises.
Charming.

perhaps since it was too late to save silverman, he opted to write songs for him instead.

Please do not presume to post on what I "honestly believe" or what I know. You know fuck all about me and your ability to interpret my posts is nowhere near the mark.

Then Fightstar fans can go to their shows and throw paint at James.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude, the Busted Greatest Hits already exists: it's the American record.

Ollie, I totally accept your apology and offer mine in response to your objection to the term "fascist." However, my comment about "God forbid... etc" was not aimed directly at you, and I do stand by my opinion that getting hung up on indie ideals -- in effect, giving a shit whether other people think you're cool -- is bullshit thinking. You may not have this problem, but many people do and it does give the whole concept a bad name. And this is how I interepreted your arguments against Busted.
Please keep in mind also that since I'm essentially a North American living in the UK I've seen a lot of contrast in what is considered "indie" -- and also, since I am on the older end of the DiS reader age spectrum, I am probably more jaded and less idealistic.
Artist intention v. interpretation is a pet debate of mine and rather than risk boring the fuck out of the entire internet I agree with your suggestion to drop it.
Cat

Yeah, and at the end of the day you're 21 and like the same old indie shit that everybody likes. Who the hell are you to judge? If they're not your thing, they're not your thing -- why do you have to attack others for liking things you don't like?

Oh my. I have now seen the error of my ways. Thank you for taking the time out of what must be an incredibly busy day to point out the hopelessness of the situation.
I shall now go listened to the pre-approved Proper Indie Band of the Moment and begin my acts of atonement for daring to give a shit.

Quite frankly, I'd rather not continue this debate. You showed up on this thread to be a troll. There's nothing wrong with being *critical* but there is something wrong with being pointlessly negative. You insulted the writer, you insulted all the people who posted here to comment on the demise of something that had meaning for them (hence my use of "we") and then you got pissed off because I called your position of authority/moral high ground a load of pointless crap and therefore "insulted" you instead of responding with a well thought-out, respectful response. What the hell did you expect?! Your behaviour didn't earn you the respect to be engaged in a thoughtful debate.
Indie is subjective -- there is no set critiera, just what the masses consider to be "credible". God forbid anyone be an individual. So excuse me for feeling quite disparaging towards that kind of bullshit thinking right now because it just pointlessly destroyed one of my favorite bands.

Actually, I think Bri/yan McFadden is proof that Robbie's success was as much to do with him as with Guy Chambers.

I really like Robbie. I find his Smug Prick-ness entertaining.

good lord

Please spare me your ridiculously subjective fascist "indie" rhetoric -- "indie" is the most pointless set of undefined principles in popular music history and the sooner you realise that the sooner you'll stop pissing on everyone else's parade with your judgemental bullshit.
The fact that some of us like Busted, and some of us are writers for DiS who wrote articles in Busted's defence, subverts the dominant DiS paradigm and therefore makes us more "punk" than you and your hive mentality.
(and while we're on the subject, let's talk about punk: The Sex Pistols = manufactured boy band. But you probably fucking love them, don't you.)

Besides, Busted broke up. Your whole fucking point is moot; you got your wish. We heard you and we disagree. Give it a fucking rest already. Your continued shouting isn't going to change anyone's mind.

As does my love for you. Together we could RULE THE WORLD!

This article is beyootiful. It kicks the shit out of TOTPSaturday's eulogy.

Thank you for writing a tribute to Busted. Thank you for being one of the few (other) people in music journalism that took this band seriously.

No, really. Go. Now. You asshat.

And there's Colin's point proved....

Pfft. Sure, like you even exist.
And if you do, Dude, you've got real mistakes to apologise for. let's start with Bucks Fizz and work our way foreward...

it was gonna out-sell Michael Jackson, too.
Although I each of their albums outsold the last Michael Jackson record.

Dear Charlie,
You have broken up my current favourite band, which puts you on par with Damon Albarn. Therefore right now you are on my Shit List.
One day when you're older/more jaded (pick one) you'll realise the only cred that counts is being true to yourself.
Stay in school, etc.
Hearts,
Cat Conway

it's just NOT ENOUGH!
Although their covers of "Teenage Kicks" and "Mrs Robinson" will keep me very warm on the cold lonely nights ahead... or until Matt and James team up to write awesome pop and/or fight crime.

I'm really hoping Fightstar stage a coup and boot Charlie out for being too pop.

the word "haters" cracks me up.

you know what pisses me off about this? I really liked them and they split after two fucking albums. That means I'm stuck with a finite amount of material I've already listened the hell out of. When I went out buying every scrap of Busted B-side released I had no idea it would be all I'd ever have.
Surely people can relate to this, even if you don't understand the appeal (or disagree with it).

I demand a cover of Green Day's "Good Riddance" as a farewell single! You owe this to me, Eyebrows! I championed you at risk to my own cred! *shakes fist in Homer Simpson stylee*

SEXISM!!!!!! I can swear all the blokes I know under the table. And I only use the word mature in terms of cheese. (I prefer the terms "Juvenile" and "infant." Usually prefaced with the gerund "fucking".)

"Hell damn crap! Crap boobs crap!"

And I'm more mature than you are 'cause I'm married (not just schacked up) and I own a house (with no mortgage payments, but minus half point since it's in America) and I have cat (instead of wishing I had a pet) and I have a car (but it's with the house in America but full points for "no need for a car in London" argument). So there. You lose. nyah nyah nyah.

that is the screensaver on my DVD player. hot cha!

Them: Hello, let us enter into a partnership wherein you become a professional in your chosen career and obtain all that entails: all your dreams come true, you become financially stable, your hard work [however you define it] is rewarded, you get to travel the world and play music and whatever else you want to do and yes we'll take some money because we need to get paid too. But you'll be Rich and/or Famous, and if the band doesn't work out there's always your songwriting royalties/your Side Project/your possible future as a television presenter.

Many People in Most Bands: No way! I want to continue playing the Indie Toilet Circuit to the other bands' girlfriends and the soundguy for free and get slammed by members of bands I play with in an online forum! I will not compromise my Artistic Integrity by actually becoming successful! I ain't no sellout, maaan! Screw you Satan and all you stand for!

Clearly.

I'm not insane; apparently I'm a spacker.

Wow... nothing says over 12 years old more than stooping to personal insults over a single review.

i still vote for "terrorist on a day of rest" and their stance that they have a lot of balls for daring to say it.

terrorist..... gasp!!!
won't somebody please think of the children?!?!

I really enjoyed watching Feminist Icon Germaine Greer swear up a storm at that icky John person.

four UGLY male models. Or, er, three, since one of them looks like Viggo and therefore will be a hit with the Laydeez....

So Thomas Hamilton breaking into a primary school and shooting 17 people happened in Dunblane USA, did it?

It does. America or Busted was a perfect example of how record companies treat artists as product and not as people.
Which is part of the reason I wrote this article and published it here. There are a lot of users on this site who are in bands and it's important to know what you're getting in to so you don't repeat the mistakes of others.

I think we're kind of on the same page but coming at it from different angles. I like Busted a lot and I hoped they'd get a fair shot because I think they write good pop songs and deserve a little more credit than they're given much of the time. Music that is popular with teenage girls tends to be unfairly derided in its time.

I know it's fairly unrealistic to expect a record company in this day and age to both support a band and its career AND to take a risk. Things operate differently in America than they do in the UK -- Pulp is a weird exception. Hell, even Oasis were considered past their prime when they were signed. The time it takes most bands to break America is the entire lifespan of a band in the UK. Things move at a more accelerated rate here and I think that's because it is a smaller place -- it's quicker and easier to reach every corner of the country.

Whether or not Busted could have done the work to crack America in the Green Day tradition remains to be seen. The facts are that they spent two continuous months on the road, playing the record company game and trying to work what I would consider to be fairly secondary markets. At the very least, they should have been playing gigs rather than just relying on radio. Ideally they could do those horrible backbreaking tours using their UK money to afford a bus and proper hotel rooms instead of a shit van, sleeping on floors and relying on nursing dogs to put the cream in your morning coffee.
This is why I think Hanson has the right idea.

I believe MTV will be rerunning it, so tune in when you can. It's better than The Surreal Life, at any rate...

I should also point out that while I don't believe in that particular amendment, I support it simply because I don't think the constitution should be arbitrarily tinkered with. The gun issue is one that people react to emotionally, not rationally, and that bugs me. Especially when said people don't actually live in America and only hear about the problem through unreliable hyperliberal media sources.

I guess that depends on what you consider to be a "gun problem." If you define gun problem as people in urban areas mimicing "gangsta" culture by waving them around like they're killer bling and impulsively using them without thinking, then I'd say the problem is the same no matter which country it's taking place in.
(And please don't try to tell me that doesn't happen in the UK. I live here and read the nationals for a living.)
And if you're concerned about the right-wing scaries who hoard their guns on their compounds in Montana, I'd like to draw your attention to the right-wing scaries in the UK who are outraged over the proposed hunting ban. It's the exact same situation.
Seeing as England fits inside the state of Texas, our problem looks bigger simply because we have more people. And both our police and our criminals have access to guns. In Britain, it's just the criminals and the toffs who have access.

In answer to your question, this website is about music, written by and for people who are passionate about it. And you may not be aware of this, but sometimes people have opinions that are different from yours. It's all part of life's rich pageant. Embrace it.

Ah, the Strokes... a perfect example of a band who came to Britian to make it big in the States. It's part of the unofficial Transatlantic Exchange Program. We gave you the Strokes, you gave us Bush....

I don't know, did you?

Fact 1: Britain also has a gun problem despite its legal ban.
Fact 2: Oddball religious cults are a worldwide issue. You may have heard of al-Queda, for example.
Postulate 1: The U.S. is undergoing a massive social civil war. George Bush and his Republican cronies may control the government but the liberals control the culture. This is a country where people get up in arms over gay marriage and then go home to watch Will and Grace.
Sorry for the political segue. We now return you to the ongoing debate about whether or not Busted have merit, already in progress.

I wasn't comparing McFly to the Beatles, I was using L&Mc as shorthand for a songwriting partnership. The Beatles are my Other Favorite Band Of All Time. Of COURSE I'm not going to compare them to McFly. yeesh.
The Beach Boys, on the other hand...


but thanks for the compliment.

Are you viewing a different America to the one that sits next door to me? Are Britney and Christina dead? Has Hilary Duff been eradicated?

Pop ebbs and flows in America; it is not a continuous, viable genre. Louise Wener said that pop is the music industry's default position and I think that is definitely true in America. Britney and Christina made their fame during the pop boom of the mid-90s, which, by the time I left America, had trickled into three artists still having careers (Brit, Xtina, and JT) but not necessarily classifying themselves as pop. It's why Madonna must always try to reclassify herself to be considered viable. Pop is fickle in America. In Britain, it is constant and true and brilliantly, glitteringly shit -- which is why I love it so much. Cheeky cheeky!

thanks for sharing. feel free to move along now.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

I do think the question of who their audience is is a big issue, and while I can't say whether or not Busted would have Made It, I do think they had a shot. Much like Green Day and Blink and a lot of other acts, it takes time and a lot of hard (and sometimes thankless) work to be a success in just about anything, really. And even a lot of time and hard work don't really add up to much, but it's worth trying, I think. (Or at least that's what I keep telling myself when things go shit.)
There's a story about Tori Amos that I think applies here. When Atlantic signed her, they had no idea what to do with her (as a solo artist), so they sent her to Britain and gave her time to grow and develop. And her audience found her, and as just about everyone on this mortal plane knows, her audience is very devout albiet slightly insane. But it took time, word of mouth, touring, appearances, and a record company that wanted to build a career with her.
I think Busted should have been given that chance. Throw 'em on the Warp tour or something, put them in a venue with similar acts with an audience that's looking for their brand of tune. If they have IT, then the audience will respond. If they don't, well, they've still got their British millions, don't they? I doubt there would be any Fightstar if Busted had a chance to do the pop-punk thing in America.

they do. James Bourne and the Fletcher from McFly are basically the Lennon and McCartney. Although I think Busted gets the better tunes.