What started off as an interesting rant against just one Barenaked Ladies by Skeletonwitch bassist Evan Linger quickly evolves into the man's pure, undying hatred for radio jams circa late 1990's. Are you ready for your daily dose of hate?
Linger was asked by The AV Club why he hates "One Week" by the Barenaked Ladies (above) so much, where he starts off with the rational explanation:
"I did a lot of soul searching on this one. There are a lot of songs I hate, because I’m naturally a hater. I just hate this one the most. In the late ’90s, music really took a turn for the worse, grasping at the straws of all this alternative music. So there’s stuff like Sugar Ray —those songs, they’re so bad. Hootie And The Blowfish: terrible. Blues Traveler: terrible. But those are rock songs. At least someone was trying. 'One Week' wasn’t even a rock song. It’s a weird college-rock song with some rap in it, and it doesn’t even qualify as music. It’s sort of like a big joke, so that’s why I picked it."
Then proceeds to follow that by saying "every time [he] looks at the band [he] want to fight them or something" in regards to the video. He also says two of the dudes have fishbowl heads and that he hates the other guy's goatee.
So far I'm 100% on board with Linger.
Then he just straight up attacks late 90's radio rock. You'll find that what Linger says is… well, true:
"The ’90s had some bands that I didn’t love, but it’s more about how you have these late-’80s/early-’90s bands like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam and the kind of alternative thing starting to get big, and that’s when I started to realize music was a thing. I was into some of those bands, but I was a little young to go to those shows. But then as the ’90s wore on, nobody thought of anything different. You still had this kind of alternative thing going on, and it was becoming more watered-down and radio-friendly. It got really diluted, so at the end of the ’90s, you had that Sugar Ray song 'Fly' and the Barenaked Ladies song, and Alanis Morissette, and even more radio-friendly alternative stuff that was total crap but trying to be alternative music."
At first I read that thought he might just be a little cynical about the whole thing and took to YouTube in search of some solid 90's alternative radio stuff. Guess what? Linger is dead on. Shit was terrible. Thanks for opening our eyes, Mr. Linger! Your hatred is much appreciated in delivering an honest message all whilst making me laugh.
[Photo by Jarle H. Moe]
