Scrubs is a half-decent little TV show with an often surreal sense of humour, and I used to like it a lot.
At least, I used to like the first three or four seasons a lot, before it started to go abruptly downhill.
But now, a few episodes (mostly early ones) aside, I can't stand it. Why is that, you ask? Two characters.
Elliot Reed and John Dorian.
Let's start with Elliot. She is a giant slag.
No, really. She seems to have some kind of phony morality in the TV show, but she is a slag.
In the very first episode of the show, she sexually manipulates JD in order to get ahead, something she repeats in the fourth season to her own detriment. The show seems to think we should be rooting for her in this situation, but it's her own stupid fault.
In the third season, meanwhile, while in a long-distance relationship with Sean (who gets utterly screwed over by her once before as well, by the way, and doesn't deserve it either time) she sleeps with JD, before immediately hooking up with Sean again.
She then has the nerve to take the moral high ground on JD when he feels that, you know, having sex with him might have been a sign that she likes him or something like that.
Which brings us to JD. JD is an IDIOT. An unlikable, annoying, immature idiot who says stupid things, does horrible things to people and is generally a jerk.
It'd take me far too long to list them all here, but I may as well give a few examples.
He constantly says incredibly insulting things to people, usually his closest friends ("You're supposed to struggle, not me" to Elliot in series four).
He nails a widow AT HER HUSBAND'S FUNERAL. I don't care how long he was in a coma or how good an emotional state she claims to be in... HER HUSBAND JUST DIED. You could at least wait until you got home for goodness sake, because I'd say she may not be in the sanest state of mind.
He is so weak emotionally that he can't even break up with someone and so needy that he'll just cling onto anybody who throws him even a second glance.
With these two the focal point of the show - along with Turk, who to be fair I adore - I just can't stand to watch it any more. JD constantly makes the wrong decisions when it's so easy to see what he should do (and unlike in say, Peep Show, it's not entertaining) and Elliot is just a slag still.
So, forget you Scrubs.
30 December 2009
29 December 2009
Christmas songs
Christmas is my favourite time of year. For all the talk of higher rates of suicide and such, there is just a magical feel to Christmas for me no matter how commercialised it may get.
I'm sad it's now over - and also that I didn't get around to making this post before it took place.
One of the things that many people loathe more than anything else is the Christmas music.
In principle, I should loathe it too.
My ambition is to be a music journalist and I style myself as a connoisseur. And Christmas music is some of the worst of the worst, right?
Wrong.
There's a whole bunch of artists who I will only listen to at Christmas, and no matter how bad the songs may be, I love Christmas so much that I will listen to virtually any Christmas song when this time of year rolls around.
So in no particular order, here are some of what I think are some truly classic Christmas songs.
This is probably my favourite Christmas song. I never listen to Jethro Tull except for this song at Christmas. I adore it. It doesn't actually mention Christmas itself, to be fair, but it does mention the Winter Solstice and that's good enough for me. I actually get a lump in my throat every time I hear that opening flute.
Shakin' Stevens, another terrible, awful musician but with a Christmas song that I really can't argue with. Has a faintly bizarre video but the sentiment of the song is about as Christmassy as you can get.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUxxXIwGvK0
This one won't embed by request, but it's Proper Chrimbo by Avid Merrion. This song isn't just Christmassy by itself, but is also a very funny video for any number of reasons. My personal favourite is Bob Geldof shamelessly abusing Merrion and the both of them dropping their wine glasses on the floor.
Reuben are a band I miss a great deal, who made three great albums before splitting. Their third was a bit miserable and the videos a bit serious for my liking (mostly) so I was happy with this return to their style of madcap humour. The lyrics in this song sum up a Christmas, especially in Britain, so brilliantly. The best lyric is probably either 'look out for Mistletoe or I will kiss your face' or 'sorry about all of that "nailed to a cross" business.'
A lesser known one, this, I've never heard it played on TV or the radio. It starts off with the typical blink-182 toilet humour but then the closing refrain is fairly euphoric and emotional.
This version of 'Little Drummer Boy' is taken from an utterly bizarre Christmas special starring David Bowie and Bing Crosby which was aired after the latter's death. The pairing makes no sense, the song is odd and the whole thing is just baffling. Good tune, though.
I'm sad it's now over - and also that I didn't get around to making this post before it took place.
One of the things that many people loathe more than anything else is the Christmas music.
In principle, I should loathe it too.
My ambition is to be a music journalist and I style myself as a connoisseur. And Christmas music is some of the worst of the worst, right?
Wrong.
There's a whole bunch of artists who I will only listen to at Christmas, and no matter how bad the songs may be, I love Christmas so much that I will listen to virtually any Christmas song when this time of year rolls around.
So in no particular order, here are some of what I think are some truly classic Christmas songs.
This is probably my favourite Christmas song. I never listen to Jethro Tull except for this song at Christmas. I adore it. It doesn't actually mention Christmas itself, to be fair, but it does mention the Winter Solstice and that's good enough for me. I actually get a lump in my throat every time I hear that opening flute.
Shakin' Stevens, another terrible, awful musician but with a Christmas song that I really can't argue with. Has a faintly bizarre video but the sentiment of the song is about as Christmassy as you can get.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUxxXIwGvK0
This one won't embed by request, but it's Proper Chrimbo by Avid Merrion. This song isn't just Christmassy by itself, but is also a very funny video for any number of reasons. My personal favourite is Bob Geldof shamelessly abusing Merrion and the both of them dropping their wine glasses on the floor.
Reuben are a band I miss a great deal, who made three great albums before splitting. Their third was a bit miserable and the videos a bit serious for my liking (mostly) so I was happy with this return to their style of madcap humour. The lyrics in this song sum up a Christmas, especially in Britain, so brilliantly. The best lyric is probably either 'look out for Mistletoe or I will kiss your face' or 'sorry about all of that "nailed to a cross" business.'
A lesser known one, this, I've never heard it played on TV or the radio. It starts off with the typical blink-182 toilet humour but then the closing refrain is fairly euphoric and emotional.
This version of 'Little Drummer Boy' is taken from an utterly bizarre Christmas special starring David Bowie and Bing Crosby which was aired after the latter's death. The pairing makes no sense, the song is odd and the whole thing is just baffling. Good tune, though.
2 December 2009
Compilations, continued
Yes, artist compilations, be they b-sides, best ofs or greatest hits can often go awry.
Of course, sometimes a hits compilation is just what a group needs. Other times, even if the group doesn't need one, they can still turn out to be fantastic compilations.
One example of a compilation done right is The Who's Then And Now, which originally came out in 2004 but was updated in 2007 to include a song from their then-new album Endless Wire.
Like so many of the bands of the sixties and seventies, The Who had a bunch of non-album singles which were vital to understanding their progression yet never made it onto an album. Singles like 'I Can't Explain' or 'Magic Bus.'
As such, best-ofs are very useful for groups of that era. Then And Now was something like their seventh compilation, but the dangling carrot on it was the two new songs (one new song in the 2007 version) tacked on the end.
This is one time when the extra material was not simply a way of getting completists to buy it. There hadn't been a new Who song recorded since 1982 and the death of John Entwistle in 2002, so a new recording was big news.
What's more, these new recordings are pretty great. 'Old Red Wine' is a decent enough tune, but not one to write home about. 'Real Good Looking Boy,' however, is an epic, immaculately written and played song that well deserves its place in the Who's catalogue.
It also shows how wonderfully Roger Daltrey's voice has aged; he can't hit those high notes any more but his burly growl is a delight to hear again.
What's more, the rest of the album has all the hits, from the early mod stuff (which I hate) through their shaky middle period (like the one song I like from The Who Sell Out, 'I Can See For Miles') and up to their soaring AOR period on the three cuts from Who's Next, which is undoubtedly one of the finest albums ever made.
Another artist with a quality greatest hits is Robbie Williams. Although his musical background suggests someone who is undoubtedly a singles-only artist, he actually had some quality albums; nevertheless, his hits collection would be his defining statement, and it is that.
The selection of it is incredibly smart. It cuts a few of his lower charting singles, doesn't include his awful cover of George Michael's 'Freedom,' and nothing from his swing album.
It also includes two new songs; a lovely ballad called 'Misunderstood' and an honest-to-goodness electro track on 'Radio.'
Many people hate 'Radio' with a passion; I love it for how ridiculous and bad it is. I can't believe he had the guts to release it as a single. Can't fault the man for it...
Basically, compilations are impossible to quantify. Does the artist need it, or not? Will it be worth buying? Is new material a cash-in, or value for money?
Who knows?
I sure don't.
Of course, sometimes a hits compilation is just what a group needs. Other times, even if the group doesn't need one, they can still turn out to be fantastic compilations.
One example of a compilation done right is The Who's Then And Now, which originally came out in 2004 but was updated in 2007 to include a song from their then-new album Endless Wire.
Like so many of the bands of the sixties and seventies, The Who had a bunch of non-album singles which were vital to understanding their progression yet never made it onto an album. Singles like 'I Can't Explain' or 'Magic Bus.'
As such, best-ofs are very useful for groups of that era. Then And Now was something like their seventh compilation, but the dangling carrot on it was the two new songs (one new song in the 2007 version) tacked on the end.
This is one time when the extra material was not simply a way of getting completists to buy it. There hadn't been a new Who song recorded since 1982 and the death of John Entwistle in 2002, so a new recording was big news.
What's more, these new recordings are pretty great. 'Old Red Wine' is a decent enough tune, but not one to write home about. 'Real Good Looking Boy,' however, is an epic, immaculately written and played song that well deserves its place in the Who's catalogue.
It also shows how wonderfully Roger Daltrey's voice has aged; he can't hit those high notes any more but his burly growl is a delight to hear again.
What's more, the rest of the album has all the hits, from the early mod stuff (which I hate) through their shaky middle period (like the one song I like from The Who Sell Out, 'I Can See For Miles') and up to their soaring AOR period on the three cuts from Who's Next, which is undoubtedly one of the finest albums ever made.
Another artist with a quality greatest hits is Robbie Williams. Although his musical background suggests someone who is undoubtedly a singles-only artist, he actually had some quality albums; nevertheless, his hits collection would be his defining statement, and it is that.
The selection of it is incredibly smart. It cuts a few of his lower charting singles, doesn't include his awful cover of George Michael's 'Freedom,' and nothing from his swing album.
It also includes two new songs; a lovely ballad called 'Misunderstood' and an honest-to-goodness electro track on 'Radio.'
Many people hate 'Radio' with a passion; I love it for how ridiculous and bad it is. I can't believe he had the guts to release it as a single. Can't fault the man for it...
Basically, compilations are impossible to quantify. Does the artist need it, or not? Will it be worth buying? Is new material a cash-in, or value for money?
Who knows?
I sure don't.
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