collins@tonto.DEC (Programmer wears socks - film at 11..) (11/01/84)
RE: Worst Lyrics and Duran Duran [From Kim Collins via Bob Collins] I was first angered, then amused at your words about Duran Duran. Basing your shallow opinion on only a few of their songs is a shamefully illogical way to write a strong argument. The songs you mentioned were all dance hits, where a good beat is all that matters to the public. If you read the lyrics from of their less popular songs (especially from the album "RIO"), you would be pleasantly surprised. Your references to random words and dictionaries is also off target. Duran Duran is not trying to explain the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. They are evoking emotion; conjuring up a pretty picture for the imagination. Why, my dear Mark, are you so violently against Duran Duran? Is your girlfriend more interested in Simon LeBon than she is in you? Or are you a fan of quality entertainers such as Ratt or Motley Crue? Now these are groups with literary genius; writing songs like "The Devil is Good" or "tie Up and Whip Your Woman". All kidding aside, someone intelligent enough to be at Dartmouth shouldn't base an opinion on partial information. This is especially true when you are attacking my favorite group! UUCP: decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-tonto!collins
markv@dartvax.UUCP (Mark Vita) (11/01/84)
<...>
Geez, just when I was starting to get depressed because no one flamed
me for my cracks about Duran Duran, Ms. Kim Collins came through. I owe
you one, Kim.
>Basing your shallow opinion on only a few of their songs is a shamefully
>illogical way to write a strong argument.
The article I posted was not intended to be an ARGUMENT, but a NOMINATION.
That's why there was little in the way of "evidence" included (except
for the quote from "The Reflex"--I couldn't resist). But, if you'd
like to argue the point, I'll be happy to provide evidence.
>The songs you mentioned were all dance hits,
Not quite true. They were all "Billboard Hot 100" hits, which means that
basically they were among the "best-selling records in the country" at one
time or another. In other words, people went and bought/requested these
songs. Whether or not they danced to them is arguable. I'm sure quite a
few of them did. They sure didn't listen to them for any kind
of intellectual enlightenment.
>where a good beat is all the matters to the public.
Yes, I'll agree with this. Kind of sad, isn't it?
>If you read the lyrics from some of their less popular songs (especially
>from the album "RIO"), you would be pleasantly surprised.
Don't count on it. But, I have a fairly open mind. Why don't you mail
me the lyrics to the songs you consider to have artistic merit, and I'll
take a look at them? (I'd go listen to them myself, but I don't own
any Duran Duran albums, and suspect that I might have a hard time finding
people who will admit to owning some. Then again, maybe not.)
>Your references to random words and dictionaries is also off target. Duran
>Duran is not trying to explain the meaning of life, the universe, and
>everything.
Yes, I know they're not. And they can't even do that very well.
>They are evoking emotion; conjuring up a pretty picture for the
>imagination.
I would like to know what kind of "pretty picture" songs like "Is There
Something I Should Know" and "The Reflex" conjure up in your imagination.
As for "evoking emotion"--the only emotion Duran Duran evokes in me is
disgust; disgust that a band which has so little apparent artistic
talent can go so far in the music business, and actually be compared
by moronic rock journalists to such true artists as the Beatles. Note
that I am disgusted and not surprised. The diminishing talent/success
ratio seems to be a general trend these days.
>Why, my dear Mark, are you so violently against Duran Duran? Is your
>girlfriend more interested in Simon LeBon than she is in you?
I refuse to comment on the masculinity (or lack thereof) of Simon LeBon.
You've provided an interesting little insight to your own taste in men,
however. :-)
As for my girlfriend, though she enjoys several groups whom I consider
to be rather mindless, Duran Duran is not among them.
As for our relationship, it's going just fine, thank you very much.
>Or are you a fan of quality entertainers such as Ratt or Motley Crue?
>Now these are groups with literary genius; writing songs like "The
>Devil Is Good" or "Tie Up And Whip Your Woman".
What was that you said earlier about basing one's shallow opinion on only
a few songs being a shamelessly illogical way to write a strong
argument? As the old cliche goes, people who live in glass houses
shouldn't throw stones, eh, Ms. Collins?
Just for the record, I happen to dislike Ratt and Motley Crue and
similarly mindless pseudo-heavy-metal dirt bands even more intensely
than I dislike Duran Duran. If that's any consolation. It probably
isn't.
>All kidding aside, someone intelligent enough to be at Dartmouth
>shouldn't base an opinion on partial information.
Where is it written that you have to be intelligent to go to Dartmouth? :-)
Well, I have to base my opinions on what information I have. And the
Duran Duran tunes I have heard have been consistent in their pretentious
inanity. But you're welcome to try to change my opinion.
>This is especially true when you are attacking my favorite group!
Well, if Duran Duran is your favorite group, then all I can say is that
I feel sorry for you. But I'll tell you what--I'll buy you a Pink
Floyd album for Christmas, so that you might be exposed to
music with some real artistic merit. Not that Pink Floyd aren't
pretentious at times. But they at least have the quality of being
fairly intelligent, which Duran Duran has yet to prove to me. And
I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the proof.
--
Mark Vita
Dartmouth College
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