why does everybody hate the stranglers so much?

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is it just the bad hair? the misogyny? the misanthropy? the strippers? the drugs? too old? b-b-b-but we all love The Brazen Hussies! why are the strangulators such lightning rods for hate?

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:12 (twenty-three years ago)

i'm just guessing that the brazen hussies have bad hair, i'd expect nothing less

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:13 (twenty-three years ago)

hello Fritz. hmmm...that's a hard call on the stranglers. i have to admit that i have a soft spot for some of their earlier stuff ("dutchess", "everybody loves you when you're dead", "peaches" etc.) but i definitely think their later output was appalling ("always the sun" springs to mind, urgh!)

have you seen the movie "sexy beast", they use "peaches" as the intro music, excellent beginning to an excellent movie! ray winstone RULES!

― Derek Dalek (Derek Dalek), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:21 (twenty-three years ago)

they're not quite steve forberts, but they are a type. the band everybody makes fun of even though they're Not Awful Sounding or anything, they just seem kinda unintentionally comedic all the time - like the doors or belle & sebastian or spiritualized. I like them all, but when someone makes fun of any of these bands I could never honestly try to deny that they are eminently Hateable.

hugh cornwall's voice just sounds like he'd be one of those guys who pulls low-level asshole moves all the time, never picking up the tab even when it's blatantly his turn or looking at your scrabble tiles as soon as you leave the room. but not in a 'our rascal' way either, just one of those people who sends eyes rolling when his name comes up.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:26 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, the "men in black" thing was a tad much.
to be honest "golden brown" has a killer riff going through it, and whatever you say about "jailbird hughie" he gives a mean little bit of "marr-guitar" towards the end of that track.

i completely agree that there are certain bands or singers that have that "look and laugh" quality.

― Derek Dalek (Derek Dalek), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:33 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think they're so terrible -- a bit Steve Forbert-ish, but I'm mostly positive on them. No More Heroes is a solid record and a decent representative of its time. The big criticism I hear is that they weren't "punk enough." But who cares?

― Jody Beth Rosen, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:34 (twenty-three years ago)

right, it's funny how back then "punk" was so idealistic...until they started making some coin. nice to meet you jody, i'm derek.

― Derek Dalek (Derek Dalek), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I liked sexy beast, yeah, but all those english "you fucking cunt!" gangster movies bug me even as I like them. they are the stranglers of movies. except 'the italian job'.

I like when they busted their pop move with "Skin Deep". That's a catchy number. And most of Rattus Norvegicus is pretty cool. Creepy cover photo.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:39 (twenty-three years ago)

'the italian job' wasn't really one of those naughty-word brit gangster flicks, so leave it out of there actually.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:40 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't mind 'em either; I have No More Heroes in the ol' Jukebox and bring it out occasionally. My first real taste of the Stranglers was actually the b-side of one of their singles from around that time, with a really hilarious lounge-y take on "Bring on the Nubiles", which was both disgusting and amusing at the same time. Perhaps that's the problem people have with the Stranglers: it's really hard to tell sometimes whether the band are disgusting perverts with disgusting attitudes, or whether they're just having us on. ("I want to love you like your dad" alone brings up issues that people have endured endless amounts of therapy for.) My second exposure was Dreamtime, esp. "Always the Sun", which I thought was actually quite okay. Listening back on that album and on Aural Sculpture, however, I can't really recall what I found so fascinating about that period, apart from the fact that "Always the Sun" was a bit catchy.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:40 (twenty-three years ago)

i have to admit i have a really SOFT spot for british gangster movies a la the beast and "long good friday". being an ex-pat paddy living in the states i have more of an appreciation for non-hollywood flicks than i probably would have living back in the sod.

the stranglers busting a pop-move with "skin deep", imagine telling them this back in '77? they'd throw their plastic cups of tepid lager at you, shake their fists in the air and shout "oi!" a few times.

― Derek Dalek (Derek Dalek), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:43 (twenty-three years ago)

no, I like brit gangsta flix too - just can't get over feeling that the whole tough guy fantasy is childish - same way the stranglers make me feel.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:47 (twenty-three years ago)

oh yeah, the tough guy movie feeds into most guy's fantasy about being "the shit" you know what i'm saying? to be honest i'd rather watch a movie about "tough guys" than have to deal with them in real life.

i wonder if hugh was someone's bitch in prison...forgive the question but i've just started watching the first season of the prison drama "oz" on dvd...man, it's a bit too realistic i think!

― Derek Dalek (Derek Dalek), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:53 (twenty-three years ago)

''My first real taste of the Stranglers was actually the b-side of one of their singles from around that time, with a really hilarious lounge-y take on "Bring on the Nubiles", which was both disgusting and amusing at the same time. Perhaps that's the problem people have with the Stranglers: it's really hard to tell sometimes whether the band are disgusting perverts with disgusting attitudes, or whether they're just having us on.''

If the stranglers andd Frank Zappa met they might get on very well sez i.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:05 (twenty-three years ago)

good point Julio.

speaking of Frank Zappa did you see the story yesterday where his son, Dweezel, uncovered a Jimi Hendrix guitar that his dad had stuck away in the basement? I can't imagine how much that's going to go for at auction.

― Derek Dalek (Derek Dalek), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:07 (twenty-three years ago)

I love the Stranglers! Even Rattus Norwegigus or whatever. Especially "Golden Brown," (all of La Folie, actually), "Duchess" and all that "No More Heroes" business. The bass player was pretty good.

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:36 (twenty-three years ago)

You people are all high. The Stranglers were FUCKING BRILLIANT.....until Hugh left, of course (and they're absolutely irrelevant shit without him, and vice versa).

JJ Burnell, morever, isn't just "pretty good," he's a GOD.

― Motel Hell, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Derek- I saw that story. The last hendrix guitar that was sold went for over a million pounds. So it will go for a load of money.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Anyone who hates the Stranglers has his/her head completely up his/her ass...unless they're talking about the Hugh-less Stranglers Mk II, who are a stain on an otherwise lordly legacy.

"Peaches," "(Get a) Grip (On Yourself)," "No More Heroes," "Five Minutes," "Something Better Change," "Hanging Around," "The Raven," "Nuclear Device," "Golden Brown".....their list of classic tracks is formidable.

― Alex in NYC, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:46 (twenty-three years ago)

They were nearly the first Punk band I liked (after the Damned). I used to follow them around places like the Nashville and Red Cow. As I got more heavily into the 'ideology' of Punk I realised they weren't 'appropriate' (plus they were attracting a thuggish crowd) so I dropped them, and therefore lost touch with them after that. They were playing that album with 'Always The Sun' on it today in the charity shop. I was pleasantly surprised. I particularly liked the song with the pretty piano figure on it ('always look out for the ???' - something or other I couldn't make out).

― David (David), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:55 (twenty-three years ago)

"Skin Deep"

― Alex in NYC, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:58 (twenty-three years ago)

I obviously dont hate them that much... Preaching for my parish: http://www.freakytrigger.co.uk/102/17stra.html

― Simon, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 20:06 (twenty-three years ago)

The Stranglers - "The Raven"

My favorite bar, The Raven, has this album cover framed on its wall.

― Jody Beth Rosen, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 20:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Ahhh . . . "Five Minutes" . . .

I am eternally indebted to the Stranglers for running my penpal ad in Strangled fanzine and hooking me up with some great tape-exchange-mates in a really terrific era of music.

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 20:13 (twenty-three years ago)

shoulda asked "why does everybody love the stranglers so much?", apparently.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 21:38 (twenty-three years ago)

i don't hate em! i don't love em! i don't know who they are

― ron (ron), Thursday, 29 August 2002 01:34 (twenty-three years ago)

sorry about that, i need to remind myself not to do that

― ron (ron), Thursday, 29 August 2002 01:35 (twenty-three years ago)

A reason why some people chose to dislike the Stranglers in the 77-era is that they came from middle class backgrounds, and therefore in such a blinkered vision did not possess punk 'authenticity'. Another victim of such 'outing' was Joe Strummer, of course.

I thought that their last truly great moment was 'European Female', a sublime piece of electro-pop genius.

― tacit, Thursday, 29 August 2002 09:28 (twenty-three years ago)

a more significant reason back in the day was that the stranglers around saying that they had invented punk and were better and harder and smarter than everyone else, which got old real fast, especially the "smarter" bit

haha strummer as the "victim" of "outing" = hoist on the petard he himself foisted on punk, the halfwite

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 29 August 2002 09:36 (twenty-three years ago)

their sound was always great, it was their proprietory and ultra-competitive attitude (burnel: "i am a karate black belt" - the world: zzzzzzzzzzzzz) which played against them big-time

(i *think* they invented iceland, rockwise!! a sounds-feature with them sitting on lavafloes!! grey panthers to thread!!)

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 29 August 2002 09:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Of the era, Burnel's bass-playing was as distinctive (re "Nice & Sleazy", "Peaches")as a lead instrument as Peter Hook or Steve Hanley of The Fall. However it seems that The Stranglers were battling each other for this title (re "Walk On By"), and therefore Burnel's achievements have gone unnoticed by many.

― tacit, Thursday, 29 August 2002 09:58 (twenty-three years ago)

it's funny hearing that described as "of the era", cz when you were living through it, hanley and hookey seemed like a million yrs later, when actually they were only two or three (at most)

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 29 August 2002 10:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Elastica did that riff much better and they became superfluous.

― Graham (graham), Thursday, 29 August 2002 10:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Didn't Elastica render Wire superfluous?

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 29 August 2002 11:32 (twenty-three years ago)

B-but I'm not TUFF like JJ Burnel

― dave q, Friday, 30 August 2002 08:53 (twenty-three years ago)

suuuuuuuuuure you're not

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 30 August 2002 11:04 (twenty-three years ago)

b0w & ph34r l00z3rz!¡!¡!¡!¡ SEE!!!! I will quote Mishim0r at you, puny intellecktual midg0retz!@#!@#!@# C0\/\/ER!!!! as I break this concrete slab WITH MY PHOREHEAD!!!! QUAKE!!!!! as i do my squinty hard-man stare in j0r vicinity!@#!@#!@#!@#!@# SHUDD3R!!!! as my mighty throbbing Norton Dominator leavez yr pathetic, puny 1100cc Ford Fiest0r in tha weeds!!!!!!
I kix0red the shiz out of Paul S!m0n0n, and don't any of you losers forget it!@# don't give me no lip, fux0rz, or I will beat you hard....until you drop!!!!!

― j34n j4qu3z burn3l, Friday, 30 August 2002 16:52 (twenty-three years ago)

"Middle-class", eh? Ha, I had not realised that "ice cream man" was one of thee professions!@# I really like the Stranglers, as it happens, I like pretty much everything up to "La Folie", tho' after that....meh. Best IMO is "The Raven" which sounds kuriously like Yes in places. Fritz, I haf no idea why the Strangl0rs were/are hated so, tho possibly the fact that their meaness/uglyness was the actual real thing that some of yer other punx were pretending to be. Fine in fantasy, ab it too skary perhaps in reality & all that. Pfff, whatever, Throbbing Gristle 0Wn0R3D them anyway, Ph43rsomeness-wise.

― N0rman Phay, Friday, 30 August 2002 16:58 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

so after hearing "Peaches" once and being flabbergasted by it, I bought a copy of "IV" when I came across it in New Zealand for $3. I haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but I know nothing about these guys (I've never even heard of them, and I even listen to classic rawk radio!) and wonder what I should keep my ears peeled for...

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 01:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"Fritz, I haf no idea why the Strangl0rs were/are hated so, tho possibly the fact that their meaness/uglyness was the actual real thing that some of yer other punx were pretending to be. Fine in fantasy, ab it too skary perhaps in reality & all that."

Well, then...that would make them the one real punk band, no?

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 10:55 (twenty-two years ago)

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