Manics on Twitter

[Flint]

Originally Posted by Takk

I don't see why. Nicky LOVES sport. The olympics is hardly a royal event or anything.

BUT TEH QUEENZ R THER!!!!!

I'm personally not arsed about them doing it. I'm not sure I'd get anything out of one of my favourite bands playing a rushed A Design for Life in a boring sports event, and I'm quite sure they wouldn't really get anything out of it either (commercially or otherwise). The whole anti-royalist angle for it is a bit over the top but eh, whatevz.

P.S. how is TIMTTMY supposed to be a commercially-angled album again? Its lead single was hardly your typical radio rock anthem, its proposed original lead single was a spacey ballad kind of thing, half the album is spent depressed in extended soundscapes and moody subtlety, etc. Not saying it's some sort of weird anti-commercial experimental bizarre thing but a few select moments aside it's hardly an album of radio highlights.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by Takk

It's commerical? Since when have they not been into that. GT, GATS, EMG, TIMT, SATT, PFAYM are all about them trying to be commerical.

That's what people on the sidelines would be slinging at them though!

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by Flint

BUT TEH QUEENZ R THER!!!!!

I'm personally not arsed about them doing it. I'm not sure I'd get anything out of one of my favourite bands playing a rushed A Design for Life in a boring sports event, and I'm quite sure they wouldn't really get anything out of it either (commercially or otherwise). The whole anti-royalist angle for it is a bit over the top but eh, whatevz.

Aye. I mean if you don't know who the Manic Street Preachers are by now 1) - where have you been? 2) - them performing at the Olympics wouldn't really change most people's thoughts about them, sadly!

[starstruck]

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

That's what people on the sidelines would be slinging at them though!

the moment the Manics give a real, serious fuck about what people say or think of them is the moment that they stop being the Manics.

in retrospect, them doing any Olympics gig but having the class God Save The Manics artwork on display would have been a much better statement than not playing. IMO, my view, etc.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by starstruck

the moment the Manics give a real, serious fuck about what people say or think of them is the moment that they stop being the Manics.

in retrospect, them doing any Olympics gig but having the class God Save The Manics artwork on display would have been a much better statement than not playing. IMO, my view, etc.

He! He! Imagine the headlines!

[Takk]

Originally Posted by The Gutless Wonder

Aye. I mean if you don't know who the Manic Street Preachers are by now 1) - where have you been? 2) - them performing at the Olympics wouldn't really change most people's thoughts about them, sadly!

The open and closing ceremonies are watched worldwide though.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by Takk

The open and closing ceremonies are watched worldwide though.

I know but they'd probably still get ignored!

[Dancing Kirby]

Originally Posted by Flint

P.S. how is TIMTTMY supposed to be a commercially-angled album again? Its lead single was hardly your typical radio rock anthem, its proposed original lead single was a spacey ballad kind of thing, half the album is spent depressed in extended soundscapes and moody subtlety, etc. Not saying it's some sort of weird anti-commercial experimental bizarre thing but a few select moments aside it's hardly an album of radio highlights.

Recent trends would back you up. You couldn't sell an album like that to the masses today, but back then the Manics, along with the likes of Radiohead and The Verve, had already made miserablecuntrock the big stadium filler of the post-Brit Pop era.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Thank goodness Truth was released when it was!

[starstruck]

Originally Posted by Flint

P.S. how is TIMTTMY supposed to be a commercially-angled album again? Its lead single was hardly your typical radio rock anthem, its proposed original lead single was a spacey ballad kind of thing, half the album is spent depressed in extended soundscapes and moody subtlety, etc. Not saying it's some sort of weird anti-commercial experimental bizarre thing but a few select moments aside it's hardly an album of radio highlights.

yes, but for some reason the band describe Tolerate as "their only international hit", thus it kind of became commercial?

on that note, boy are they going to be pissed one day when they discover that other records they did also sold rather well around the world.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by starstruck

yes, but for some reason the band describe Tolerate as "their only international hit", thus it kind of became commercial?

on that note, boy are they going to be pissed one day when they discover that other records they did also sold rather well around the world.

I blame Nicky!

[Takk]

Originally Posted by Flint

P.S. how is TIMTTMY supposed to be a commercially-angled album again? Its lead single was hardly your typical radio rock anthem, its proposed original lead single was a spacey ballad kind of thing, half the album is spent depressed in extended soundscapes and moody subtlety, etc. Not saying it's some sort of weird anti-commercial experimental bizarre thing but a few select moments aside it's hardly an album of radio highlights.

Well perhaps not intentionally, but their look at the time and the result was pretty commerical.

[Porco]

I think Nicky is wrong wrong wrong about the opening ceremony being bad (on its own merits and ignoring its context/who commissioned it etc...) as he tweeted, but I'm sill pleased/proud of them for not being involved in the closing ceremony. It's one thing to watch it and decide 'hey that was great' (or not) but it's another to decide you want to actually take part in it. It's interesting that people assumed (wrongly) that them playing a gig in Cuba was a tacit endorsement of everything about the Castro regime, but if they played the Olympics closing ceremony they'd be contracted directly by the organisers (albeit for £1!) which I think is, on principle, quite different to playing a gig like the one in Cuba (or anywhere). And even if it was only because there might be royals present, I still that's a perfectly legitimate reason for them turn it down if they feel that strongly about it. If they have fundamental problems with the way the Olympics are run/commercialised etc AND there are royals present it shouldn't be too much of a surprise they turned it down.

Personally I am loving the actual sport of the Olympics, but it doesn't make forget the months of commercial nonsense before it, nor the insane ticketing arrangements, baffling rules for spectators etc. I chose to separate that from the sport and opening ceremony in my mind, Nicky apparently chose to only separate at the sport. Fair enough really, even if I disagree with his view on it.

Originally Posted by Flint

P.S. how is TIMTTMY supposed to be a commercially-angled album again? Its lead single was hardly your typical radio rock anthem, its proposed original lead single was a spacey ballad kind of thing, half the album is spent depressed in extended soundscapes and moody subtlety, etc. Not saying it's some sort of weird anti-commercial experimental bizarre thing but a few select moments aside it's hardly an album of radio highlights.

Takk makes a good point about their look at the time, but I think it's a perception based largely on the choice of singles, which really were amongst the most commercial choices possible (not that I'd have had them choose different tracks particularly). I think you're right though, it's an odd perception when you actually listen to the whole album, if the singles had been My Little Empire / Born A Girl / I'm Not Working / S.Y.M.M, the perception might have been quite different. And the sales figures.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by Porco

Takk makes a good point about their look at the time, but I think it's a perception based largely on the choice of singles, which really were amongst the most commercial choices possible (not that I'd have had them choose different tracks particularly). I think you're right though, it's an odd perception when you actually listen to the whole album, if the singles had been My Little Empire / Born A Girl / I'm Not Working / S.Y.M.M, the perception might have been quite different. And the sales figures.

Aye, true.

[Flint]

Fair point about the context. I still disagree somewhat but it's a bit of a pointless thing to debate either way.

Originally Posted by starstruck

yes, but for some reason the band describe Tolerate as "their only international hit", thus it kind of became commercial?

on that note, boy are they going to be pissed one day when they discover that other records they did also sold rather well around the world.

Well, to be honest, Tolerate's the only song that's had a major life beyond its era in most parts of Europe and it's the only huge song they've had there - it pretty much dominated the airwaves during its release, to the extent that none of its predecessor or successor singles have had. So while they've had other successful singles in Europe, Tolerate is THE hit that people remember and that mostly gets played today still. I'm not sure about other regions or US, mind you, but Tolerate's generally their most successful international hit to a vast degree.