So here is a conversation I just had:

Halmooky (9:40:02 PM): mandy moore dyed her hair brown

x(9:40:19 PM): And why do I care?

Halmooky (9:40:36 PM): because it's awful!

Halmooky (9:40:40 PM): why did she do that?

x(9:40:59 PM): Why does she continue

breathing? The world would be a better place if she was dead.

Halmooky (9:41:06 PM): not at all!

x(9:41:18 PM): I think it would be.

Halmooky (9:41:26 PM): =(

Halmooky (9:41:29 PM): i love her

Halmooky (9:41:32 PM): but not with brown hair

x(9:41:42 PM): I hate her and wish she was dead.

Halmooky (9:41:45 PM): aw

Halmooky (9:41:50 PM): why? whatd she do to you?

x(9:42:12 PM): She's ruining music. She saps the art out of the artform.

Halmooky (9:42:32 PM): how so?

x(9:42:55 PM): By wasting music on shitty thoughtless cookie cutter pop.

Halmooky (9:43:25 PM): how can you waste music?

x(9:43:55 PM): By churning out cookie cutter nonsense that lacks any passion or thought or worth.

Halmooky (9:44:06 PM): how is it cookie cutter?

x(9:44:20 PM): The lyrics are cut and paste garbage.

x(9:44:30 PM): The production of it is horrible as well.

Halmooky (9:44:30 PM): actually, some of them are quite clever

Halmooky (9:44:32 PM): and naughty

Halmooky (9:44:46 PM): Baby One More Time was a very clever little pop song.

x(9:44:46 PM): I'm not going to argue this with you. If you don't agree, fine.

Halmooky (9:45:12 PM): and Candy uses an extended metaphor in a very interesting fashion

x(9:45:23 PM): I said I'm not talking about this anymore.

Halmooky (9:45:35 PM): i'm going to have to say that the lyrics to candy outweigh those of How to disappear completely

x(9:45:47 PM): I don't want to talk to you anymore.

Halmooky (9:46:07 PM): well what does he say "that there thats not me, i go where i please, i'm not here, this isn't happening"

Halmooky (9:46:19 PM): you can't say they're brilliant, earth shattering lyrics

I think people like this suck more out of the artform than others. You have to keep in mind this person is an artist himself. I can only imagine what he'd say if someone called his art cookie cutter. Granted, these pop stars may not be doing the most original thing in the business, but neither did Elvis, or the Beatles when they first started and look at how we see them now. I appreciate the fact that Britney Spears busts her ass to have a better set of abs than I do. And she sits in a chair and has her hair blown out and makeup done instead of taking the extra hour i take for sleep when i toss my hair into pigtails and put on a bra under my nightclothes. I am not going to say that "Oops I did it Again" was the best song ever written, but I think songs like "Candy," "Walk Me Home," "Baby One More Time," and even "Come on Over" are all good songs. They're catchy, they're relatable, and they're fun.

The thing that bothers me about "music jocks" like our friend "X" over here is that they are the ones who take the art out of the artform, by judging and complaining. It's one thing if "How To Disappear" was a brilliant, poetic masterpiece. But to be frank, using Candy as an extended metaphor for sex is much more clever a lyrics scheme. Ever since I was in seventh grade, I have been facing "Music Jocks." You know who they are. They're those people who like what it's hip to like, but nobody is sure why it's so "deep and moving"...the kids who would only listen to classic rock when nirvana was popular...the kids who now feed off Radiohead, Sigur Rosa...It would be one thing to just like the bands. I like Radiohead. I like Bjork. I could say that at one point in my life some of these bands were my favourite. But they say they listen to "everything" but in actuality, they only like what they consider to be cool, and will quickly rag on whatever MTv deems worthy.

It's not even like they're indie kids. I completely respect Indie Kids. Some of them are pretentious as fuck and they go around naming bands so obscure the people in them haven't even heard the demo yet...these are just indie jocks. True Indie kids do search through the obscure...to find magical pop and noise gems, among them the likes of All Girl Summer Fun Band and Tiger Trap. They blast these bands until their friends make them turn it off, or buy the CD. I guess I am just tired of people pretending to be open minded, and then being pretentious fucks, just like all those indie kids who would make fun of me for going to a Heavenly Show with a Smashing Pumpkins tee shirt on for a reason other than irony.