Controversial Entertainment Opinions/Discussion Thread - Part III

[BenchBrawl]

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[Took a pill in Sbisa]

U2 is mediocre

 

[Shareefruck]

Guess I'll reiterate this one-- big pet peeve of mine.

The fact that something doesn't work for someone is reason enough for them to think that that something is not good. Similarly, it is valid to have overarching opinions about entire swaths of trends/norms within certain categories, and it is also possible for those opinions to have truth and validity to them. There's no universal rule out there that suggests that there must be something good from every group of thing out there.

People act like you need to value at least SOMETHING in every category in order to be fair and unbiased. Almost as though the mere fact that the category exists means that it has an authority that you must respect and value, and that it's a given that something good must have come from it. That's just completely nonsensical to me. It's totally within the realm of possibility for everything in a collective group to be bad, in your opinion. Just because many people like that type of thing, doesn't mean that if you don't, your opinion is fundamentally wrong until you can find something else you think is good in the same genre.

For example, saying "Well, you just don't like superhero movies." is not a reasonable response to use to invalidate "I didn't think this superhero movie was a good movie." They're all just movies that can be measured on their own merits. And if a lack of merit is shared across numerous movies in a genre, then that can reasonably apply to all of them. The fact that you've thought that most of them have not been good does not invalidate the fact that you think a specific one isn't.

 

[disfigured]

U2 is mediocre

I'm not a hater by any means, but not a fanatic which they seem to have in droves.

I did watch a documentary called "It Might Get Loud". Which consists of 3 artist/guitarist and how they go about their creative process. Jack White, Jimmy Page , and The Edge are the 3. The Edge is almost entirely reliant on effects for his creative process. Which is cool, it takes all types, but IMO he comes off as being out of his league with White and Page. Page is a given, guy is a legend and interestingly he was a frustrated studio musician before he became the guitarist we know today. So he can do it two ways. White is just an incredibly passionate guitarist and song writer. Raw, unfiltered, and sort of barebones in his method.

However in the documentary "From The Sky Down", it illustrates how U2 goes about their creative process as a whole, and is very interesting. It's as if they are greater than the sum of their parts. Which is true for a lot of bands, but in an globally odd way is profound for them.

I enjoy their more popular hits as they are good songs, but never got the whole fascination with this particular band. I am a tad older than their core/original demographic though.

 

[Player big P]

U2 is mediocre

I'd take that a step further. They're like, really bad.

 

[disfigured]

Guess I'll reiterate this one-- big pet peeve of mine.

The fact that something doesn't work for someone is reason enough for them to think that that something is not good. Similarly, it is valid to have overarching opinions about entire swaths of trends/norms within certain categories, and it is also possible for those opinions to have truth and validity to them. There's no universal rule out there that suggests that there must be something good from every group of thing out there.

People act like you need to value at least SOMETHING in every category in order to be fair and unbiased. Almost as though the mere fact that the category exists means that it has an authority that you must respect and value, and that it's a given that something good must have come from it. That's just completely nonsensical to me. It's totally within the realm of possibility for everything in a collective group to be bad, in your opinion. Just because many people like that type of thing, doesn't mean that if you don't, your opinion is fundamentally wrong until you can find something else you think is good in the same genre.

For example, saying "Well, you just don't like superhero movies." is not a reasonable response to use to invalidate "I didn't think this superhero movie was a good movie." They're all just movies that can be measured on their own merits. And if a lack of merit is shared across numerous movies in a genre, then that can reasonably apply to all of them. The fact that you've thought that most of them have not been good does not invalidate the fact that you think a specific one isn't.

I find this true as genres get smaller and smaller too. I've been a "metal" guy since before many of you were born. But metal has so many categories/genres now that some seem to have the sole purpose of legitimizing themselves in the eyes of others by isolating themselves.

For instance you've got to me doing something pretty damn profound if you're going to leave the vast majority of the vocal melody out of the piece. And not just wowing me with self indulgent fret ************. I understand there's underlying pitch tones in my "cookie monster" (that's what I call it) metal vocalists, but to me it's simply not enough. Not every metal band needs a Ronnie James Dio or a Klaus Meine for me to enjoy, in fact nearly the opposite, but you got to give me something as far as a vocal melody line goes.

Therefore, as the quote poster says, I don't like entire metal genres for that reason. Because a lot of them have that element running through them, or it's actually part of how they define themselves.

On the extreme end I have a friend who can't watch anything animated. He considers animation "cartoons", and sees anything using that art form as juvenile. No Simpsons, Family Guy, Pixar Studio etc. I think it goes deeper than an appreciation of art, there's probably some physiological issues involved, but it's still his perception and who am I to say it's now how he legitimately feels.

 

[disfigured]

I'd take that a step further. They're like, really bad.

Oddly enough as a 30+ year guitar hack I'm more inclined to use The Edge's way of creativity, and do.

After a long hiatus from playing I began again. Thinking I'd pick up where I left off. Ah.... no. My chops were gone, my muscle memory was there but my executing it physically was rough. With limited time to regain these things, I find myself plugging into my POD HD modeling software and experimenting with sonic type compositions.

So the very thing I criticize U2 for in my previous post, I do myself. Go figure. I know it's lame in the eyes of people who put the time in, but it's how I enjoy playing and composing.

 

[Lotusflower]

Here's a few. Lmk your opinion as I'd be down to discuss any of them:

-Young Thug is the most innovative vocalist in the last ten years of popular music
-Nate Dogg > R. Kelly
-Anthrax doesnt deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the other three of the Big 4 of thrash
-DOOM is grossly overrated as an MC but highly underrated as a producer
-Bad Brains are the greatest punk/hardcore band of all time (AINEC)
-The Dark Knight would be garbage without Heath
-The Beastie Boys are at best total garbage and at worst white minstrelry of black art
-Rites of Spring > Fugazi
-Porn is often art
-Black metal as a genre is better now than ever before now that its opened itself up to a variety of influences
-Batman Forever is the best Batman thus far
-Goodie Mob "Soul Food" is the best produced rap album of all time
-The Force Awakens and Rogue One were both infinitely worse than Eps. 1-3
-Stax>TSOP>Motown
-Sun Ra is the GOAT jazz musician
-Neurosis is a terrible band besides maybe one album
-Larry Levan is the greatest DJ of all time
-The Dragonball anime is vastly superior to Dragonball Z
-Lone Wolf and Cub is the greatest manga of all time
-Seinfeld, Frasier, and Friends are all terrible shows and made the 90's almost unbearable as a child.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Here's a few. Lmk your opinion as I'd be down to discuss any of them:

-The Beastie Boys are at best total garbage and at worst white minstrelry of black art
-Porn is often art
-Seinfeld, Frasier, and Friends are all terrible shows and made the 90's almost unbearable as a child.

Completely disagree with these. Most of the other stuff you mentioned I've never heard of.

 

[Aladyyn]

Here's a few. Lmk your opinion as I'd be down to discuss any of them:

-Anthrax doesnt deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the other three of the Big 4 of thrash

I don't think this is all that unpopular tbh.

-DOOM is grossly overrated as an MC but highly underrated as a producer

I'm just going to say you're wrong and move on

-Black metal as a genre is better now than ever before now that its opened itself up to a variety of influences

No. Sunbather is the worst thing to have ever happened to black metal. The good BM artists are still the ones that hold on to the roots of the genre and don't muddle it with ********.

 

[67 others]

Avenged sevenfold is good.

I liked their first 2 albums back when they were metalcore, but hated their change in direction for the 3rd album in which they publicly proclaimed they will be going in a more commercially friendly direction because Metalcore has a cap on fans and they wanted to be rich and famous.

My take on The entire 3rd album was basically Iron Maiden meets Metallica in sound. With a Nasally Batman on vocals.

They got even more commercial radio friendly for album 4 so I barely listened to it.

Nightmare was a bit more metal, especially that Prog masterpiece Save me. but for the most part, I was still tuned out.

Hail to the king was a glorified cover album. Shep of Fire was basically a redone enter sandman, This mean war a redone "Sad but true". St James the bonus track was a ripoff of The kids aren't alright by Offspring. Doing time was like 3 Guns and roses songs rolled into 1. Heretic could not possibly be pattern copied more from Symphony of destruction.


So yeah, I was in full on hate mode. Unfortunately, my fiancee loves them and demands half the playing time while driving to work.

Eventually I did get hooked on a few of the songs from the middle albums. Except Hail to the king(Which is still a big ripoff album and I cannot listen to the songs without laughing and hearing the original songs)

The new album "The stage" came out and I was pleasantly surprised. Its prog through and through.

So in any case, I had jumped on the "Hate Avenged sevenfold" bandwagon for a long time because "they are not metal anymore" and I was not really paying attention, but the vast majority of their songs ARE metal and some damn good metal at that.

 

[BonMorrison]

A7X is sick.

 

[Oxbow Lakes]

-Goodie Mob "Soul Food" is the best produced rap album of all time

...it's a fantastic (and somewhat underrated) album and all that but it isn't even the best album production by Organized Noize

 

[tony d]

Once again, "Breaking Bad" is one of the most over rated shows there is.

New opinion: Cable still has a place but companies have to go down in price if they want to have people not cutting the cord.

 

[Player big P]

Once again, "Breaking Bad" is one of the most over rated shows there is.

Yeah I remember while it was going on there was plenty of "LITERALLY THE GREATEST TV SHOW OF ALL TIME AINEC" and I was like "Nah yo"

 

[NyQuil]

So many people have said that Breaking Bad is overrated at this point that it's not that controversial IMHO.

 

[YEM]

So many people have said that Breaking Bad is overrated at this point that it's not that controversial IMHO.

I think if one thinks its overrated [which I do], it could be in part because you didn't watch it while new episodes were running [which is what I did, binge-watched it over this past winter]
I still enjoyed it
I can totally see how one might think much higher of the show because they did do a good job of building suspense from week to week, which is lost when you can just click on the next episode...

 

[Shareefruck]

Despite the (IMO, deserved) backlash, if you do an HF best TV shows of all time tournament, Breaking Bad will still inevitably end up in the top 3, so yeah, it's still overrated.

Definitely not controversial, though, because a ton of people have caught onto this idea.

 

[Xelebes]

Here is an unpopular opinion. Anthrax is the only one of the big four bands that actually sounds like it could deserve the title of thrash. The other three have no sense of rhythm that captures the thrashing dances. It's just the same old head-banging. I think the biggest problem is that when it comes to radio or listening to your car, you don't actually want the dance music so everybody just agrees that the other three are exemplerary while I watch the original footage of the shows and I never see any thrashing at their shows.

That said, the riffs they use aren't melodically creative which can make their guitar riffs rather naff, but that rhythm. That's why you are there.

 

[Aladyyn]

Maybe because flailing around at shows is ****ing stupid

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Maybe because flailing around at shows is ****ing stupid

Yeah, no hate but I've frankly never gotten the appeal to mosh pits. Flailing around in a circle to potentially get hit in the face or hurt my body while listening to music?

 

[Central PA Hawk Fan]

Yeah, no hate but I've frankly never gotten the appeal to mosh pits. Flailing around in a circle to potentially get hit in the face or hurt my body while listening to music?

Its a good cathartic release. In my younger days it was a good way of letting all my pent up anger and frustration out in a somewhat controlled and willing environment. I get the appeal, heck I lived it for a time.

 

[Central PA Hawk Fan]

Here's a few. Lmk your opinion as I'd be down to discuss any of them:

-Bad Brains are the greatest punk/hardcore band of all time (AINEC)

I like Bad Brains and all, but there is nothing they do so spectacular to make an AINEC comment.

-Rites of Spring > Fugazi

I love Rites of Spring, but they only have one album compared to Fugazi's long list of great material, I'm gonna say naw...

-The Force Awakens and Rogue One were both infinitely worse than Eps. 1-3

GTFO...

 

[Ouroboros]

Maybe because flailing around at shows is ****ing stupid

"No fun, no core, no mosh, no trend".

 

[67 others]

Here is an unpopular opinion. Anthrax is the only one of the big four bands that actually sounds like it could deserve the title of thrash. The other three have no sense of rhythm that captures the thrashing dances. It's just the same old head-banging. I think the biggest problem is that when it comes to radio or listening to your car, you don't actually want the dance music so everybody just agrees that the other three are exemplerary while I watch the original footage of the shows and I never see any thrashing at their shows.

That said, the riffs they use aren't melodically creative which can make their guitar riffs rather naff, but that rhythm. That's why you are there.

Charlie Benante

Best drummer of the big 4 and the man who gives them their rhythm

Yeah, no hate but I've frankly never gotten the appeal to mosh pits. Flailing around in a circle to potentially get hit in the face or hurt my body while listening to music?

Even at age 37, I would rather bang with strangers than stand still and watch.

But I get not wanting to for some, in the same way I get people who like playing no contact hockey leagues. Some people want to just mess around and have fun shooting, and some people like the grind and crash and bang.

Realistically, you rarely get hurt in mosh pits unless you are not paying attention. The taller dudes who throw elbows learn mosh pit etiquette quick when 2-3 people gang up to push them into a preset jumping shoulder to the face(And everyone gangs up on people who are intentionally throwing elbows and takes them out). Its very easy to set someone up for a Scott Stevens special. Aside from keeping etiquette, people are super nice in pits and will jump in front of you and shield you if you fall to prevent you from getting trampled.

Etiquette is simple. Elbows down and bang with hips and shoulders. Its mostly pushing anyways.

The exception to the rule is those short people. They are my bane in the mosh pit. A girl who is 5'4 is someone I make sure to get away from quick. When they get pushed backwards quick, and the crown of their head whips into your jaw, its like a bucket of freezing water, like a solid right cross and its very hard to see coming since they get knocked around so easily