On VH1 right now, SPIN's Sarah "Ultragrrrl" Lewitinn just called Eminem's "Lose Yourself" one of "the greatest pop songs....EVER!"

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Pardon me, but I have to blow up the world now.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 19 March 2004 06:52 (twenty-one years ago)

"now"

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 19 March 2004 07:00 (twenty-one years ago)

If she would have said "Without Me", I would have been with her 100%. "Lose Yourself" is some weak-ass Survivor shit tho.

― Broheems (diamond), Friday, 19 March 2004 07:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, it IS his best single, so I'll assume that Sarah got far too carried away, slap her on the wrist, and leave it at that.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 19 March 2004 07:43 (twenty-one years ago)

"without me" is the much better track

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 19 March 2004 07:46 (twenty-one years ago)

eminem is a bad rapper. when are people gonna clean the shit out of their ears and understand that?

― Dude (The Yellow Dart), Friday, 19 March 2004 08:20 (twenty-one years ago)

it's true

― oops (Oops), Friday, 19 March 2004 08:24 (twenty-one years ago)

What television show was this on?

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Friday, 19 March 2004 09:38 (twenty-one years ago)

i wonder if she regretted this in the morning

― !!!! (amateurist), Friday, 19 March 2004 10:04 (twenty-one years ago)

without me is good, he isn't a terrible rapper, just not a terribly good one. Loose yourselfis just a bit of poorly produced self obsessed crap, he is the dido of rap.

― lukey (Lukey G), Friday, 19 March 2004 10:31 (twenty-one years ago)

get it? get it?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 19 March 2004 10:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i dunno i think vh1 pays journalists by the hyberbole

"really motley crue were the summit of western civilization"

"bravo, here's your check"

― !!!! (amateurist), Friday, 19 March 2004 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

although i think in his mind alex in nyc has blown up the world (or at least the mtv offices) over more times than our nuclear arsenal is even capable of

― !!!! (amateurist), Friday, 19 March 2004 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

why is Eminem a bad rapper?

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 19 March 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

i dunno i think vh1 pays journalists by the hyberbole

a) what you mean, "pays"??

b) what you mean, "journalists"??

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 19 March 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

huh? you don't think people get paid to appear on vh1?

― !!!! (amateurist), Friday, 19 March 2004 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

um, its just like her opinion maaaan.... anyway... eminem's success has been revolutionary whether or not you like his rapping or his songs. lose yourself is great pop even if its not great hip hop... which is what i think sarah was saying...

― oli, Friday, 19 March 2004 13:30 (twenty-one years ago)

"Lose Yourself" is the Eminem track most likely to be enjoyed by 'rock' fans. Even my brother likes it and he professes to only liking "3-minute power punk pop" (he's 33). My mate Ben does a mean "Without Me" at karaoke.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Friday, 19 March 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

eminem is/was a great rapper you're all on crack

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 19 March 2004 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

So this argument is essentially that "Lose Yourself" is Eminem's "Hey Ya," with expected results.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 19 March 2004 14:11 (twenty-one years ago)

by the way, saying something is "the greatest pop song ever" is not really a incisive bit of criticism whatever you think of the song

― !!!! (amateurist), Friday, 19 March 2004 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Silly her. Doesnt she know the only good pop songs were writen by the Beatles?

― David Allen (David Allen), Friday, 19 March 2004 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, it was Weird Al'ed, so there you go.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 19 March 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd love to see Alex's / whomever's reaction after viewing VH1's Top 100 Rock Bands / Metal Bands / Hottest Fuxors of All Fookin' Time, just to see if s/he'd be able to succintly express enduring a brain aneurysm in ASCII.

And, duh, greatest pop song of all time EVER = "Chains of Love".

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 19 March 2004 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

my favorite vh1 hyperbolic moment was toure on "where the streets have no name"

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Neither "Without Me" or "Lose Yourself" are anywhere near being Eminem's best songs. I don't think any of his best songs could be played on the radio without substantial amounts of bleeping.

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Why is Eminem singled out as 'rap for rock fans'? Plenty rap acts have done guitar-led tracks (PE, Jay Z). It's just that most of them are less good than 'Without Me' (though obv it'd be terrible if Em moved to doing *only* rock-rap tracks, this was just one single).

― Strachey, Friday, 19 March 2004 15:05 (twenty-one years ago)

It's because he's white.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree that the whole point of those VH1 programs is to be hyperbolic - the show is called Best Week Ever, right? Sarah is being paid to be cute and make overstatements! Not a bad gig.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)

what's funny is sarah went to spin after losing her job at vh1...

(i'm gonna be on one of those vh1 shows next month. be prepared to mock me)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

"Lose Yourself" is some weak-ass Survivor shit tho.

Broheems finally explains to me why I love Lose Yourself so much!

(without me is better though...as are many eminem tracks)

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I wish I were paid to be cute and make hyperbolic statements. Or at least paid enough to have cable. :(

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, Lose Yourself is the first Eminem song my girlfriend liked. She said it sounded a lot angrier than Without Me or the other ones she'd heard.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

(i'm gonna be on one of those vh1 shows next month. be prepared to mock me)

Yanc3y, what are you going to hyperbolize over on VH1? Please tell me it's a part of their new "The A-Frames: Best Band Evah!" half-hour special!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, Yancey, what do you get to talk about?

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 March 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

it was the 50 worst songs of all time. believe it or not, i was a last-minute replacement after eddie murphy's brother cancelled (i didn't find this out until afterward). i pretty much defended every song, though i said some ridiculously hyperbolic/apocolyptic things about "we built this city."

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Cool. Are you as cute as Jancee Dunn?

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

(shit, i wasn't gonna let ILM know about my crush on Jancee Dunn. Now the cat's out of the bag.)

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Time to turn in your badge.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Eddie Murphy's brother is really funny on Chappelle's Show!

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Are you going to be as funny as Michael Ian Black?

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Yancy, do you know how many of those supposed "50 Worst Songs" VH1 was all over when they came out?

They did a show a while back on bad videos. In 10 minutes of watching, I counted three that they'd played regularly and had been in their top 20.

Hooray for having an aesthetic judgment of any kind!

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"my favorite vh1 hyperbolic moment was toure on "where the streets have no name""

haha what did he say??

― !!!! (amateurist), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

He said, "Cocaine is one helluva drug."

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 19 March 2004 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't get it

are you implying that you'd have to be on cocaine to like that song?

if so, i would disagree

however i would not apply hyperbole to the song either, it exists as its own hyperbole

― !!!! (amateurist), Friday, 19 March 2004 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Eddie Murphy's brother >>> Eddie Murphy

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 19 March 2004 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I have my own issues w/ Eminem's music but in what universe is he a "bad rapper"?!

Also Lose Yourself is great, Without Me slightly better. Neither of them bad.

― djdee2005, Friday, 19 March 2004 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Charlie Murphy totally owns Eddie Murphy. Yanc3y, you must please be at least half as funny as him. For my own sake. I watch too much VH1 for my own good.

― Rollie Pemberton (Rollie Pemberton), Friday, 19 March 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Why is anyone listening to what VH1 has to say? I mean, I ignore bums when I pass them on the street.

― dean! (deangulberry), Friday, 19 March 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

that's sort of rude

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 19 March 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

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Killing Joke is the most overrated band on ilx!

― Lil' Fancy Pants (ex machina), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

No way!!

Honour the fire man!! (who the hell came up with that?)

― Aja (aja), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Killing Joke is the most overrated band on ilx!

It was not always this way.

Honour the fire man!! (who the hell came up with that?)

Bring all the Killing Joke albums you currently possess back to the stores you purchased them at once. You are not worthy to own them.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

The Boredoms fanboys vs. Killing Joke fanboys FITE

― Lil' Fancy Kpants (ex machina), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Bring all the Killing Joke albums you currently possess back to the stores you purchased them at once. You are not worthy to own them.

I can own what I want. You have no right (no matter how big of a Killing Joke fan you are) to say that I must return them.

I say, if you love the music, you are worthy to own it.

― Aja (aja), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 16:01 (twenty-one years ago)

My principal is a sister!

-- Aja (AsiaKitty200...), April 7th, 2004.

Hahah, it took me a few minutes to get this.

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

besides, we all know the Fall are the most overrated band on ILX.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 22:49 (twenty-one years ago)

you are Nate Patrin and I claim my $5.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

oh we're all a little nate patrin every now and again

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:03 (twenty-one years ago)

better him than you

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

(that reads bitchier than I intended; insert winky here)

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

haha the best thing is that i dont even know who that is directed at, me or miccio

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah I was gonna say "ooooh burn", but I got confused. . .

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:12 (twenty-one years ago)

haha you should see the bitchy retort I've been abstaining from typing.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:12 (twenty-one years ago)

i just realized today that I have chunky troll legs and suddenly this thread seems a lot more hateful

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

they can't be troll legs! Yer too tall! At best you've got chunky satyr legs.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got chunky satyr legs. I'm a Sagittarius.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

chunky orc legs it is then

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

did you just say orc? Roll the die, gamemaster.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

dude, i have 4000 hit points and maximum charisma

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I like when these threads turn into the locker room scene in Top Gun.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

*chomps teeth*

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

it was aimed at Miccio.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 23:57 (twenty-one years ago)

you roll: +3 a flamming arrow at miccio the cleric

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 8 April 2004 00:04 (twenty-one years ago)

haha, see I know nothing about gaming.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 8 April 2004 00:54 (twenty-one years ago)

me neither, actually.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 8 April 2004 01:09 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm just making shit up as i go

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 8 April 2004 01:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Everyone I know who played D&D as a kid are now addicted to crystal meth or oxycontin. Someone please explain.

Oh, and I don't care if Ultragrrl is fat either, but her "Making Out With..." schtick seems custom designed to get under the skin of hipsters/other rock critics who are insecure about being perceived as a bunch of celebrity hangers-on. Passing herself off as a writer who's about one degree away from being a full-on groupie is entertainingly provocative, though a bit pathetic as well.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Thursday, 8 April 2004 01:48 (twenty-one years ago)

>Everyone I know who played D&D as a kid are now addicted to
>crystal meth or oxycontin. Someone please explain.

Seriously, Dave? I live in a small town where the use of those
drugs is pandemic, and I used to play D&D regularly, as
recently as 2 years ago (I still technically theoretically
play although I never do (they came out with a new ruleset, grr
there's too many damn rules)), and I've never even been tempted
to use any serious drugs. In fact, my occasional pot use makes
me an outcast-among-outcasts, since most of them have never tried
it or even drink regularly.

All in all, a pretty well-balanced group, a few of them even
went/are going to college, although most of them are addicted
to porn and live at home until the age of 25. Not a brochure
lifestyle, but it beats getting hooked on meth or oxykinds.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Thursday, 8 April 2004 02:01 (twenty-one years ago)

is 250 words (if that) tucked into a corner of one page of a magazine per month really a "schtick"? and how does it seem "calculated"? like, do you honestly think people sat down and plotted, "ooh, let's get under all these other writers' skin"? sorry, but that seems reeeeally far-fetched to me.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 8 April 2004 02:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think it's that complicated Dave. I think Sarah likes a lot of boring, contemporary bands filled with cute boys, I think she does hang out with them and I wouldn't be suprised if she makes out with some of them, though I think now she's dating some guy I kinda know. All of that is fine and good, it's just a long way from Byron Coley's column that used to run in Spin.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 8 April 2004 03:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't have anything against her.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 8 April 2004 03:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Squirl: I only know two D&D players. Skewed sample size.

Matos & Dan: Dan OTM, except she likes Franz Ferdinand and they're not totally boring. Anyways, all I meant was that her NYC Rock Socialite persona is the sort of thing that the Amy Phillips Internet Haterz Brigade would love to jump all over, not that Ultragrrl deliberately set out to attract this sort of attention.

Also I'm basing my assessment of her 'schtick' less on her MOWUG columns, which I've only read two of, and more on her blog when I read it two months ago. It's only a blog, I know, but the MOWUG I read had a similar voice. On the other hand, the idea of Spin publishing someone who writes like a really enthusiastic fan meeting her favorite bands (while still being fairly articulate, which UG definitely is) could be interesting and provocative. I'd like to read a full-length piece before passing judgement.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Thursday, 8 April 2004 06:50 (twenty-one years ago)

what spin SHOULD publish is enthusiastic articles about when people like ME meeting my favorite bands. That way they could explore my eagerness and fanaticism, but also turn their readers onto say, the Homosexuals or Metal Urbain or Fast Product! I'm being silly here, of course...In a certain world, some of the bands she writes about aren't getting much press, that is relative to say, Justin and Janet, but I'm just sacrificing Sarah as a means to discuss what could be covered in any given magazine, and I do remember going through my older sister's issues of Spin and reading Byron's column.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 8 April 2004 06:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Dave M: I don't think she's *written* any full-length features! (and if she has, I've missed them; c'est la vie.) so it's hard to judge her by that criteria. my hunch--and this is just a hunch--is that she'd probably write more interesting stuff if she had 1000 words to profile a band than she does as the quarter-page columnist with a prescribed schtick. (I have nothing against schticks, needless to say, but in this case it's not one I find particularly interesting.) then again, I think this about everybody.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 8 April 2004 07:14 (twenty-one years ago)

ILX: The Magazine!

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Thursday, 8 April 2004 07:20 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

Just found a copy of her book on the discard pile here at work.

Her acknowledgments go on for four pages.

Plus, she called "Love Like Blood" by Killing Joke "goth".

Thus, I must now blow up the world.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 19 September 2005 15:24 (twenty years ago)

I should point out that I work in the same building as her, and she wears these GOD AWFUL solid wood flip-flops that you can hear coming 15 feet down the hall.

― CHUNKY TROLL LEGS, Monday, 19 September 2005 15:30 (twenty years ago)

http://www.paidworld.com/images/earth_exploding_lg_clr.gif

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 19 September 2005 15:31 (twenty years ago)

"Love Like Blood" by Killing Joke is goth, though.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 19 September 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

Go listen to pop music.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 19 September 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

It's pop music too!

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 19 September 2005 15:37 (twenty years ago)

No pop music for me. Only Classical and Folk.

― Magic Marissa, Monday, 19 September 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

http://69.93.254.120/G/storage/site1/files/24/64/23/246423_3294764ab9d1545ij4ty06.jpg

according to that site i look 55% like ciara

― gear (gear), Friday, 29 September 2006 21:27 (nineteen years ago)

i see it

"Play a fun game and recognize celebrities' faces in the areas of your choice, like Movie stars, or Famous Jewish people."

?!?!?!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 29 September 2006 21:35 (nineteen years ago)

good thing it's not based on full body shots...

― PappaWheelie burried Paul. The clues are there man! (PappaWheelie 2), Friday, 29 September 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

ouch

haha o man

― j blount (papa la bas), Saturday, 30 September 2006 06:37 (nineteen years ago)

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