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Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: raquel on 08 Nov 2005, 18:56
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What does everyone here think of Jack Johnson?
I personally think there is way too much hype about him. Everywhere you go, people are playing Jack Johnson, or talking about him. I don't know what everyone here thinks of him, but I think many of the songs sound the exact same as the previous one.
I'm just really not a very big fan. I think the album Brushfire Fairytales was definitely better than In Between Dreams, though.
Your thoughts?
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I find Jack Johnson so boring that I rarely even think about him, and when I do it's usually along the lines of "Ehh, boring." By which I mean, there are bands and musicians that I'd rather tear my own ears off than listen to a single second of their music - but Jack Johnson is not one of these. He doesn't inspire any kind of passion in me one way or the other. Kind of like acoustic lift-music, I guess.
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Jack Johnson is one of those generic-mainstream-pseudo-rock-alternative-pop shitty guitar players who've hit the scene lately. This is really the kind of music thats targeted at high school kids that want to be all musically pretentious by saying that they listen to "Jack Johnson who's one of those real modern day poets and true guitar genius artists." I frankly hate it, its not talent, its all the same, and there is no skill in both the playing and the 'singing'. Something Awful dude David Thorpe summed him up well in that article he wrote about Jack Johnson and John Mayer, check it out. It might be just a joke, but in some points he really does hit the nail on the head. GIGANTIC PUSSYS!!!!! Not that music can't be expresive, just that we're going a little to far in allowing lyrics like "you're body is a wonderland" to reach the concesis of young people, who may go off thinking this is the right way to think
I think the underlying thing you need to look at before asking a question of whether 'so-and-so' is good, look at what label they're on, look at how popular they've become in a short amount of time, and then you should get an educated opinion. This type of 'music' is the shit that makes kids think they can be rich and famous without knowing what talent is.
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Yeah, I'd really have to agree with you on this one. One of the reason people like him is because "oh but it's so mellow!"
Not a mellow worth listening to though. You're right. It's boring.
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It's when he either goes very, VERY mellow or pulls out a tantalizing bit of almost-rock that he's awesome; as far as that goes, he is kind of good at subtelty, something that seems deceptively simple but is actually kind of hard to do. I don't call him a genius, but he writes a more-than-decent pop song when he puts effort into it. That counts for something.
Fuck "Banana Pancakes," though. Seriously.
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Eh, it could be argued that all "mellow" music is boring if you aren't into that kind of thing.
Personally, I kind of like what I've heard from him. He strikes me as the kind of person that's not really interested in putting on a front, and just writes whatever he feels is sincere. I find his stuff pretty relaxing, even if it doesn't awe me with technical brilliance or anything like that.
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I don't hate him, but he has been overplayed to the point where I actively try not to listen to him. The whole stoner-surfie-soft-rock thing is so overdone at the moment - I find it pretty dull, really. Having said that, I'd still rather listen to Ben Harper.
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He makes me want to break things.
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I haven't really heard much, but a friend of mine surfs in the same league as him. What I've heard I liked but not enough to check it out.
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I've got nothing against mellowness. But if I want mellow I'd rather listen to something musically engaging, like Iron & Wine, than something bland and rather generic like Jack Johnson.
I think the underlying thing you need to look at before asking a question of whether 'so-and-so' is good, look at what label they're on, look at how popular they've become in a short amount of time, and then you should get an educated opinion.
Are you seriously suggesting that a musician's worth can be determined by their label or by their popularity? I.e., determined by anything other than their actual music?
(I'm not trying to ask this in an aggressive "my-post-count-is-bigger-than-yours" kind of way, I'm just a little . . . startled.)
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I'll admit that Jack Johnson has a few (2) songs that make me smile with the happy.
Other than that I pretty much agree he was over-hyped.
Uber-hyped if you will.
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In a way, yes, it all counts in forming an opinion on a musician or band, whatever. Now I'm not really sure what label Jack Johnsons on, and I'm not some pretentious hipster snob that only listens to music no ones ever heard of before, but it might be worth looking into.
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I think he genuinely enjoys what he does. And if what he does didn't sound so much like G-Love and the Special Sauce, I'd probably like him a bit more.
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I'd still rather listen to Ben Harper.
The only things I've heard from Ben Harper that were even slightly compelling were covers. 'Nuff said.
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I think he genuinely enjoys what he does.
That, as far as I'm concerned makes him all right by me. And seeing there really isn't much I enjoy more than just lying back and relaxing to something chilled on a summer afternoon he wins pretty well.
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I can't quite put my finger on it, but i really don't like Jack Johnson. Granted, his music is mellow, but like others have mentioned, that's not the problem. I think the same reason i don't like him is responsible for my deep hatred of the Dave Matthews Band. The whole surfer/relaxed/jam vibe just doenst do anything for me.
I think the strangest thing is that i like Ben Harper quite a bit. I think he a fairly talented guy. I do agree though that the best thing i have heard him play have been his covers. I wouldn't say the rest of his work is crap though, as previously posted.
I think the underlying thing you need to look at before asking a question of whether 'so-and-so' is good, look at what label they're on, look at how popular they've become in a short amount of time, and then you should get an educated opinion.
I am confused by this as well. I dont think a record label really deifnes an artist. Unless the label happens to be the likes of Discord or Alternative Tenticles, both of which are primarily run for a distinct group of artist, the label shouldn't have any impact on the music created. I am not discounting the opinion, I am just not sure what specifically is meant by it.
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I personally prefer John Jackson.
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jack johnson if famous for no reason. if i had a record contract i could write music of the same caliber. it's easy shit. he's not doing anything new, just doing something that's easy to listen to and you know his name. some of his songs are ok, but mainly only for background noise, or to learn and play yourself. if he were a bar musician, he'd be a pleasure, but he does not deserve this kind of success. if i want that kind of music i'd rather go with donovan frankenriter (sp?) or ben harper, as i actually find something appealing about thier voices, not just acceptable like mr. johnson's. (and c'mon the live version of power of the gospel was great)
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"He doesn't deserve this kind of sucess" is kind of a harsh thing to say. Why can't people be successful on something that was easy to do? Is there some limit to the amount of people that are allowed to be successful and you have to say "Yeah, I made this song IMPOSSIBLE for anybody to play (*coughMarsVoltacough*)" for it to be any good?
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Eh. He's not special. I don't hate him, and I wouldn't put it off if it came by on the radio, but I wouldn't put it on myself either.
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I will seriously go kill somebody next time I hear this guy. Basically, I do alot of theater tech work at our school. We have two boom box/cd player things. One in the set area (Where I work) and one on the other side of the stage. both paint crew and props are situated on the right side of the stage most of the time, and they're always playing him, and it makes me want to shoot myself. So we play the Eels and Bob Dylan and stuff that doesn't suck.
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I live under a rock, so I wouldn't really know if a song is over played or whatever... but I personally like his music, I guess it's just about a persons taste...
I dunno if he likes what he does, but it would seem like he does. He was supposed to be a pro surfer who started dabbling in the arts after an accident. He did produce two films involving surfing as well, so it seems as if he is just passionate about surfing/surf music in general...
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I personally prefer John Jackson.
Joe Jackson?
"Complex" and "challenging" doesn't equal "genius." Pinpoint a challenging moment on the Blue Album.
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"He doesn't deserve this kind of sucess" is kind of a harsh thing to say. Why can't people be successful on something that was easy to do? Is there some limit to the amount of people that are allowed to be successful and you have to say "Yeah, I made this song IMPOSSIBLE for anybody to play (*coughMarsVoltacough*)" for it to be any good?
not what i meant. i meant that there are a butt load of other musicians who do the same thing he's doing, but with more talent. a dude singing beach songs wearing no shoes on stage is not something new, and he's not the best one to do it.
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I personally prefer John Jackson.
Joe Jackson?
"Complex" and "challenging" doesn't equal "genius." Pinpoint a challenging moment on the Blue Album.
I refer you to the futurama episode wherein there are two clone presidential candidates, John Jackson and Jack Johnson.
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not what i meant. i meant that there are a butt load of other musicians who do the same thing he's doing, but with more talent. a dude singing beach songs wearing no shoes on stage is not something new, and he's not the best one to do it.
Alright, I agree with you on that much.
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My dad once tried to convince me that Jack Johnson was as poetic a lyricist as Bob Dylan. The argument that followed did not last very long.
I listened to a lot of Jack Johnson in high school, but like the other mellow neo-hippie stuff I listened to at the time (Dave Matthews, Guster), I've grown out of it; I needed something more inspiring.
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You should totally like, shoot your dad. a comparison like that, if serious, is punishable by DEATH. Let's compare:
Bob Dylan - The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchen.
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage
And never sat once at the head of the table
And didn't even talk to the people at the table
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level,
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
That sailed through the air and came down through the room,
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle.
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger.
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.
to...
Jack Johnson - Good People
You win
Its your show, now
So whats it gunna be
Cause people
Will tune in
How many train wrecks do we need to see?
Before we lose touch of
We thought this was low
It's bad gettin worse so
Whered all the good people go
Ive been changin channels
I dont see them on the tv shows
Whered all the good people go
We got heaps and heaps of what we sow
Yeah. No contest.
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Or just post 'All Along the Watchtower'.
Now, that's lyrics.
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I know of him because the aussie exchange student in my class Alec asked me if I knew him when we talked about music once. He had bad taste from I could determine, or at least not my kind of muzak.
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please hit the fool. i'm australian and i personally cannot stand jack johnson, pete murray or especially that tool John Meyer....god i hate him, his lyrics are ridiculous and his music terrible. "your body is a wonderland"....ridiculous. "i am invincible until i die".....um, anyone else for some acid? anyone? just throw up your hands.
Kossiez, a label attached to an artist should have no impact on how you view that artist....for a great many reasons in fact. furthermore, why is it a crime to gain popularity quickly? is there a convention that no great artist may become famous without struggling for 8 years, eating scraps and fighting for a signage?
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EDIT: dial-up caused double post
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EDIT: dial-up caused triple post
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EDIT: dial-up caused quadruple post.
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EDIT: dial-up caused quintuple post.....time to get ADSL.
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i met him once at my little radio station and he was kind of boring, and short and bald too. sort of like his music.
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i met him once at my little radio station and he was kind of boring, and short and bald too. sort of like his music.
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Jack Johnson is not that bad for a popular artist. Just dont expect him to release OK Computer or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. But to quote Mr. Tweedy "I just make the music that feel right to me, if a multi-conglomerate company wants to put it out there, then thats fine with me". I think this is the same approach that Mr. Johnson puts into his music. He isnt trying to be innovative or special, he's just doing what he wants (playing guitar and surfing). So if you like him listen to him if dont dont.
P.S. The person who made the artists worth dependent upon their label needs a serious life-style adjustment. You were probably one of those people who don't like Elliott Smith's post KRS stuff just because it was released on Dreamworks.
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Personally, I don't much mind his music. There's nothing good about it, but there's nothing bad about it. It's just bland, boring stuff, though still ahead of a good portion of what's popular out there. Having said that, the amount of hype this guy gets makes me hate him alot more than his music ever would, much like Coldplay. The fact that he is able to sell so many records with people loving him and saying he's amazing is just retarded. If only most people could discover a bit better music...
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But to quote Mr. Tweedy "I just make the music that feel right to me, if a multi-conglomerate company wants to put it out there, then thats fine with me"
Who's he? He seems a decent chap.
I think my final verdict (for myself) on Jack Johnson is the guy is okay, pretty good tunes, but not revolutionary. And I like that.
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I really like one song by Jack Johnson, the rest are so-so to the extent that I wouldn't buy the album.