Why is the Will Hung song not cheesy?

I think cheesy can be bad and horrible in a good way, but something that's that bad and horrible can't be cheesy.

Plus, the Will Hung thing is just kind of sad and puzzling.

I'm in the midst of a big Prince kick. Have heard enough good things about "Musicology" to know I want to buy it. Enjoyed the EW interview. Am considering buying tickets to his Seattle show (but am scared about the price).

Alicia, do buy it - It is a wonderful album. While I've enjoyed mostly everything he's done, the critics are correct in that it's a strong return to mainstream accesibility. The title track speaks for itself, and "A Million Days" is wow, one of the best things he's ever done - and that's saying something for somone who's made over 30 Albums.

Oh, when listening for the first time, don't be put off by the second track (by far the weakest).

Excellent, thanks! I'll definitely pick it up.

"We Built This City" really, really sucks. Sorry, DX.

However, Meara, have you heard the tuba version of "Just The Two of Us" by The Rebirth Brass Band? It will make you embrace the earworm. I'm listening to it right now (thanks!) AIFG.

I'm all for "We Built This City" being the worst song ever. I loathe it. Last time I was out for karaoke, someone sang it, and I learned that the mystery lyric I never knew was: "Manconi plays the mambo."

I think this was a fine, fine decision for worst song ever. On the other hand, I have to confess a mild, grudging respect for Bob Seger. He is what he is, and doesn't pretend otherwise, and does it with a bit of soul.

I think "We Built This City" got extra dings because Jefferson Airplane was the SF band most closely associated with the radical rhetoric of the counter culture. So crapping out a song that was (a) written by outside song doctors and (b) was the very essence of corporate rock (c) and purported to be about San Francisco's particular cultural and rock and roll made it seem like the most egregious sellout and boomer nostalgia trip ever.

This perspective is so widespread, we felt it necessary to address the Airplane's musical legacy in the book because it's been so completely eradicated by Starship. But there's very good stuff on Surrealistic Pillow, Crown of Creation and Volunteers. Fantastic harmonies, great melodies, hot guitar and (particularly) bass playing by Jack Casady. Though typically, the record our writer chose was (the much less respected) Bark. Also, he went to bat for Paul Kanter's second science fiction solo album.

waits patiently for Joe to make comment about Bay Area musical bias.

So now's my chance to ask Hec his opinion of Baron Von Tollbooth & The Chrome Nun (an album by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg that came out in '73). When I was in college I totally fell in love with "Sketches of China" - now I find it impossible to get beyond my nostalgia to decide if the song is good.

Not a fan of After Bathing at Baxter's David?

So now's my chance to ask Hec his opinion of Baron Von Tollbooth & The Chrome Nun (an album by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg that came out in '73). When I was in college I totally fell in love with "Sketches of China" - now I find it impossible to get beyond my nostalgia to decide if the song is good.

I've never heard it. I think Kanter is sort of underrated as a weirdo songwriter with a talent for tunefulness.

Not a fan of After Bathing at Baxter's David?

Actually I do like Grace's "Rejoyce" and "The Ballad of Me and You and Pooneil."

They might have been pretentious, self-serious hippies, but at least they were literate. ("Rejoyce" being Grace's take on Ullysses and "Pooneil" being a kind of conflation of Winnie the Pooh and the cult folk singer Fred Neil.)