>
> > >
> > > I think there should have been a separate category on the poll for all the boy groups out now. I mean, N Sync, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Five, etc. One's more than enough. They all sound alike. In fact, sometimes I wonder if they're all the same people with different hair and clothes. Not to offend anyone who likes any of them, I mean, if you enjoy it, go for it.
> > > ali "I also like classical and *some* opera" ssa
> >
> > I was watching a thing on VH1 last week, I think it was "Before They Were Famous" or something like that. They mentioned how one guy from one of the generic groups above showed up at an audition by the recording company who was putting together such a group... Wait a minute... whatever happened to a group of guys getting together in a garage every day after high school, practicing, getting gigs at local parties, then eventually some clubs and larger venues, putting together a demo tape, and seeking out a record company to sign them? What happened to a group being created because a few guys have common interests and goals and not because some company wants to capitalize on what is selling at the moment? Do these kids actually write any of their own music, or is that fabricated too? Not only do I personally find that music annoyingly sugary, but I'm further sickened by its whole contrivance.
> >
> > Show me a garage band who's spent years paying their dues in order to get ahead, and I'll show you longevity in the music biz.
> >
> > Show me a fabricated teeny bop pop group, and I'll show you people featured on "Where Are They Now" in a couple years.
> >
> > Tra "my 2.75 cents" nio
>
> I'm with you.
>
> ali "Sick of the music industry" ssa

Thank you. That's very reassuring. After I posted this, I read it again and thought that it may have sounded a bit too abrasive. I'm quite relieved to see the first reply was an affirmation rather than an argument.
Also, let me restate the "garage band" idea... simply paying one's dues never assures anything, let alone longevity. The longevity comes from people who've worked hard in order to share their creativity with the masses, and not to merely get rich & live the life of a rock star. They burn out quickly too.

Tra "it's about integrity, baby" nio