Things that ARE overrated

[Ramius]

tim tebag

urban meyer's "genius"

[KD in CA]

Additional sports related:

 

David Wright

David Beckham

Lynn Swan

Chad Johnson

Danica Patrick

Drew Bledsoe

Donovan McNabb

Brett Favre

Yankee Stadium (yes, the old one)

The "12th Man"

Super Bowl Commercials

Championship parades

All Star Games/Home Run Derby/Slam Dunk Contest, etc.

The Olympics

MMA

U of Florida QBs and WRs

 

 

And a couple additional non-sports entries:

 

Maya Angelou

Twitter

Doctors

Harry Potter

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Things that are overrated:

 

Stripclubs

Cover bands and all music covers in general

Any movie that is based on a tv show or comic book

Labatt Blue

Seinfeld

Black belts in most martial arts

Fast Food

TV shows about ghosts or UFOs or ESP or rituals or monsters or you get the picture

Bikers (especially some fat azz yuppie turd who gets in his Hell's angels gear and tools around the block)

Bicyclists (especially some fat azz yuppie turd who gets in his Lance Armstrong gear and tools around the block)

Fishing and hunting

Cell phones and Texting

SUVs

Fake body parts

Americans who believe they are Irish, Italian, African, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Polish, English, etc. etc.

Reality TV

Florida

Weddings

Will Ferrell

Celebrities

Cheerleaders

 

Wow, I think we would get along well. Except for Labatt Blue...thems is fightin words.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Championship parades

 

Agreed, but I think we'll feel differently when it's a parade of Bills or Sabres players.

[The Dean]

So what you're saying is that she wealthy because she's mediocre at what she does but the average American doesn't recognize mediocrity? I'll buy that.

 

 

Exactly...with this addition. Unlike many other mediocre actresses she has been lucky/smart enough to work for good projects...or at least good box office projects.

[Chef Jim]

Exactly...with this addition. Unlike many other mediocre actresses she has been lucky/smart enough to work for good projects...or at least good box office projects.

 

But doesn't the fact that the lead roll is performed by a mediocre actor automatically eliminate it from being a good project? I don't go to movies so (and for this very reason) so I really don't know this.

[Kelly the Dog]

Let's tackle the "performer" issue first. Honestly, I don't give a s#it about "performers" when I go to see a musical artist. To me, dancing and pandering to the crowd only diminishes the musical performance, in most cases. There are some exceptions, but they usually involve what look to be something more spontaneous and/or personal than Bruce's mechanical/purposeful/manipulative interaction with the audience. When I went to the show I was very pumped to see Bruce and the band. I expected Bruce to play the guitar. He MAY have touched it once. Otherwise he pranced onstage and acted like a rock star, not a musician.

 

Now, to the substance of the material. I kind of liked Greetings from Asbury Park and absolutely LOVED The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle (which I consider one of the top rock albums of all time). Those albums had superb music (for rock) that was diverse, complex (at times) and interesting. I was looking forward to the next album.

 

Unfortunately, I thought Born to Run was just OK...and I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. Most of the magic of the previous album is missing, IMO. The songs became more monotonous and obviously commercial. Still, it was great, compared to what was about to happen.

 

Springsteen chased his muse for a while and I can respect something like Nebraska, although I don't like it. Artists who change and grow, irrespective of commercial implications is something to be lauded in this age, IMO. Even though I wasn't crazy about the outcome, I thought maybe he really WAS going to be the new Dylan. Born in the USA changed that, right quick.

 

Born in the USA may be the most despicable rock album of all time. The monotony of the songs is epic. But the "rock anthem" sells, and Bruce ran to the cash. From then on, everything I hear from Bruce is either monotonous rock anthem, or droning uninteresting softer tunes, that don't hold up when compared to his early work.

 

I gave up on Bruce a long time ago, as I did with Elton John, Billy Joel, Steve Winwood (starting to win me back...but I hold a grudge) and others with so much potential, who stopped making great music and sold their soul for filthy lucre. If you say The Rising is good, fine. I never gave it the time of day. I did hear Radio Nowhere, from a few years ago, and thought it was a poorly disguised rip-off of Jenny 867-5309. His televised concert appearances always leave me un-entertained.

 

I'm harsh on Bruce because he had potential, and I liked him quite a bit. He made great music, at one time. But now he is "Bruce", "The Boss" and has an onstage persona and a political agenda. Music is far, far down the list of things that are important to Mr. Springsteen. At least that's the way it appears to me.

 

One last thing. I want to note that political activism is really not a reason to dislike a musician, IMO, if you really like the music, otherwise. I actually probably agree with much of Springsteen's beliefs. But to me it doesn't add to the music, at all. Some are fans of artists BECAUSE of the politics/attitude/appearance/etc of the artists. That's equally stupid, IMO. It's all about the music.

Tunnel of Love, which followed Born in the USA (which I don't like) was a tremendous album, lyrically and musically and not in the least a sellout. The Rising was also a tremendous musical album. Ghost of Tom Joad was the complete antithesis of rock star album, as was Diamonds and Dust (although it wasn't nearly as good). I am a Springsteen freak and I don't like much of his last three albums at all. They suck in fact. But it isn't sellout kind of stuff, nor is it all rock star ballads. He also still plays three hour plus shows, every single time.

 

Also, there is zero chance that you saw him live and he only touched the guitar once. You must have swallowed 16 quaaludes and don't remember. I have seen him over 20 times, since 1975 and every single show he plays guitar a ton, in addition to the crowd pandering.

[The Dean]

Tunnel of Love, which followed Born in the USA (which I don't like) was a tremendous album, lyrically and musically and not in the least a sellout. The Rising was also a tremendous musical album. Ghost of Tom Joad was the complete antithesis of rock star album, as was Diamonds and Dust (although it wasn't nearly as good). I am a Springsteen freak and I don't like much of his last three albums at all. They suck in fact. But it isn't sellout kind of stuff, nor is it all rock star ballads. He also still plays three hour plus shows, every single time.

 

Also, there is zero chance that you saw him live and he only touched the guitar once. You must have swallowed 16 quaaludes and don't remember. I have seen him over 20 times, since 1975 and every single show he plays guitar a ton, in addition to the crowd pandering.

 

 

Why would you bring the drugs into this? They get a bad rap. Nobody stands up for them, anymore. Society's scapegoat!

 

AAAnnnnyway, you may have a point. But I can say, with as much certainty as I can under the circumstances, nothing he may or may not, have done with the guitar he may, or may not have touched, was memorable in any way. And keep in mind, even then I was aware of some of the subtleties of music, and was not a guy that needed to hear shredding to enjoy a guitar player.

 

BTW, while my friends (who liked him much more than I) enjoyed the concert more than I, they also were a bit disappointed with Bruce's guitar work. Maybe our expectations were too high, or misplaced. Anyway, I did like the concert, and enjoyed myself. But the experience led me to look at Bruce a little differently. To me, even then, I was a little off put with the show. But it wasn't quite as shticky as it was to become, based on all the documented evidence I have seen of Bruce as his career evolved.

 

I could go on about some of the individual issues I have with the music and the band, but it would just end with what we all know: I'm just not that big a fan of rock. Sure there are many rock bands I really like (and Bruce's early stuff is in that category), but I can only take so much of 3 chord repetitive songs and sax solos by a charismatic average player. OK...I've said enough about that.

 

As I noted earlier, I never really kept up with his stuff after I gave up on him. But the stuff I have seen/heard since then (not that much, mind you) hasn't impressed me a bit. It might be the best stuff isn't what he plays on the Super Bowl or Today Show or [documented media event] and I have yet to be exposed to it. Fair enough. I will keep an open mind when I encounter it.

[bbb]

Tunnel of Love, which followed Born in the USA (which I don't like) was a tremendous album, lyrically and musically and not in the least a sellout. The Rising was also a tremendous musical album. Ghost of Tom Joad was the complete antithesis of rock star album, as was Diamonds and Dust (although it wasn't nearly as good). I am a Springsteen freak and I don't like much of his last three albums at all. They suck in fact. But it isn't sellout kind of stuff, nor is it all rock star ballads. He also still plays three hour plus shows, every single time.

 

Also, there is zero chance that you saw him live and he only touched the guitar once. You must have swallowed 16 quaaludes and don't remember. I have seen him over 20 times, since 1975 and every single show he plays guitar a ton, in addition to the crowd pandering.

 

I'm at 18 now and counting fast....he plays a ton of guitar. He blisters the former intro (now the outro) for Prove It all Night (listen to Winterland for the great intro version). He ripped thru Candy's Room in Pittsburgh last month..........But, I never really cared about his guitar work. That's why he brought Stevie in so long ago. And, then Nils. Nils is one of the best ever, and Stevie really showed his chops in Pittsburgh, too.