Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things Posted Mon Oct 16 14:59:15 BST 2000 by 'Jon'

The collected works of the Senseless Things were deemed to be too mediocre for Opal Music to stock at any price. However, Al gave me a tape at the weekend that contained the track "Homophobic Asshole".

It was better than I remember it, but I still think it was a cheap ploy to change their image by getting PC points. It never made me think they were more than a mediocre student band, which is all they were, but some peole seemed to be impressed by it all, which always annoyed me.

Anyone else got an alternative view, or the same one expressed more vehemently? Either will do for the purposes of keeping the strand going.

They were never on TOTP, were they?


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Caroline' on Mon Oct 16 15:07:03 BST 2000:

The Senseless Things were very poor.
Some of them wore different colour Converse on each foot, as I recall. How wacky.

Birdland!
Now there was a terrible band. They so hogged the fronts of NME/MM for a little while. Me and my friend Kirsten made a fanzine (which we never published - everyone did it!) when we were little, and it had a bit in it with the weeks most ridiculous, faux-controversial quotes from Birdland. It amused us greatly. I remember they said "We hate Big food". What the fuck does that mean?
If you can remember any more Birdland quotes, do tell.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Mon Oct 16 15:10:14 BST 2000:

Why don't you start another "Celebration.." strand about them? I've never really heard them, or know anything. About them.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Al' on Mon Oct 16 16:13:23 BST 2000:

'Homophobic Asshole' is the only thing I own by the Senseless Things (except 'Easy to Smile' which is OK I suppose.) I was never a die hard fan - I just think it's a very powerful bit of guitar pop.

However, I liked Ned's Atomic Dustbin, and PWEI a lot. I mean lots and lots. Actually listened to a PWEI album the other day and quite enjoyed it.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By TJ on Mon Oct 16 17:01:52 BST 2000:

Senseless Things had one great song - 'Primary Instinct' - which amazed me by how good it was.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Mon Oct 16 17:03:33 BST 2000:

No, it wasn't very good.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'paul twist' on Mon Oct 16 20:51:08 BST 2000:

'Too Much Kissing' is a classic song, and much Senseless Things stuff is good, but they were never quite up there with Neds or PWEI for me. Now, Mega City Four, THERE was a band... saw Wiz's new band Serpico a few weeks ago, very much like a spunkier MC4.

Oh, and please stop weeing all over the music of my early teens.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'boki' on Mon Oct 16 21:39:53 BST 2000:

I really, *really* liked the Senseless Tings last album, 'Taking Care of Business' when it came out, though being a poor student at the time I taped it. Saw it in andy's Records in a sale and bought it, thinking it was probably just some cacko nostalgia thing but nope - still enjoy it. Sorry folks. And Keds was good enough to be in The Wildhearts, if only for one single so that'll forever endear him to me.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Tue Oct 17 08:21:50 BST 2000:

"...good enough to be in The Wildhearts"

Could there be a crueller verdict passed on a musician?


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Prisoner #93A234 Simon Adebisi' on Tue Oct 17 09:55:25 BST 2000:

>"...good enough to be in The Wildhearts"
>
>Could there be a crueller verdict passed on a musician?

Thems fighting words!


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'boki' on Tue Oct 17 10:49:32 BST 2000:

>"...good enough to be in The Wildhearts"
>
>Could there be a crueller verdict passed on a musician?


Yeah, many. You could be in one of the many sterile bands that get their day in the sun, selling ten times as many records and being less hated by th inkies


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Tue Oct 17 10:52:03 BST 2000:

... whereas the Things were a sterile band who got a fair bit of praise from the inkies but still didn't sell many records.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'boki' on Tue Oct 17 11:16:15 BST 2000:

Maybe, but I wasn't talking about *them* was I? I've only heard the odd bit of their stuff before that last album and I would agree that it did sound pretty insipid, but they definitely went out on a high note IMHO.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Prisoner #93A234 Simon Adebisi' on Tue Oct 17 11:35:35 BST 2000:

For Christ's sake, its only music. I coped with the fact that 99% of my mates thought The Wildhearts were crap and Oasis weren't. This is getting far too fucking serious.

Jon- Ginger was a bloody amazing songwriter.

boki- admit the 'Red Light Green Light' EP was crap.

Now play nice.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Tue Oct 17 11:56:21 BST 2000:

Oh... mumble mumble... [looks at shoes, sulking]


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Crusty Ginger Geordies [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'boki' on Tue Oct 17 12:47:20 BST 2000:

>boki- admit the 'Red Light Green Light' EP was crap.

Well the actual quality of the 7" certainly was! "Yeah, let's squeeze almost 20 minutes of music onto something smaller than a half-decent pizza" Ummm...no, don't. As for the songs - sorry! 'Red Light, Green Light' is my 4th favourite WH song. 'Do Anything' is *fab* (and for the first two and a half minutes does what people love GYBE! for), and 'The British All-American Home Boy Crowd' both pre-dates and pisses on 'Pretty Fly For A White Guy' *and* contains that great George Carlin bit about the uses of the word 'fuck'.

Mind you, 'Got It On Tuesday' sounds like a mediocre Senseless Things song, so I'll give you that.

Closure? Here's hoping!


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Crusty Ginger Geordies [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Prisoner #93A234 Simon Adebisi' on Tue Oct 17 12:54:30 BST 2000:

Ok, but it is their worst non-album release.


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Prisoner #93A234 Simon Adebisi' on Tue Oct 17 16:30:36 BST 2000:

And another thing, why did they release 'Got it On Tuesday' when 'Abhoria' and 'Velvet Presley' were unreleased?


Subject: Re: Celebration Of Mediocrity : The Senseless Things [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Wed Oct 18 11:11:50 BST 2000:

After all these days, I've just remembered I once saw a gig by Jolt, the post-ST band Keds formed with some woman who was in Mambo Taxi.

They weren't very good. Or memorable.


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