One Direction fans bravely vanquish some old band called The Who

August 15, 2013 7:06 PM

In the Twitter war between the fans of One Direction and The Who, who wins? Does it really matter that One Direction members weren't even born util 10 years after It's Hard?
posted by theichibun (95 comments total)

Don't you want to hide your face When going through your teenage books....
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:13 PM on August 15, 2013

It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Now it really is a teenage wasteland.
posted by Talez at 7:15 PM on August 15, 2013 [13 favorites]

Disney now owns the Muppet version of Keith Moon, so they've already won.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:17 PM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]

...One Direction members weren't even born util 10 years after It's Hard?

I'm no doctor, but that seems like a really long gestation.
posted by ODiV at 7:17 PM on August 15, 2013 [31 favorites]

That video is odd.
posted by Apropos of Something at 7:17 PM on August 15, 2013

It's true, I have to admit it. I am just an old man and I now realize the Who are a total fraud.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 7:18 PM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

Oh, I remember The Who now. They're those old people who copied My Generation from Hilary Duff.
posted by delfin at 7:18 PM on August 15, 2013 [6 favorites]

Preteens with no concept of musical history? Gee. I'm shocked.
posted by SansPoint at 7:24 PM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]

It kinda sounded like the Who until the unnaturally prepubescent grown men started singing.

Props on the teenage wasteland bit.
posted by hiddenknives at 7:24 PM on August 15, 2013

Their rallying cry was soon met with appropriately fierce threats of violence and even death aimed squarely at The Who, ranging from promises to burn down the house that The Who probably all live in, because they’re old and poor, to all buy tickets to their show but, surprise, just to claw their eyes out, and even an ominous “DELETE BSE AND I’LL DELETE YOUR SOUL”—a threat that sounds a tad overreaching, until you realize that Radio Disney doesn’t just hand out “Fiercest Fans” awards to fans who are like, “Okay, well, we guess you can keep your soul.”

Funniest shit I've read today.
posted by Talez at 7:28 PM on August 15, 2013 [4 favorites]

Who's One Direction?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:30 PM on August 15, 2013 [8 favorites]

somewhere, terry riley is laughing his ass off
posted by pyramid termite at 7:31 PM on August 15, 2013 [8 favorites]

What's a twitter?
posted by ocschwar at 7:31 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

The Directioners are kinda crazy, on a whole. My friends and I, when we were teens and lusting after the boy band of our era, would never have dreamed of sending their girlfriends death threats or burning down rivals' houses.
posted by kimberussell at 7:34 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Who's One Direction?

A band that has its own shops.
posted by pompomtom at 7:35 PM on August 15, 2013

For once, reading the comments was made worthwhile by:

"Turns out the kids are actually pretty terrible."
posted by jferg at 7:38 PM on August 15, 2013 [41 favorites]

Don't ask me. I listened to Who's Next in its entirety for the first time only just this morning, coincidently.

Catchy album, by the way.
posted by i_have_a_computer at 7:41 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Has One Direction made any concept albums yet, or are they still in their pre-pretentiousness phase?
posted by goatdog at 7:44 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Now it really is a teenage wasteland.

I think you meant tweet age wasteland

(Yes this is actually The Who)
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:48 PM on August 15, 2013

What the hell is One Direction? Is it some kind of Osmond-class device?
posted by TrialByMedia at 7:53 PM on August 15, 2013 [8 favorites]

At least that's settled. Now what about the 1D songs that "pay homage" to Squeeze, and Joe Jackson?
posted by R. Mutt at 7:54 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

Has One Direction made any concept albums yet, or are they still in their pre-pretentiousness phase?

It will be called 'N Sync.
posted by Going To Maine at 7:55 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Tumblrs of Lily.
posted by yoink at 7:59 PM on August 15, 2013 [7 favorites]

Sure, but are they more twitterpopular than Jesus?
posted by notyou at 8:00 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

I prefer Wandai Wrection.
posted by gyc at 8:01 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

When a 1D pop up shop appeared at Penn Station last year, it was requested that I pick up a tshirt for our local Directioner. The place was busy, but the most interesting thing was the hand written sign stating something to the effect of Unaccompanied adults must proceed directly to check out desk .
posted by R. Mutt at 8:07 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Who does Best Song Ever? Naturally.
posted by davebush at 8:07 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

I like how the video is simultaneously:

(1) a terrible rip-off of the Tom Cruise character in Tropic Thunder
(2) filled to the brim with weirdly outdated stereotypes about Jews, homosexuals and nerds
(3) about how these boys won't be forced to adopt the trappings of bygone rockers, no sir (just their intro riffs)

Also, the song hurts my soul. The Who has never been ripped off to so little gain.
posted by Edgewise at 8:09 PM on August 15, 2013 [14 favorites]

In case people need to understand the lyrics, you can find an exegesis at Rap Genius.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:11 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Aren't they called Wand Erection?
posted by Sys Rq at 8:11 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

I like how the video is simultaneously:

(1) a terrible rip-off of the Tom Cruise character in Tropic Thunder
(2) filled to the brim with weirdly outdated stereotypes about Jews, homosexuals and nerds
(3) about how these boys won't be forced to adopt the trappings of bygone rockers, no sir (just their intro riffs)

Also, the song hurts my soul. The Who has never been ripped off to so little gain.

Um, apparently you missed the part where they wouldn't compromise because of like integrity and shit. The only thing The Who had going for them was being virtuosos on their instruments. Some of them were even ugly-looking!
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:16 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Snotty teen pop versus geriatric has-beens. I have a conflict boner already.
posted by dr_dank at 8:16 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Isn't there a story somewhere about some blues guy punching Kieth Richards for stealing his riffs? It's turtles all the way down.

-Hope I don't die before I get old! - Hil Duff making the Who safe for kids everywhere!
posted by Max Power at 8:16 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

"At least that's settled. Now what about the 1D songs that 'pay homage' to Squeeze, and Joe Jackson?"

At least they have good taste in swipes.
posted by litlnemo at 8:16 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

God, and to think I wasn't born until 384 years after Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet. The nerve of me!
posted by bicyclefish at 8:17 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

So, anyway. One Direction may be ripoffs, but:

1. It's not like they're the ones ripping stuff off. They don't write the songs, they just sing 'em.
2. Led Zeppelin
3. They're mostly just ripping off New Edition anyway.

Meh. I'll continue to hate them because they're crap.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:22 PM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

So every time I see 1D, I automatically assume the D is for dimensional, and not direction. There is nothing I've seen here to prove me otherwise.
posted by jferg at 8:22 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

geriatric has-beens

If geriatric has-beens can pull in $33,000,000 on a single tour I hate to see what non-has been geriatrics can pull in.
posted by Talez at 8:23 PM on August 15, 2013 [4 favorites]

P-p-people say we're awful c-c-cold.
I hope they die before they get old.
posted by charlie don't surf at 8:26 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

P-p-people say we're awful c-c-cold.

Oh! That stuttering reminds me: Baba O'Riley done got ripped off forty years ago.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:29 PM on August 15, 2013

Who's One Direction?

A band that has its own shops.

No, a chain of shops that has its own band.

Think The Monkees with less creative lattitude.
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:35 PM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

I remember when George Harrison came out with My Sweet Lord and all us beatlemaniacs were like WHO THE FUCK IS DIANE ROSS AND THE BEEF BURRITO SUPREMES ANYWAYS!!1

I can't wait till these kids have their own lawn.
posted by not_on_display at 8:36 PM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

As for how terrible they are, they're an artificially created, reality show losing, overproduced boy band. It would only be remarkable if they weren't terrible.

As for the fans… "Harry my cat died" (Previously)
posted by ob1quixote at 8:40 PM on August 15, 2013

WHO THE FUCK IS DIANE ROSS AND THE BEEF BURRITO SUPREMES ANYWAYS!!1

I don't know, but they sure sound a lot like the Siobhans.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:41 PM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

Chupa Chups!
No idea what flavor they are. I promise I had no intention to buy them.
posted by goshling at 8:57 PM on August 15, 2013

Quadrotweenia.
posted by prinado at 9:16 PM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

The result: A vicious war of words between defenders of one of the biggest, most accomplished, most groundbreaking bands in the history of music, and some old dudes called “The Who,” whoever that is.

And when you say Dylan,
he thinks you're talkin' 'bout Dylan Thomas...
whoever he was...
posted by symbioid at 9:16 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

So. Um... I thought they were a straight up shitty boy band a la N'Sync or NKOTB, but they seem to at least be more just a straight up pop sound?

Also: Is it bad that I think they are (at least this song is) better than Skrillex? Do I lose all my cred for saying that? Because that's really saying something, and I'm not sure if it's saying it about Skrillex (which I'd hope) or me (which I'd hope not) and I'm afraid to find out...
posted by symbioid at 9:21 PM on August 15, 2013

Oh, sorry - I seem to be multiposting here, but I couldn't help but laugh at this...

I have a great idea - these "fierce fans" can go to the Gathering of the Juggalos and see how long they survive and which tribe is the one that is truly "the fiercest".
posted by symbioid at 9:25 PM on August 15, 2013 [4 favorites]

The World Famous: “overproduced boy band.

Just once I'd like to see a new pop sensation be accused of being underproduced.”

It's a fair cop…
posted by ob1quixote at 9:37 PM on August 15, 2013

Heh, very funny. It also makes me think of... Hey Jerome. What do you think of these guys doin our, our material?
posted by taz at 10:01 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

At nearly 37 years old I thought I made my peace with pop music. I thought it must be the mellowing of middle age setting in, because I've finally begun to appreciate pop music. In my youth, I couldn't stand it, but in my third decade I was coming to enjoy it even if it was directed at a younger crowd.

Then I listened to "The Best Song Ever" and realized my hypothesis was blown; that some pop music is still completely terrible..

I do find the whole twitter battle (twattle?) tots adorkable, something about it flying so far over their collective heads nostalgically reminds me of my rage filled youth, trying to pit band against band. GnR all the way! Motley Crue sux! Though at least they were contemporaries.

And who knows, maybe this will turn a few kids on to some music they would have never heard otherwise.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 10:07 PM on August 15, 2013

These days all my knowledge of pop music comes from Todd in the Shadows, here's his take on One Direction.
posted by the_artificer at 10:20 PM on August 15, 2013

The Directioners are kinda crazy, on a whole. My friends and I, when we were teens and lusting after the boy band of our era, would never have dreamed of sending their girlfriends death threats or burning down rivals' houses.

I... I... what?
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:31 PM on August 15, 2013

This makes me want to read YouTube comments posted on Selena Gomez hate videos (yes, this is a thing) to my teenage son. He loves that.
posted by Brocktoon at 10:35 PM on August 15, 2013

Okay so the full statement from Pete is:

"No! I like the single. I like One Direction. The chords I used and the chords they used are the same three chords we've all been using in basic pop music since Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry made it clear that fancy chords don't mean great music – not always. I'm still writing songs that sound like Baba O'Riley – or I'm trying to!. It's a part of my life and a part of pop's lineage. One Direction are in my business, with a million fans, and I'm happy to think they may have been influenced a little bit by The Who. I'm just relieved they're all not wearing boiler suits and Doc Martens, or Union Jack jackets. The funniest thing is that in Canada this year I met with Randy Bachman once the leader of GUESS WHO who told me that he not only copied Baba O Riley for their hit You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, but he even called his band after us. Why would I not be happy about this kind of tribute?"

...and he's not wrong. Yes, it sounds the same. SO MANY SONGS SOUND THE SAME. Who really cares in the end if they aren't suing and The Who are cool with it? Basically no one should. So manufactured controversy that pits generation versus generation with no real winners but the one side people most seem to dislike: One Direction. Yawn.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:44 PM on August 15, 2013 [8 favorites]

Wand Erection

Certain comments in my twitter stream over recent months are suddenly much clearer to me. D'oh.
posted by immlass at 10:53 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

LEAVE YOUNG PEOPLE ALONE

JUST LET THEM BE STUPID

WHEN THEY START LIKING GOOD THINGS THEY WILL MAKE YOU REGRET EVER BEING A FAN OF THOSE THINGS IN THE FIRST PLACE

THEY CHOSE THIS QUARANTINE NOT US

IT IS T HE MORAL THING TO DO
posted by Rory Marinich at 11:20 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]

Going To Maine: "In case people need to understand the lyrics, you can find an exegesis at Rap Genius."

Yeah. I had to lay down a little mock by annotating a set of lines with

"Wait! What if it ISN'T the best song in the world, but only a tribute?"
posted by Samizdata at 1:55 AM on August 16, 2013 [3 favorites]

Isn't there a story somewhere about some blues guy punching Kieth Richards for stealing his riffs? It's turtles all the way down.

Why, did The Who rip off The Stones?
posted by Edgewise at 2:14 AM on August 16, 2013

ah, they're basically both ripping off lonnie donegan, and don't let nobody tell ya different
posted by hap_hazard at 2:27 AM on August 16, 2013

"At least that's settled. Now what about the 1D songs that 'pay homage' to Squeeze..."

posted by litlnemo at 4:16 AM on August 16 [1 favorite +] [!]


I heard Harry Styles pulled those out of mama's Squeeze box.
posted by Decani at 2:37 AM on August 16, 2013

The fuck is One Direction and why they on my lawn?
posted by tommasz at 5:58 AM on August 16, 2013 [3 favorites]

I like the idea that there's a legitimate fear that some internet overlord is going to "delete" a song from existence. This is a real fear that these fans have.
posted by ColdChef at 6:10 AM on August 16, 2013 [8 favorites]

Also: the One Direction song reminds me a bit of Tenacious D's "(Tribute) Best Song in the World." But not in a musical way.
posted by ColdChef at 6:12 AM on August 16, 2013

Another way to mock young Twitterers? Search Twitter for bad misspellings. Here, I'll do one for you: ruinding.
posted by ColdChef at 6:14 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

Dear god. They've joined forces. Beliebers are here for Directioners.
posted by ColdChef at 6:31 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

Is it bad that I think they are (at least this song is) better than Skrillex? Do I lose all my cred for saying that?

Nah. You're alright. There are times when Skrillex can be a bit too...Skrillex-y.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:51 AM on August 16, 2013

geriatric has-beens

If geriatric has-beens can pull in $33,000,000 on a single tour I hate to see what non-has been geriatrics can pull in.

One suspects the boys in One Direction don't have as good a contract.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:18 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

I've read the word Who many times thanks to this thread that it's lost all meaning. Now I'm just picturing a band made up entirely of previous Dr.Who incarnations.
posted by The Whelk at 7:25 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

We would have been spared all of this if The Who had packed it in when Keith Moon died the way they should have.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:36 AM on August 16, 2013

You guys, I'm always wanting to defend the kids, but they're doing this thing on twitter where they are pretending lots of fans are killing themselves because of some documentary that called them crazy or something, and I need you to explain it to me. Or save me. Please hope me.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:43 AM on August 16, 2013

...and I need you to explain it to me.

I'm reminded of a moment when one of my cousins was hanging out with me and a friend, and she and I started talking about some kind of craft project she'd done when she was 13 - stuffing flowers and other trinkets into a glass, filling it with water, and then sealing it with wax, to "preserve" them. My friend asked, puzzled, whether the wax really did preserve everything and keep it from rotting, and my cousin just shrugged, sighed, and said, "we were thirteen."

Yeah.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:53 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

in Canada this year I met with Randy Bachman once the leader of GUESS WHO who told me that he not only copied Baba O Riley for their hit You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, but he even called his band after us. Why would I not be happy about this kind of tribute?" -- Pete Townshend

Yeah, the problem with this statement is that Townshend and Bachman, like most pop stars, are serial public BS-ers and almost no part of it is true.

The band was dubbed Guess Who? in 1965 in a foolish marketing campaign around the release of their cover of "Shakin' All Over" (very nearly as good a record as Johnny Kidd and the Pirates' original.)

The Who didn't have a record on the charts in North America until 1967. No Canadian band would have named themselves for The Who in 1965. The Mosquitoes, The Kanukinks, or The Chad Allen Five, maybe.

And as late as thirty years after the fact, Randy Bachman was still telling the 'pizza guy' story in interviews, despite the fact that Norman Durkee's name is right there in the album credits.


So who One Direction is again?
 
posted by Herodios at 8:02 AM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]

manufactured controversy that pits generation versus generation with no real winners
posted by lazaruslong

Eponysomething, eh?
 
posted by Herodios at 8:04 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

A twitter war? I was under the impression twitter was just marketers talking to other marketers about marketing. This seems like the kind of war where every casualty can be called a victory for mankind.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 8:21 AM on August 16, 2013

ColdChef: "Also: the One Direction song reminds me a bit of Tenacious D's "(Tribute) Best Song in the World." But not in a musical way."

Yeah I kinda giggled at the thought that they might be singing a tribute to the tribute to the greatest song in the world.
posted by symbioid at 8:25 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

The Whelk: "I've read the word Who many times thanks to this thread that it's lost all meaning. Now I'm just picturing a band made up entirely of previous Dr.Who incarnations."

So - I used to think that Tommy Daltry was a Doctor, because there was that doctor in the 60s? with the curly hair and shit and I thought that was him and I thought there was a connection between the band and the show that way.
posted by symbioid at 8:44 AM on August 16, 2013

This is why Dr. Who keeps making the Tardis tilt.
posted by srboisvert at 8:57 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

You guys, I'm always wanting to defend the kids, but they're doing this thing on twitter where they are pretending lots of fans are killing themselves because of some documentary that called them crazy or something, and I need you to explain it to me. Or save me. Please hope me.

I don't think they're pretending? Or maybe some of them are, but I think the majority of these #RIPLarryShippers tweets are from the same population of directioners who really think the internet could delete a song.

(OMG, between the drama over this UK "directioners are crazy" documentary and the unlikely banding together of beliebers and directioners and the fact that Ariana Grande maybe/probably broke up with Jai from the Janoskians... I don't know if my 14yo has enough backup accounts to keep her out of twitter jail from over-tweeting.)
posted by mothershock at 9:00 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

It's almost as if the West is catching up with the craziness of Asian pop music phenomenon fandom (Japan and S. Korea, specifically)
posted by symbioid at 9:34 AM on August 16, 2013

Of course, the real issue is the Under Pressure/Ice Ice Baby problem, where you're all excited that the radio is playing Ice Ice Baby then you get nervous when the opening goes on too long and let down when Mercury and Bowie start singing.
posted by ckape at 9:48 AM on August 16, 2013

ColdChef: "Also: the One Direction song reminds me a bit of Tenacious D's "(Tribute) Best Song in the World." But not in a musical way."

Thus my annotation to the RapGenius lyrics I mention here.
posted by Samizdata at 10:12 AM on August 16, 2013

> Of course, the real issue is the Under Pressure/Ice Ice Baby problem, where you're all excited that the radio is playing Ice Ice Baby then you get nervous when the opening goes on too long and let down when Mercury and Bowie start singing.

See, now, that's a win-win situation for me.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:13 AM on August 16, 2013 [3 favorites]

Hell hath no fury like offended One Direction fans.
posted by ubernostrum at 11:57 AM on August 16, 2013

ColdChef: "I like the idea that there's a legitimate fear that some internet overlord is going to "delete" a song from existence. This is a real fear that these fans have."

Their music is all DRMed in iTunes, except most of them listen to it on YouTube, where videos with music in them are removed all the time for spurious reasons. They live in the era when the NSA is monitoring a huge chunk of their Internet traffic and Amazon can pull books off Kindles with no warning. The fear isn't legitimate?
posted by Apropos of Something at 12:25 PM on August 16, 2013

Their music is all DRMed in iTunes

iTunes went DRM-free for music in 2009. Tracks purchased from the store still have the ID of the purchaser in the metadata, though, which is how iTunes keeps track of whether a given device is "authorized" to play it, and could allow illegal sharing to be tracked back to you.
posted by ubernostrum at 12:32 PM on August 16, 2013

You know, at first I was all ready to go on some rant about kids these days, and getting off my lawn and such.

But then I remember, being thirteen was the worst.

You're kind of desperately trying to figure out who you are and create some kind of identity for yourself, while having no clue, life experience, or autonomy. Kids end up getting defined by what they wear, what they buy, and the music they listen to. When I think about this as One Direction not just being a band that these kids like, but that being a "directioner" is something that they consider essential to their identity and a part of who they are, yeah, the insane reaction makes a little more sense.

That's just my theory, anyway.
posted by inertia at 12:55 PM on August 16, 2013

p.s. EmpressCallipygos, I totally forgot about all the epic memory glasses I made when I was 13 and my friends were all having bat mitzvahs.

What a weird thing to do.
posted by inertia at 1:01 PM on August 16, 2013

I'm still worked up that The Melvins' "A History of Bad Men" TOTALLY ripped off the riffs from The Melvins' "Night Goat". The nerve!
posted by FatherDagon at 1:45 PM on August 16, 2013

I'm still worked up that The Melvins' "A History of Bad Men" TOTALLY ripped off the riffs from The Melvins' "Night Goat". The nerve!

See also: Melvins "It's Shoved" --> Nirvana "Milk It"
posted by Sys Rq at 2:15 PM on August 16, 2013

Ah, but there's a big difference between The Melvins and those smelly oldies from The Who:
King Buzzo is friend to children!
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:55 PM on August 16, 2013

One Direction fans really do seem to like threats of rape and murder.
It's terrifying to watch them on Twitter (and so many of them have multiple accounts that they use specifically for boosting signals for this or that tweet, and they max them out with surprising regularity.

The only good thing 1D have ever done is get that 'Down Down, Prices Are Down' song removed from the endless lopp at Coles.

Coles, the Supermarket One Direction Choose.
posted by Mezentian at 2:45 AM on August 17, 2013

Ah, more on the RIP Larry Shippers thing.
posted by Mezentian at 2:46 AM on August 17, 2013

Looks like Cardiff may be in trouble.
posted by pompomtom at 4:36 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]