Bulletin Board of Bad Behavior

OK, I've kept silent for a bit to see how this played out, and I'm (sort of) glad I did.

Martino, Your opinions aside, I respect the fact that you in the end said (and I'm grossly paraphrasing) "Whatever, like who you like just dont nominate Sting for being on the bus, and quit being boring." To address that, and the comment about middle-class corporate rock star sting...think about it, who has lived more of the rock star life than him? Punk, Metal, Jazz, reggae, whatever, he did it all to varying degrees of success and poignancy, and there are worse things than being recognized by corporations as a success. Not to mention, that the recognition gives you the wealth to pursue any and all of those distractions that might land one "on the bus" whether or not you choose to do so.
Yes, Sting is no longer rough edged, as he was in his youth, nor does he raise hell as those more frustrated, lesser known artists often do, possibly because he does not need or want the attentions of angst-ridden teens and twenty-somethings. But is he a tortured artist? Yes. Has he used writing, music, and drugs to explore himself and the world around him? Yes. Love or hate his music, or his often abrasive and cocky personality, he has had an effect on the world and world music...on more than just middle aged housewives. Who's to say that a diametrically opposed artist such as Bob Dylan is any better or worse? Sting is no Johnny Rotten, Joan Jett, or any of the UK boys who seem to capture the hearts and artistic souls of the average Paxacidian, but just because his music is mellow these days, don't write him off the bus based on lack of knowledge...

man, this is one dead-end thread, if you ask me. i think it sounds a bit like logging onto a elvis BB, and saying the fat guy was pretty ok, but that the beatles were a lot better, or at least deserved more recognition.

i understand your opinion mav -- you see artistic merit in sting's work and want to defend it as a matter of principle. you are an artist, that's what artists do, out of solidarity.

i agree that there is artistic merit in what sting has done, just as i can see merit in U2, or in jethro tull, in kansas, or even in hall & fucking oates, if i really try hard. but is that the point of this BB -- finding merit in grossly overpaid, facelifted, pretty-boy old-fart rockers? it's sure not for me to say, since it's not my BB.

this is my last piece on this thread because i am boring myself to nausea. may the stinglovers reign, for all i care, it's not so important, really!

it's just that sting was never unconventional or hard-edged -- he started out as a schoolteacher, for chrissakes. in his early days elvis costello said he would like to slap sting in the face for serving up all those denaturalized, semi-reggae ripoff tunes. (now EC is a *real* example of a guy who does risky things. he sings like my uncle in the bathtub but i admire his artistic courage).

when sting's police shtick -- falsetto singing to rock-reggae accompaniment -- was deader than dead, he started playing easy listening rock with upper-crust jazz musicians to stadium audiences. who needs it?

let's kill this thread and talk about interesting things. is the newest oasis really that bad? (i say, yes). Does liam have any future as a songwriter? (i say, no). anybody seen the newest almodóvar? (i have, and it brought tears to my eyes). why did i miss kid loco in the steerfight arena in ceret, even though i was staying nearbye? (because i'm stoopid, that's why). is czech beer going to survive the floods? (mc wanted to know, and i think, sure!)

these things are important to me, and not some wooden, charmless english guy with a nosejob.

okay M i'll kill the thread. I never did it before so I can see if it works.