Taking Sides: Nirvana Vs Blondie

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I actually quite like Nirvana, I think some of their stuff is pretty damn good actually. But - could they ever win a battle against the purveyors of such first class POP tunes as Dreaming/ Atomic/ 11.59/ Heart of Glass/ Denis Denis etc etc?

I think not.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 9 May 2004 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Blondie + shotgun suicide + megalomanical boyfriend = Nirvana

― Evanston Wade (EWW), Sunday, 9 May 2004 03:25 (twenty-one years ago)

i agree. blondie wins

― astroblaster (astroblaster), Sunday, 9 May 2004 03:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes yes a Ferrari Dino is a good car but can it win the WRC like a Subaru Impreza? I THINK NOT. Ferraris therefore SUCK.

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Sunday, 9 May 2004 03:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Seriously, most of these Calum TS threads are pop music Inoki vs. Ali

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Sunday, 9 May 2004 03:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Blondie, of course.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 9 May 2004 04:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Um, Nirvana

― Sym (shmuel), Sunday, 9 May 2004 04:14 (twenty-one years ago)

The alligator.

― Prude (Prude), Sunday, 9 May 2004 04:48 (twenty-one years ago)

you might actually want to listen to all of nirvana's albums, too few as they are. with blondie, what else are you going to listen to beyond their 'greatest hits'?

― shookout (shookout), Sunday, 9 May 2004 06:48 (twenty-one years ago)

with blondie, what else are you going to listen to beyond their 'greatest hits'?

yeah - but Blondie album win of album covers . I spent a formative period very obsessed with the front cover of Parallel Lines.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Sunday, 9 May 2004 07:22 (twenty-one years ago)

CRW, why do you always choose two bands that have absolutely nothing to do with each other and then mash them awkwardly into a stupid TS thread? Comparing two bands together assumes they have something in common, that they're similar in some way. Otherwise the act of comparing them loses all logical significance or even entertainment value. You can say, "do you like apples or oranges more"? But what the hell is the point of saying "do you like apples or fried frog brains more?"

If you need me to tell you Blondie rules, you're too far gone. Find a shrink.

Also, once and for all, you're misguided if you think you're somehow going to be able to convince Pixies fans that they are in the wrong about The Pixies, or that Pixies fans are going to be able to transfer their love of the Pixies to you through explanations and defending them. It's not going to happen. Give it up. Agree to disagree.

― bimble (bimble), Sunday, 9 May 2004 08:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got all 4 (and the MTV unplugged live) Nirvana albums and have had them for, ooooooooh, eons.

I still prefer Parallel Lines and Eat to the Beat, it has to be said.

P.S. Bimble, the Pixies are rubbish and you're wrong. But you already knew that. Didn't you?

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 9 May 2004 09:46 (twenty-one years ago)

rule number three of ix, bimble is: do not argue with calum aka crw. he is the cocaine residue on the toilet of the 'thank fuck that's dead' britpop movement. and he owns three records: suede = coming up, pulp - different class and oasis - definitely maybe.

― doomie x, Sunday, 9 May 2004 09:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Believe it or not, I already had that in mind, doomie, the unspoken rule of never arguing with CRW. I knew such a rule existed, I considered it carefully, and wondered if I would regret it later. I chose to do it anyway, and I don't regret it. I may never bother again, but there it is.

Eat To The Beat is better than Parallel Lines, BTW.

― bimble (bimble), Sunday, 9 May 2004 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah Doomie, I only own 3 records and only like Britpop. Jesus, have you fucking paid attention to my posts or just the ones that make you think, "that's such a stupid thread I'll have to read it and then post on it saying it's dumb cos I'm a knobass". I mean, really.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 9 May 2004 10:03 (twenty-one years ago)

i have a hard time caring about blondie, even though i generally like them. they are indeed "first-class pop songs," but there's something strangely anonymous about the way they sound, as if these weren't songs made by actual humans so much as they were warhol-like 'prints' of songs. i put on one of their albums the other day and i had to turn it off after a few tracks: it was just so FAMILIAR to me that i didn't feel like i had anything more to get out of it.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 9 May 2004 10:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I never got the Blondie comeback album. Any good?

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 9 May 2004 11:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, if it's a rubbish joke, then people are going to boo.

Admittedly, no one has paid to see the comedian, but anyway...

― mark grout (mark grout), Sunday, 9 May 2004 11:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I've heard that the new album is pretty mediocre. The reviewer added that gay-icon status is all the record could possibly net them.

Blondie is better than Nirvana, but only by default. Whereas I would never ever want to listen to Nirvana (unless I was forced to choose between Nirvana and Pearl Jam or something), Blondie has some great singles.

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Sunday, 9 May 2004 13:05 (twenty-one years ago)

you might actually want to listen to all of nirvana's albums, too few as they are. with blondie, what else are you going to listen to beyond their 'greatest hits'?

Oh gimme a fuckin' break. When was the last time you actually sat down and listened to Bleach? Blondie COMPLETELY wins this one.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

CRW championing a non-British band SHOCKAH!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

When was the last time you actually sat down and listened to Bleach?

umm, three weeks ago.

I'm not going to give an answer. I've only heard one or two Blondie songs. I know Blondie is good, but I haven't heard enough to judge.

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, it has to be said, Nirvana and Blondie seem to have plenty in common to me - both made genius rock-flavoured pop, or pop-flavoured rock. Any distinctions you might want to make seem marginal beyond that point.

So on that level, Blondie scored more direct hits. As long as we can take a pill to erase the comeback from our heads.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 May 2004 13:13 (twenty-one years ago)

As long as we can take a pill to erase the comeback from our heads.

Ooh....may I have one please?

Also: KURT AND DEBBIE ARE BOTH....WAIT FOR IT!.....BLONDES!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 13:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, that's so clever.

May I hit you Alex?

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 13:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Debbie Harry also never took her celebrity serious enough to consider ventillating her cranium with a shotgun.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Uh, Al, get your story straight!

Which do you believe? Do you think Kurt did commit suicide, or do you think Courtney killed him??

Which is it?

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, and Kurt, Courtney, and Debbie are all blondes!

Yea!

Who else?

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

nirvana. even though i dont particularly like either

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

And thanks to the person who pointed out the similarities between Blondie and Nirvana as I thought they were also strikingly obvious and the comparison was a fair one. Both were on the cusp of bringing an underground scene to the masses and both had the right balance of pop and punk to appeal to a mass audience. A friend of mine will say Blondie are "not my thing" either and just like Cass he IS LYING because I believe that no one (repeat: NO ONE) would deny the utter genius of the band's best songs (11.59/ Atomic/ Dreaming et al). These songs are so utterly perfect that they pretty much put 99% of all bands to shame. But the comeback was a bit of a letdown eh?

Oh, and Debbie Harry was in Videodrome. Which makes her even cooler than cool.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:29 (twenty-one years ago)

J.D.'s feelings about Blondie are very similar to my own. I've never been able to care about them very much. They do feel very anonymous and workmanlike to me -- the more literalist, less ambitious, more rock'n'roll side of post-punk, maybe.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:32 (twenty-one years ago)

no i actually dont like blondie

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:38 (twenty-one years ago)

though unintentional on Calum's part, the comparison is apt in that both bands were considered the bottom rung of their scenes before both broke big in the mainstream, unlike their peers who were considered better than them at the time. that said, i can do without either.

― jack cole (jackcole), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Videodrome really is spectacular.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The best film David Cronenberg ever did.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Which do you believe? Do you think Kurt did commit suicide, or do you think Courtney killed him??

Doesn't really matter. He's dead either way. And chances are Courtney ain't that far behind.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, but if he was murdered, this: Debbie Harry also never took her celebrity serious enough to consider ventillating her cranium with a shotgun wouldn't make much sense.

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

this is what i like about them! they were so much better as a pop-art concept thing than a "real band," which i fear they've aspired to turn into in their two most recent albums. i loved debbie's voice when it was just merely a great big clear blank canvas that she could throw splotches of color on as necessary, and don't like it so much now that it's all full of "shading" and "maturity" -- it's a little cloying.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, but if he was murdered, this: Debbie Harry also never took her celebrity serious enough to consider ventillating her cranium with a shotgun wouldn't make much sense.

Tsk tsk tsk....shame on you, Aja. You call yourself a Nirvana fan? Surely you should know that the shotgun episode wasn't the first time Kurt flirted with the reaper.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Courtney saved him in Rome.

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Courtney saved him

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

― jack cole (jackcole), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah. If he hadn't found her, he'd probably date Dave. Or Krist. Or Pat. Why not Pat?

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:24 (twenty-one years ago)

That's an interesting take, Jody. I might have to go back in listen to them using that as a frame of reference. Still, I like my pop-art exercises to sound a little less like bar bands. ;-)

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Why not Pat?

I believe Pat bats for the other team, if ya smell what I'm cookin'.

Whatever. None of this really warrants discussion. Blondie were far superior. End of story.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, what ya cooking?

I haven't eaten all day.

Then again, it's only about 9:40 in the morning.

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

That's an interesting take, Jody. I might have to go back in listen to them using that as a frame of reference.

hardly anybody these days (including debbie!) sings the way debbie used to sing. she has her imitators, sure, but they're too affected-sounding, too damaged by the '90s. she pulled off the "tough but lovelorn jersey girl" thing so well without clobbering us over the head with "authenticity" and/or belligerently precocious nasality. her voice was powerful, lovely, impurity-free, and perfect for conveying the sort of vague-but-hinted-at-but-oh-so-goddamed-resonant bubblegum/dancefloor emotions that really don't need too much annotation.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I do agree in that I think a singer as blank (but not "blank" like Miss Kittin) as she was would *really* stand out as unique now.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Sunday, 9 May 2004 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

i would really love to hear one. shania twain is the only one i can think of, and even then she's too nashville-country.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

ts: "one way or another" vs "i'm gonna getcha good!" (answer: they're both great!)

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

The book "Making Tracks: the Rise of Blondie" containes some of the sexiest pictures of all time. How can there be a whole Blondie thread without a mention of Deborah Harry's sex appeal?

― shookout (shookout), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

thanks for ruining it.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

That Chris Stein sure is a looker.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

thanks for ruining it.

-- stockholm cindy (disco_frie...), May 9th, 2004.

oooh...sex appeal=bad. Knee jerk.

― shookout (shookout), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

heaven forbid people should want to talk about something else for a change.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm just now getting into Blondie, but Nirvana wins for me on familiarity factor.

and Bleach rules.

― uh (eetface), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, Bleach is great. I just wish mine didn't skip on "Negitive Creep."

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

bleach vs.

http://www.recmod.com/albums-cassette/oncemorea.jpg

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:44 (twenty-one years ago)

well, at least she didn't wear as much eye liner as Kurt.

― Aja (aja), Sunday, 9 May 2004 16:48 (twenty-one years ago)

ts: "one way or another" vs "i'm gonna getcha good!" (answer: they're both great!)

Jody, you know I have a Mount Rushmore sized amount of admiration and respect for you (being as DEVOted a fan of ____ as I am....I got tix, by the way...look for the drunken asshole in a Killing Joke shirt), but are you seriously comparing Blondie's crown jewel to a dollop of product that came parping out of Shania's anus-like mouth? I'm going to have to kill you as a result, you realize. Nothing personal.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I like both, but Nirvana is more dear and relevant to me personally.

"Debbie Harry also never took her celebrity serious enough to consider ventillating her cranium with a shotgun."

OTM, sadly.

Debbie Harry also gets some bonus points from me for starring in Videodrome.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"OTM, sadly."

For clarification, I didn't mean to imply that it is sad that Debbie Harry hasn't yet killed herself. I wish her a long and happy life. I was referring to his comment that Cobain took his fame too seriously.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 22:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Hole vs Blondie would have made more sense anyway. Courtney and Debbie both worked in, ahem, "Gentleman's Clubs" before stardom.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 9 May 2004 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, but unfortunately all Hole's songs are shite.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:00 (twenty-one years ago)

You = fool.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes. But I made myself laugh, at least.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Comparing Hole to Blondie is like comparing a dollop of tepid warthog dung to a Faberge Egg.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

But which is which?

― de (I am honoring the fire as we speak), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Boringly dropping the exaggeration for comic effect: c'mon, Hole have maybe 3 good songs.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

In her Melody Maker interview back around the release of "No Exit", Debbie Harry said that Hole were the band who were closest to being a "New Blondie" at the time, for what it's worth.

Hole have at least... seven 8/10+ songs. "Celebrity Skin" and "Northern Star" are both 10s.

You don't need to respond to this Alex.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Around the release of No Exit, Debbie Harry's quality control had clearly gone out of the window.

I'll go to bed and stop being a grumpy bastard now.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

You don't need to respond to this Alex

Since when does need play any role in the posting to ILX?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

'Videodrome' vs Kurt's versh of 'Scanners'

― dave q, Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I really wish I had watched videodrome a second time. it was really captivating the first time but I felt I could have gotten so much more out of it on a second viewing, but I returned it before doing so

― uh (eetface), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Long Live the New Flesh

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:21 (twenty-one years ago)

James Woods used to be so cool.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

the local video store only had it on VHS, too......

― uh (eetface), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I can see why someone would feel a second viewing of Videodrome would be necessary.

― bimble (bimble), Sunday, 9 May 2004 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

are you seriously comparing Blondie's crown jewel to a dollop of product that came parping out of Shania's anus-like mouth?

yes i am.

I'm going to have to kill you as a result, you realize. Nothing personal.

no prob

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 10 May 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

"videodrome" vs kurt's version of "scanners"

Hahahaa oh god.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:49 (twenty-one years ago)

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