tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14840542.post7960235039196608260..comments2023-06-17T06:46:48.762-07:00Comments on The Odds Are One: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" - Tears For Fears (Songs from the Big Chair)Transient Gadflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10313323030838183737noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14840542.post-27431723925894869762009-02-26T15:30:00.000-08:002009-02-26T15:30:00.000-08:00I was in Oxford in November of 1993 (though Tears ...I was in Oxford in November of 1993 (though Tears for Fears came through Oxford on that same tour the day after I left--Heidi, Karrie, and Janet went to see them). I was with you and Sara Cohen to see Crowded House on the Together Alone tour that spring.Transient Gadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10313323030838183737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14840542.post-20981592013885853332009-02-23T19:22:00.000-08:002009-02-23T19:22:00.000-08:00I believe that tg was with me (and my girlfriend a...I believe that tg was with me (and my girlfriend at the time) when Roland eviscerated Radiohead at the Universal Amphitheater in November 1993 for being shlock artists. Shows what he knows.<BR/><BR/>I don't like Roland, and obviously Curt is useless. <BR/><BR/>However, <I>Songs from the Big Chair</I> has "Mothers Talk" and "Head Over Heels," <I>The Seeds of Love</I> has song after song of love (the rare album in my iTunes library with no song under 3 stars), and even <I>Elemental</I> has "Break It Down Again" and "Goodnight Song." I'd recommend re-visiting them, despite their bastardry.sagebluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11233079059680669300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14840542.post-79582871702076467862009-01-31T07:08:00.000-08:002009-01-31T07:08:00.000-08:00Hmmm...yes, I intuitively buy this.Hmmm...yes, I intuitively buy this.fronesishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13544185676179565507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14840542.post-15508060643015443682009-01-29T11:14:00.000-08:002009-01-29T11:14:00.000-08:00If you were representative of the public at large,...If you were representative of the public at large, I would already be a rock star and <I>Firefly</I> would be in its sixth hit season. Also, U2 would be the hugest rock band on earth. Wait a minute....<BR/><BR/>I would imagine that you probably wouldn't like the guys in Tears for Fears as, you know, actual people if you met them. I think they're kind of prima donnas in that way that you hate. I have a (yet other) theory about art being a method of expressing the artist's own humanity, and that if, you know, you find that humanity to be ugly in some way, you'll reject his or her art. A topic for another post, I guess.Transient Gadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10313323030838183737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14840542.post-53292938404135007982009-01-29T05:47:00.000-08:002009-01-29T05:47:00.000-08:00As you can see, I am *totally* hooked on this new ...As you can see, I am *totally* hooked on this new version of the blog, and if I were somehow representative of the average blog reader or web surfer, then you would quickly and easily be able to get rich of of ad revenue here. Alas, I am not.<BR/><BR/>A few comments:<BR/><BR/>1. It's a close call, but I think the guys dancing at the gas pumps during the bridge IS offensive. It's not *that* there are two black guys dancing, it's HOW they are dressed, HOW they are dancing, and the fact that the gas pumps are from the 1950s, coupled with the strange amused-by-little-kids looks on the faces of Curt and Roland that pushes it over the edge.<BR/><BR/>2. I can see, aided by your insightful analysis, why this was a huge hit song. But can you tell me this: why did I hate Tears for Fears with such a blind passion at the time? So much so that I still have this lingering hatred for them today. I can't really listen to the song with anything bordering on objectivity, because my hatred for them then still informs my viewing of them now. Hated this song back then. Hated Shout more. And it's not that I'm some sort of snob - I loved most 80s hits. But Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, and Powerstation - all caused a negative and visceral reaction.fronesishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13544185676179565507noreply@blogger.com