Neil
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MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
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Post by Neil on Mar 12, 2017 19:19:29 GMT
waiting for your pic. And for yours too Yep. Ladies first
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 12, 2017 17:32:40 GMT
Marliz about to kick some ass and take names.
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 10, 2017 16:16:03 GMT
Emoji queen.
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
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Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 10, 2017 13:03:14 GMT
Yeah, if she's not interested in politics then obviously she shouldn't force herself to have an opinion and voice it.
I'm not so sure that she isn't into politics though. She follows Justin Trudeau on Twitter, posted a photo of her watching the last election results and alluded to the Trump situation in a roundabout way when she defended Nickelback earlier this year. Also, she supports social campaigns like "Stop the R-word" which aren't apolitical.
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 10, 2017 11:59:23 GMT
I don't think it's fair to say artists should only stick to music. They have every right to express their political opinions like anyone else. I wouldn't tell a plumber to stick to plumbing if he/she voiced their opinion on politics. I also don't think it's egotistical for them to think that people care about their opinions - it's fact.
I don't think that speaking out against banning Muslims, breaking up immigrant families or taking away healthcare coverage from millions of people should be considered any more controversial than tweeting about International Women's Day.
I frequently use Paramore as an example when talking about Avril because their music is in the same genre.
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 10, 2017 11:15:02 GMT
I definitely think she should. I don't think "potentially losing some fans" is a good enough reason to be silent while various groups of people are getting run over and scapegoated. The Paramore band members openly tweet about their views on political and social happenings and it makes them come across as actual human beings rather than walking corporations. I wish Avril was like that.
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 10, 2017 7:56:45 GMT
A raven irl (also really passionate about the things she likes)
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 7, 2017 17:52:31 GMT
Just wanted to say that I appreciate the amount of sensitivity you're giving to this issue. Even though I don't personally think the video is racist, I see many Avril fans pre-emptively dismissing the issue almost as a defense mechanism. Then they go way too far in the other direction by mocking the concept of cultural appropriation as if it's not a problem that exists. Not everyone does this obviously, but it kind of bothers me whenever I see it happening. Also, happy birthday! Neil you are alive???!?..we miss you on a dicsord, come back, come back... Your HK emoji convinced me slip.
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 7, 2017 13:15:37 GMT
I'm fine with the lyrics, I like the double-meaning and it's fun. The production ruins it for me. My ears hurt listening to it. It's so uninspiring, uncreative, cheap EDM. The chorus is so bad... I never thought Avril would deliver such bad work. I also thought that Avril was on drugs filming the video. There is something so off about her and the video and Avril herself are so unprofessional. I feel like she was high (possibly weed or stuff like strong painkillers). No evidence though, just my idea. I think the video is using stereotypes, which I don't like and I can see why people say it's racist. As I'm not japanese, I don't dare to say "it's not racist! LOL!", I think Japanese people have to decide that. Just wanted to say that I appreciate the amount of sensitivity you're giving to this issue. Even though I don't personally think the video is racist, I see many Avril fans pre-emptively dismissing the issue almost as a defense mechanism. Then they go way too far in the other direction by mocking the concept of cultural appropriation as if it's not a problem that exists. Not everyone does this obviously, but it kind of bothers me whenever I see it happening. Also, happy birthday!
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
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Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 7, 2017 1:41:00 GMT
Edit:
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Neil
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MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
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Post by Neil on Mar 7, 2017 0:02:31 GMT
Well I just watched the music video/listened to the song in who knows how long. I'm gonna start with the positives I took from it. It's definitely a catchy song. I had to listen to another song after to get it out of my head. That can be taken as a positive or a negative, but since there aren't a lot of positives I'll put it as a positive. The other positive is that I actually think her look in the music video isn't that bad. This is coming from a guy that doesn't really like the color pink too. I also am actually a fan of the half-shaven haricut too. I don't know why but I've always kinda liked it. Now to the negatives. First obviously the lyrics are awful. I don't get offended by the lyrics or even think they're that mean though. Im not gonna go in depth because other people already have though. I also don't think the song is racist at all. For people saying it uses stereotypes, well it did do well in Japan, so that kinda means there's at least a little truth to it. Anyway, I don't think the EDM influence was very good in this song and it definitely gets annoying after a short while. I also don't know why Avril acts like an idiot during the music video. I'm sure the song was more controversial when it was first released, but I don't get to upset with the song because she has pretty much a hundred songs that are better and we are getting more. Right now it is more just funny and humorous to me. Although pretty much til the end of her career people will remember her for this song and they will talk shit on Avril fans for it. I am definitely not a fan of it but it does make for some pretty funny memes and it's fun to joke around about it and not take it seriously. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go watch it again. My takeaway from this post is that you're actually a huge fan of the song/music video and it's slowly entering your top 5 Avril songs. I respect you for admitting this, because not a lot of people are willing to do that.
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
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Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 6, 2017 19:21:18 GMT
Jim
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 6, 2017 12:16:28 GMT
This is my favorite album. I didn't hear it when it came out - only heard it a couple months ago when I became a real fan . I don't know why it wasn't more popular. In my opinion it's Avril at her peak. Has a nice mix of fun pop songs and slower songs that are amazing in both studio and live versions (listen to the AOL/Walmart videos if you haven't already!). I also think Avril had the best look in that era. Still not sure why songs like What the Hell and Smile didn't catch on more - they're really fun with great music videos. I really wish I was a fan back then to go to see her on tour
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Posts: 254
Likes: 683
Location: US
Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 5, 2017 20:15:43 GMT
Thankful that you guys are replying in this crazy thread . It's my first thread so I wasn't sure how it'd go. With that being said, I'm interested in hearing more from people who don't like the song. All opinions welcome
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Neil
Member
MOTM April '17
If I survive I'll dive back in
Join Date: Feb 12, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
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Last Online: Apr 9, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
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Post by Neil on Mar 5, 2017 18:13:06 GMT
This thread has been a long time coming. Well, technically a thread like this was made a while ago around the time the new forums were launched, but it was locked for random drama-related reasons. ...Anyway, I wanted to touch on one of the most important topics of our time: Hello Kitty from Avril Lavigne's self-titled album. One of the first questions I ask people who join our live BA Discord chat (which you should totally join if you haven't yet by the way) is what they think of the song. It's a controversial song among the fanbase which - anecdotally - many of the hardcore fans detest for reasons I'll get into later in the thread. For those who need a refresher on the song/music video: So what do I think of the song, you ask? For some reason, I've become the official champion of the song in our Discord chat (join it!) and the leader of the Hello Kitty Defense Force (HKDF - okay, this isn't actually a thing). I don't love the song by any means. I definitely enjoy listening to it though. With that being said, I agree with a lot of the elements the song's detractors dislike about it: 1. The lyrics are bad - I mean really bad. It's hard to just pick one bad line - pretty much all the lines border on cringe. I know the song is supposed to have a playful double meaning but it's not executed well. Beyond that, one specific line I don't like is near the beginning of the song where she says "Let's all slumber party like a fat kid on a pack of Smarties." I don't know why, but this just seems kind of mean on Avril's part. I'm probably just being overly sensitive though. I get that she was trying to have fun with the lyrics and go for a "wacky Japanese" vibe, but this leads to my second point. 2. The song initially comes across as a cynical trend chasing effort by Avril. It feels like she saw that Kesha, Nicki Minaj and dubstep were hot, and thus wanted to capitalize on their popularity. The problem is, these elements totally go against her overall vibe and a lot of people can't get past this. It almost feels like a last grasp for relevance by Avril. I'm not saying this was her actual thought process when creating the song - this was just my initial impression upon hearing the song/watching the music video for the first time. I legitimately felt bad for her. Keep in mind, this was before I really became a fan of her's, so I know better now. 3. The music video isn't as good as it could have been. Like I said earlier, she was definitely trying to go for the "wacky Japanese" vibe, but the video isn't all that wacky. It's a little off-kilter for sure, but the background dancers aren't very exciting and Avril isn't doing anything too crazy. Also, what's the deal with that random part in the middle where she waves to her Japanese fans in black and white video? It feels pretty cheesy and completely unrelated to the rest of the video. There's also very noticeable video syncing issues, which is pretty shameful for a mainstream production like this to have. Finally, there's the taint from the initial accusations of the video being racist. I'll briefly touch on this topic - I don't want to downplay the effects of cultural appropriation because it's an extremely pervasive issue around the world but I don't think the video falls under that category. It's awkward for sure - Avril really sounds like a basic white girl when trying to pronounce Japanese words in the video - but that's about it. 4. Okay, this isn't really related to the song quality but I wanted to throw this in anyway. I watched Avril's live performance of Hello Kitty: (ignore the crappy audio quality) and I was pretty disappointed. You would think that with a song this "zany," the performance would be over-the-top, fast, and fun. Instead she's just kind of...standing there the whole time. I know this was probably around the time when she was sick but...c'mon Avril! Yet, with all these (very reasonable) criticisms, I still find myself listening to this song from time to time and enjoying it. It's catchy, fun and one of Avril's few "fast" songs. It's a nice change of pace from her other music, and fun to blast. It also has one of the funniest lines in her entire discography (Let's roll around / have a pillow fight like a major rager OMFG). I still have no idea what that means by the way. A lot of people can't get past the lyrics of the song...for whatever reason the song is catchy enough for me to ignore them. I don't know, music is weird that way. Anyway, for those who have stuck through this overly long (and unnecessary) essay on a song many people don't even like, what do you think of the song? Does it betray your expectations of what an Avril Lavigne song should be, or are you a proud member of my defense force that will one day take over the world? Would love to hear everyone's thoughts. I'll leave you guys with this random gif: Join the Discord chat!
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