I was born in 1990. That makes me 21 this year. It's probably safe to say that I barely knew bands or singers that were famous in the early 90s. I was just a baby back then so I could barely comprehend what music was let alone the music scene. Unfortunately for me, I missed out on some really great bands way back in the early nineties. I was instead introduced to popular pop culture stuff like N*Sync, Britney Spears and the Spice Girls. Not that there's anything wrong with them. They're not that bad...Well, in terms of musicality I supposed they kind of did suck but at 8 how was I to know any better, right? I listened to them and loved them like the child I was. And boy did we have so many boy bands and girl bands during that time! There was Boy Zone, 911, N*Sync, Backstreet Boys, Girl Thing and so many more...I couldn't comprehend rock music when it did came on the TV. And the videos that did came out on TV were all of the rock and roll era where bands like Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi, Led Zepelin, etc reigned supreme. Their loud shrieks and constant yelling were too loud and noisy for my child-like palate. I wanted soft sweet music about love (even though I was so very young and couldn't really understand what N*Sync meant when they were singing about how they drive themselves crazy thinking of you) and pop-ish dance-to songs like 'Backstreet's Back', 'Survivor', 'Bye Bye Bye', and more.
N*Sync. Popular boy band that was like so hot way back when.
Spice Girls. I'll have to kick someone if they don't know who this group of pussies are!
They may be thick and mainstream but they did have some very good songs...Just dunno if they wrote it themselves.
Ah, 911...Is it just me, or does the one in the middle remind you of Michael J. Fox?
Ahh, the young innocent mind of a 5 year old fangirl. I was one of them...But now as I have grown older and explored many more musical genres I felt the need to venture out into something completely new. I am constantly on the lookout for new music and new artists. One fateful day (it was probably around 4am in the morning), I was looking at videos of this androgynous model named Andre Pejic as I have this soft spot for beautiful female-looking male youths and I wanted to hear what this girly boy sounded like. As I watched the videos, I couldn't help but catch the music playing in the background of one particular video. I tried to listen closely just so I could try to make out the lyrics and search the lyrics on the internet so I could download the song myself. I did just that and I found out it was by this British band Blur and the song was Girls and Boys. I was thrilled to have found the song and immediately went on Youtube to listen to it. I fell in love on the spot, downloading the song in a matter of seconds after the video finished. At the same time, I could not help but notice how pretty the frontman was. My heart felt a little flutter as the longer I stared at him, the more he felt delicious to me...Well, that was all it took for me to go on a mad rampage to look for other Blur videos. The second song I heard was The Universal and I didn't think much of it cause I prefer underrated pop music (none of that Gaga, Bieber crap although I still do listen to some mainstream music). But Damon Albarn (the aforementioned gorgeous piece of British eye candy) was just so adorable and wickedly charming there, I couldn't help but listen to the song again. I repeatedly listened to it and before I knew I grew to love it! I fell in love with almost all of the Blur songs. It took me days and a couple of weeks to truly develop my love for Blur and by the time I was going back for the start of the new semester I had already developed a deep love for Blur.
Gorgeous Damon Albarn and his gorgeous blue eyes!
So gorgeous!
Damon again! He's so cuuuute!!!
Blur.
Clockwise: Dave Rowntree at the top middle, Graham Coxon, Damon Albarn and Alex James
Damon Albarn started it all. I googled him and Blur countless times. I would save his pictures and Blur's too of course and then also would try to listen to Oasis their rival way back when they were at the height of popularity. I found out Albarn had written almost all of the songs on Blur as well as the songs in Gorillaz, the virtual band that I had been quite a fan of as well. It sparked an interest in all things concerning with Britpop. I tried a little bit of Elastica as well but since the frontwoman was Justine Frischmann and she was Albarn's then girlfriend and she was also dead ugly to boot, I couldn't really fall in love with the band much. I did love one song from them and it's called Connection. Very good song that and with a terribly clever message. I started to immerse myself with Britpop and a day will not go by where I don't get to listen to a bit of Blur.
Elastica in all their Elastica glory.
Justine Frishmann, the then girlfriend of Damon Albarn who used to be with Brett Anderson before she went for Albarn. Told you she was dead fugly!
Last night, I decided I had to give a little bit more focus on other Britpop bands, ones that I haven't yet even looked at. I tried Suede last night and guess what? It's fucking fantastic! I love them! Suede is just so bloody wicked! And the frontman Brett Anderson is just so ugly-hot and androgynous looking that I do feel a slight tingle somewhere down the pit of my stomach every time I gaze into his soulful eyes and listen to his high yodeling voice. He has a very unique voice and his lyrics are quite intelligent as well.
Brett Anderson.
Suede is so suave.
So far, I have been very into Suede and next one that I'm going to give a chance would be Pulp. I hope they're good. I heard some mixed criticism from the people who comment on Youtube but everyone on Youtube is so fucking biased! How can some of the Oasis fans claim that Blur is just trash and not at all good? Blur is fucking fabulous, amazing, awesome and just so wicked cool! They are creative, meaningful, intelligent, charming, humorous, and daring in more ways than one! The fact that they are brave enough to keep trying to change their sound is so cool to me. Every album sounds different and you never get bored listening to their albums as one song sounds different after another. I do think Oasis rocks too! I especially like Liam Gallagher's raspy, gritty vocals. It's very sensual and attractive though I can't say much for his looks. I don't think he's good looking but he does have that rugged bad boy appeal that so many women dig and love.
Liam Gallagher and his bad boy rugged looks.
Oasis with Liam Gallagher in the middle with the shades on and Noel Gallagher, his brother on the left. IDK who else were in the band.
I wish I could somehow go back in time just so I could witness the 90s Britpop scene with my own two eyes! I would probably go to London and try to get to take pictures of Damon Albarn and his band Blur. I'd probably thrust my breasts at him the way he said so many 16 year olds do. Hahaha. Just kidding about that! No, I wouldn't be as outrageous as that but I will ask for their autographs and a picture or two! They are just so amazing!
The problem with being into the thing of the past is that no one else around you is into it as well. Or if they've heard of the bands you're talking about, they barely know them and are not as interested to talk about such things as they would be if it were Bieber, that retarded kid who sounds like a girl and looks like he's 3 or Taylor Swift or any other stupid tweeny bopper. No one really listens to what I want to say... And I don't even bother trying because I know no one really bothers. It is so fucking retarded how people can want to listen to stupid trashy music like Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and her clone Katy Perry and all the other lowest common denominator media machine out there but not bother about real music. I have begun to hate anything to do with Glee, The X Factor and all the other stupid reality TV shows as all they do is take the soul out of real music. It's very sad.
Well, in case this blog post somehow or other piqued someone's interest in Britpop please do go check it out! Here are some links that could help you get started:
For a guide on the history of Britpop: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britpop
For a list of the bands of Britpop: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Britpop_musicians
Blur's Girls and Boys, the video that started it all for me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDswiT87oo8&ob=av2e
Blur's The Universal (WAJIB tengok!!!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrbxWOMpwfs&ob=av2e
Elastica - Connection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilKcXIFi-Rc
Suede - The Beautiful Ones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqovGKdgAXY
Oasis - Stand By Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maTP315XZCQ&ob=av2e
