Defend the Indefensible: Barenaked Ladies

Still, Steven Page has a great voice, and I have a tape of them doing cover songs which is quite good. Their version of The Smiths' "Still Ill" is truly great. *puts on rain slicker for protection from tomotoes and eggs*

And they are very nice guys, so I don't really hate them, I'm just hopelessly indifferent.

and it seems i can't spell "tomatoes" either. my mind is currently struggling with mental images of what "tomotoes" might be...

They seem to LOVE what they are doing and don't seem to give a shit if they come off as whitebread, nerds, or popular. They know they're not hip but they don't care. I sort of like that, even if they are cloying.

Oh Geir, I'm not even going to touch that.

Like Rob, I grew up in the GTA and, therefore, I have memories of the Bareneaked Ladies playing at the Courtice High School Dance. (Simon Provenzano, my Slayer-loving boyfriend at the time, was not impressed by BN in the least...he'd have a lot to say on this thread about how "Seasons in the Abyss" kicks ass and BN sucks ass)
Friends of mine are in their videos and I still have a copy of that old yellow indie demo tape release.

I agree with Rob--Steven Page's voice IS great and, in my opinion, "The Old Apartment" captures a bittersweet-I've-grown-up-and-I'm-happy-with-my-life-now-but-it-certainly-doesn't-stop-me-from-being-crazily-nostalgic feeling that you simply just don't come across in many pop songs.

There's no way they should have ever gotten as popular as they have - They're a bowling-alley bar band. But they've never actually killed anyone that I know, so they're OK, I guess.

I went out with a gal from Courtice High School! In the words of Stephen Wright: "It's a small world. But I wouldn't want to paint it."

Um, whenever I ask their fans why they like them, they usually say "they're really good musicians!" Which is such a relief, because then I know I have someone to give all my Steve Vai albums from middle school.

They seem nice, have some okay tunes I guess.

Their new single about postcards with chimpanzees on them didn't move me. And I'll slap anyone who puts on "If I Had A Million Dollars" in my presence. Especially the live version. Bad freshman year of college memories.

I now understand why Teeny isn't kidding when she makes it clear Mr. Teeny does what he is told. ;-)

My pick would be "vanilla is the finest of the flavors." But my favorite line is probably "Birchback Stadium, Home of the Robie."

Probably, but that's okay because they turned into a much better band over time. Originally, they were just the worst--and they still turn out their fair amount of shit, too. But "Fireworks" and "Music @ Work" are pretty amazing songs.

And why the Odds weren't shot on sight?

The Odds could be very good, though--as well as pretty terrible. If you only know them by their videos, it makes sense that you'd want to shoot them (the videos themselves were always hellish, and they almost never chose their good songs as singles...in fact, they often chose some of their worst--"Heterosexual Man," for instance).

re: Barenaked Ladies: The Bruce Cockburn cover is their only reason for existing, but it's a damn good reason.

Probably discussed on some other thread but it's still worth posting again if that's the case.

http://ianundercover.com/2008/12/13/iuc-paul-mccartney-says-barenaked-ladies-sing-much-better-than-fab-four/

noooooooooooooo

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2009/03/sonatine_beat.jpg

dude did like 5 fucking BNL covers at coachella

The first four seconds of "The Old Apartment" always make me think I am about to hear STP's "Plush." It is a headfuck every time!

I saw the Barenaked Ladies last year , and they were touring without Steven Page, who had just left.

Even though I had a free ticket, boy did that make a boring set even worse -- the keyboard player has the tinniest voice imaginable, and he was singing many of Page's songs.

My kid likes the "Snack Time" CD.

And I still like "Aluminum," mostly because of the voicings/harmonies in the chorus.

i still can't successfully sing along to the chorus of 'pinch me.' seriously it's pretty hard. the album version of that track also has a backwards guitar thing going on in it at the end iirc

So my son's got this book about the animal world.

https://i.imgur.com/cD9RESG.jpg

And there's been something about that cover that has seemed familiar and nauseating to me. I just ... couldn't ... put ... my finger ... on ... it....

Until now...

https://i.imgur.com/2jSYdI2.jpg

daaaaamn

http://rsmg.pbsrc.com/albums/v617/tune_in_drop_out/GIFs/MonoclePop.gif~c200

There's a great scene in the under-appreciated 1997 comedy The Wrong Guy where the Barenaked Ladies play a group of police officers who are also a barbershop group:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YDpPJD4-o8

biggest dork = frog

I like "What a Good Boy".

it's a good song. i like "jane" and "the war on drugs" too

yeah, a bunch their early non-smirky songs have some MOR charm

"enid" and "shoebox" too, band has a real decent power-pop playlist lurking in their discography

always thought Maroon was a pretty solid album though I've never really thought to venture any further than that

it's been...

this stereogum article about one week was actually really charming: https://www.stereogum.com/2004594/one-week-barenaked-ladies-lyrics-explained/franchises/interview/

A 20th anniversary digital edition of Stunt is out today on Spotify and Apple Music. If you like “One Week” check out “Barenaked Ladies’ ‘One Week’ But All Of The Instruments Are Replaced With ‘It’s Been.’“

lmao that was very pro click

always thought Maroon was a pretty solid album though I've never really thought to venture any further than that

― frogbs, Tuesday, July 31, 2018 6:23 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink'

that was the one i owned as a kid! agreed that it's pretty solid

Maybe You Should Drive was a mainstay on the family 5cd changer

always found this song charming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7txdQw-MYBw

It really is wild that the Gordon cover has three different people doing soyface on it. Has to be some kind of a record

steven page looking like a promo shot of roger ebert walking past a theater screening 'North' or 'Jaws the Revenge'

Awhile back I was trying to find the thread dedicated to clowning on that cover, but it doesn't seem like it had either the band name or album name in the thread title.

Actually one of my favourite videos ever--should have voted for it in last year's poll.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_oOc3Zj0KU

"Car!" It just doesn't get more Canadian than that.

they've done it again!!

https://propermusic.com/cdn/shop/files/0020286243557.jpg

https://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2023/12/Bleachers-1701912315-1000x823.jpg

https://www.stereogum.com/2244924/lana-del-rey-clairo-bartees-strange-appear-in-bleachers-alma-mater-video/news/

lmao

An unexpected connection

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/inside-biggest-art-fraud-history-180983692/

fascinating read.

"...and vaguely Celtic music fills the air."