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Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME review (for a change)

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by Adie Nunn

In all the fun and games in the land of ‘music journalism’, bands and their fans more often than not don’t take well to bad reviews – none more so than a bunch of Jim Bob fans who call themselves ‘The Jim Bob Touchy Feely Collective’.

Upon reading an NME review last week for Jim's new album ‘Goodnight Jim Bob’ his fans were up in arms. “Jim Alexander had not only given the album 3/10 but it seemed he had reviewed a Carter USM [his old band, kids – ed.] album instead, as his review bore no relation to said album,” was their excuse for what came.

The Collective rang the NME and, posing as a friend of Mr Alexander called ‘Barry’, were given his mobile number by the receptionist. The Collective then went to work on printing 300 leaflets with just the following words: "Jim Alexander gave Jim's new album 3/10 this week. Here is his mobile number..." These were handed out at the London Borderline gig last Friday.

“We have since managed to find out that not only has Mr Alexander been asked for a range of pizzas and mini cabs but his review style has been called into question on many numerous occasions,” snigger The Collective. A victory for the fans or stupid, mindless harassment? DiScuss. Hello to any NME journos reading, by the way.

The London date of the tour was the last of 10 in what was a celebration of Jim's 20 year career in music, and featured songs from his many different guises and bands over the years. Other, er, highlights on the tour:

* Bob Fairfoul - ex Idlewild bassist now of Degrassi was booked as support by the promoter of Edinburgh Bannermans… as he was called Bob. He planned to have a whole night of “Jims and Bobs”. Sadly, not only had Bob never played acoustic by himself before it seemed he had never also sung. “The man’s hands were shaking with nerves in-between the songs as he wailed through a range of cover versions,” our Collective spokesman says. “At the end of his set he asked if the punters wanted another song or a joke. 'A Joke' was the unanimous response.”

* At The Collective Venue at The Wigan Tavern, Jim made some derisory remarks about the only thing he know about Wigan; namely The Verve and Starsailor. Sadly for him, the singer of the support band, Carolyn from The Atomic Hound Dog, was the sister of James Walsh from Starsailor. Carolyn was most upset and Jim had to spend the rest of the night apologising.

* Jim sang ”I'm a G.I. and it's about the fanny batter” at the end of ‘G.I. Blues’ in Worcester Marrs Bar for a £1 bet.

* Your humble scribe was most happy with the Busted cover version played at the London gig.

The album ‘Goodnight Jim Bob’ was released yesterday on The Ten Forty Sound/Who’s The Daddy Now via Shellshock distribution.


Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME review (for a change)

What a bunch of twats they must be to be fans of such a shit band, and then to childishly harass someone who dares criticise their album. For the record, Jim was generous with that 3.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME review (for a change)

clever denounment there Rick. Literally dozens of fans will change their minds overnight thanks to that comment. Jimbob isn't "shit" (well, certainly not so awful as to deserve a 3/10 rating). But does this count as news? I think not!

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

I must say it was a lot more interesting than the usual "this band is going on another tour" news story which is normally on this site.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

christ you people are picky...

it wasn't a 'scene' article it wasn't a 'review' (that will come) and it sounded like some light-hearted news to me. plus it's already had fuckloads of hits and it only went up a few minutes ago. i also know another publication who's running a similar story on it tomorrow.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

I'm not a big fan of this Jim Bob but I think that is great. The fans are fighting back for once. Good on 'em. It's far better than putting up with some bloke writing rubbish. Journos should be questioned. Great story I think and the NME stinks anyway.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

Some rocksound writers are just as bad

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

There's a difference between questioning someone's opinion and outright harassing them. He's allowed to say they suck without getting shitloads of abuse.

who?

is jim the 1 who was in dream team?

Re: who?

Look

If this geezer gets paid for his opinion, so what???

I get paid for counting beans.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

You are either a) young or b) have a short memory. Go here to be educated: www.carterusm.co.uk

I'm sorry. I'll just write about InMe in future.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

or just plain uninterested in Carter USM and therefore this Jim Alexander chap. I have just asked a group of music business students outside the uni library and not one could tell me who he was. Don't be so presumptuous, ok?

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

Jim BOB and Jim Alexander are different people mate. No wonder your mates didn't know who Jim Alexander was, hes a nobody NME hack.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

in either case, never ever promote your own ignorance.
it's not clever. in fact, it's ignorance.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

Oh yes, terribly sorry. I'll make sure all of us stop writing about the 'smaller' bands/singers and we'll just stick to writing about people who are current flavour-of-the-week million-sellers.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

Jim Bob is god. Long Live the Touchy Feely Collective.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

hmm, thought i'd sleep posted then.....
but not quite

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

I honestly don't understand why the NME gave up valuable space to give this old tat a review of any sort.

Re: Goodnight Jim Alexander? Fans get angry at NME

They weren't kissing Karen O's butt enough for you last week, David?

Freedom

Writer's are SUPPOSED to have opinions are they not? It's absolutely ridiculous, and a little bit scary, that some idiots have harassed this guy for not liking a band. If he doesn't like it, so what? Fuck him. You do and that's what matters. I like British Sea Power, but i'm not gonna steal your phone number and give everyone business cards saying 'Cheap Ride' with that number on if you don't! Get on with your lives!

Re: Freedom

Oh how worthy. Some perverse notion of 'the free spirit' that you pluck out of the air like that moth you saved from your brothers angry hand, that wasp that you said was 'more scared of you than you are of it'. Well i'll tell you about the wasp, its a useless fucker that doesn't even make honey, a stupid drone that attacks with no due cause. A malicious insect if ever there was one. The point is this, I think that you get to a point where a review is unprintable for simply being malicious and spiteful. It isn't helping anyone, it isn't educating you about what band you may like, its just something a bit amusing for the neutral. It is the hack having a bad day but weeks and months of work for the band/singer whatever being flushed on. I support the notion that if someone hasn't got anything constuctive to write then they should simply not bother at all. I am pleased to see that the general DIS ethos has always been that writers praise the bands they like and keep silent with the ones they don't. I very rarely see a malicious slaggging. SHOCK HORROR! is it such a ridiculous concept that writers should stop this behaviour? would it lead to an airy fairy 'everything is great' world? no it wouldn't, because the main thing is for people to actually HEAR and decide for themselves. If something is so shit no one will review it then thats another matter. But a positive review from someone who likes a band is a hundred times better in every way than a malicious slagging and will allow bands to die by their own swords rather than because they have fallen out with the staff at NME for example. This may sound idealist, but its really that simple.






Re: Freedom

Oh come on, a good malicious slagging can make very entertaining reading, especially if you happen to agree with it. Don't tell me youve never chuckled at a review ripping the piss out of a band you hate.

Re: Freedom

yeah i say this, but jokes can be obtained from joke books. Its a small price to pay to rid the world of the bitter hack (NME prime examples).

I think if writers can't keep to this should be banned from meeting the bands they review, too much interpersonal like or dislike involved otherwise on an entirely un musical level.

Re: Freedom

Fuck you all.

If a record is shit it deserves anything it gets.

And if a writer can't put that across in an entertaining way he's a fucktard who deserves to be hanged by his goolies and shat on by goats.

Kinda like Biffy Clyro deserve to be.

Re: Freedom

yeah, there are times when saying a record (from a band the revewer likes) is a disappointment, can be far more critical of a band than just laying into them...

On the other hand, Biffy really are shite....

Re: Freedom

yeah, there are times when saying a record (from a band the revewer likes) is a disappointment, can be far more critical of a band than just laying into them...

On the other hand, Biffy really are shite....

Re: Freedom

saying an album is a disappointing is more critical than laying into them? HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH (falls off chair).

Re: Freedom

course it can, if it's done well - honest cricitism from someone who likes the band can register as far more valid and critical than a dismissive and dismissable rant from someone who either knows nothing about the band or is too hung up on their hatred of them to get around their own bias against them.

a good slagging, from time to time, is justified - and entertaining - if the band do truly deserve it; but it should be done sparingly. personally i only slag bands if they truly offend me in some way [either thru being heinously mediocre, or heroically bad, or just plain cunts]. overdoing it is just pompous and boring, and you should be able to criticise a band in more ways than just going "THEY'RE A BUNCH OF USELESS, INEPT AND IMBECILIC FUCKMUPPETS WHOSE ENTIRE ANCESTRY SHOULD HAVE BEEN STRANGLED AT BIRTH TO PREVENT THEIR INFLICTION UPON THE WORLD" yadda yadda yadda. it's only funny to a point.

x
gen

Re: Freedom

So what you're saying there is only write about an album if it's good. That's like saying that the news should only report on nice things like fluffy kittens rolling around with a balls of wool or how Mr Mumbles of Smith Street, Slough, has a nice garden now he's mowed the Lawn. The idea of a music paper is to give it's readers an indication of how good an album is before it comes out - GOOD or BAD. Their readers can take this advice or ignore it completely. It's their choice. How wonderful! Also, I reckon that Jim Bob is secretly quite pleased about his slaging from Jim Alexander - his dire album has now got more press than he ever could have hoped for if it was actually any good.

Re: Freedom

What a prat this Rik Martin is. Have you heard the Jim Bob album? I doubt it. I haven't either so we both have no grounds to call it 'dire'. Your argument is thus one long contradiction.
I'm no big fan of this Jim Bob but I've read the review. It aint just a slagging it's a cliched piece of prose. If this guy has spent months working on an album and then that happens to it his fans deserve to do something.

Re: Freedom

Yes got the promo weeks ago. Is now somewhere on a wastefil site, if you want it.

Re: Freedom

I'm Jim's press officer and I don't recall sending you a copy. What publication do you work for?

For the record I think it's an amazing album and we're glad to have Jim on our books. I think the album is a bit like Pulp mixed with Badly Drawn Boy but with better lyrics. I love it and I was never a massive Carter fan which is why the NME review annoyed a few people I guess.

Interesting to read everyones comments here though for those for and against Jim and those for and against what his fans did.

Marc

Re: Freedom

Got it off a mate who works for a local mag up here in Manchester...was not impressed.

Re: Freedom

What local rag? I don't believe there are any local music papers in Manchester, certainly not any that his press officer would consider sending it too!

The MEN was too busy sucking off Bruce Springsteen to care about any other music over the last couple of weeks.


Re: Freedom

manchestermusic.co.uk and 'City Life' immediately spring to mind.

Re: Freedom

without getting into an argument over if he did get one or not (it doesn't matter I guess) I can state no regional copies to 'Manchester Rags' were sent out.

The real reason for this story going on...

It was just an excuse to use that photo again, wasn't it?

Carter USM???

Uh, Adie? It is the 21st Century. Why are you guys STILL writing about a washed up has-been?

Re: Carter USM???

Oh shit, Alex from Thee Moths (I can hear this DIS board wondering who that is) has found these messageboards. Mate, stick to posting your bile on Jockrock. Whether or not that guy is a has-been, it's better than being a never-been, like yourself.

Re: Carter USM???

Hey Jizz, be sure to buy the forthcoming second album by Thee Moths. Also look out for some more news from us in the very near future.

As for Carter/Jimbob/Fruitbat/whatever, they were second division back then and are not even that good now.

Re: Carter USM???

Will it go to No. 1 and will you be headlining Reading?

Re: Carter USM???

No. Will Jim's Super Stereo World?

Oh, i see, you are trading on his PAST glories....

Check your calendar Adie - it is no longer 1993

Re: Carter USM???

Not particularly. This is his fourth 'solo' album, to my knowledge. If they weren't sellin', he wouldn't have made more than one...

Re: Carter USM???

At least he's HAD a past glory by the sounds of it.

Who are Thee Moths?

Re: Carter USM???

Hey there sweetie pie, any old band can put out a CD and say it's their "second album", as I'm sure most bands who read this site do. How many people knew you'd released a first album? Who the hell are you? How many did your first 'album' sell? More than 2 copies? Blessss.

Re: Carter USM???

Hey there sweetie pie, any old band can put out a CD and say it's their "second album", as I'm sure most bands who read this site do. How many people knew you'd released a first album? Who the hell are you? How many did your first 'album' sell? More than 2 copies? Blessss.

Re: Carter USM???

arf.

the jockrock fun has spilled over to DiS.

oh, great...

Re: Carter USM???

DIS are still writing about him (as our C4 teletext that has the same story today) because people still buy his records and still see him on tour. He might not be a huge chart act but he has a large and loyal following. Whether you rate him or not you can not deny he has outlasted other old indie bands of the early nineties. His discopunkpop group 'Jim's Super Stereoworld' are great. So was the song he wrote for Ian Dury just before he died (Ian's last recording).

Re: Carter USM???

to be honest, salv plays (ex S*M*A*S*H ) for jim's super stereo world. Thats enough for me. The guy is a great man.




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