Cod pub rock??

Seriously, there's not much on the internet that gets me bothered enough to post some form of comeback. You see, I like to play the "those who speak, don't know; those who know, don't speak" card that, in all honesty, has varying results.

Then again, there's not much on the internet like this. Admittedly, I am a massive Manics fan - they were the first band who made music relevant to me at the tender age of 14. They put books on my shelves I may never have discovered, and added CDs to my collection I may never have considered.

But, to your eternal delight I'm sure, this is not an impassioned, one-sided tirade cursing Leonie Cooper for daring to cross my opinion. I want to be a journalist, disagreements are par for the course. I couldn't give two shits if said author doesn't like the Manics - enough people don't, so I'm definitely not going to start a war I can never win.

The issue I have a problem with how the piece is written. For an article dealing with the news that the Welsh band are to be awarded 'Godlike Genius' status by the ever-reliable NME next year, most of the discussion is a second-rate explanation as to why Cooper dislikes the band. There are two immediate things which strike me - 1) Is this news really worth getting that worked up over? I'm not overly concerned with what the NME choose to bestow upon a band they've had a fifteen-year-plus love-hate relationship with. And 2) what exactly is the justification for the use of 'cod' - is it because it rhymes with 'god'? Who knows.

And then there's the killer material - 'pantomime Stereophonics'. A truly evocative claim. But the facts, surely, speak for themselves in that MSP have had greater commercial and artistic success than their Welsh counterparts, so elevating Kelly Jones et al above the Manics seems as an ill-conceived idea. If you want pantomime, think Stuart Cable!

If it's a genuine dislike for the Manics, then fine. And yes, I guess as a blog it is going to be more personal. But I still think the outright critique was a tad unnecessary. Mind you, if it were Keane, The Feeling or Snow Patrol up for the award, I could perhaps understand how it might be hard to bite your lip before pressing the 'publish post' button.

But there we go. I've had a little say on the matter, and in truth have said very little. I'm sure I had a point based around the idea of the search for a little balance. Conceding one song in a long list of songs to be good is not quite there in my opinion. Anyway, there's enough time for that sort of Manic-bashing when the next record comes out. But I'll still buy it, and I'll still (hopefully) enjoy it. Because while I grimace at the idea of 'Godlike Genius' awards, the Manics have done more for British music in the last 20 years than some others have, and I'm not sure if one can deny that. Still, in the words of Public Image - "I could be wrong, I could be right..."