I wasn’t planning to blog about the Justin Timberlake concert special that HBO aired on Labor Day. FutureSex/LoveSounds is still a sweet album, Justin’s still a suave dude — old news, right? Or so I thought. Then the New York Times posted a bizarrely patronizing essay today — ostensibly a think-piece about pop choreography — and I just couldn’t resist chiming in. "It has been apparent for quite some time now that Justin Timberlake made a deal with the Devil," the writer begins; he used to be a "boy-band Romeo," see, and obviously former boy-banders don’t deserve solo careers. Or if they do, then they "most certainly do not go to HBO to star in Labor Day concertspectaculars in which they commit to ‘bringing sexy back’ and find thatdubious claim favorably received." But rest easy: Justin’s success, the article suggests, is attributable solely to his slick "collaborators" and "handlers," because, after all, "Mr. Timberlake… is not that cool."
Um, seriously? Are we really still looking down our noses at twentysomething pop stars because they used to be — gasp! — teen pop stars? I guess there was a time when I, too, saw ‘N Sync albums as cheap, throwaway product. But that was 10 years ago, when I was an immature kid myself with half-formed ideas about musical authenticity, and in retrospect it’s hard to deny that ‘N Sync had some pretty great pop tunes in their catalog. And even if we’re still not ready to accept ‘N Sync into the critical canon, Justin’s more than proved himself as a songwriter and performer in his own right by now. I fully plan on blasting "My Love" at my wedding some day ("this ring here represents my heeeeart…"), and ol’ JT deserves as much credit for that as his supposed svengalis. So go ahead and snipe at his résumé if it helps you feel like a Serious Cultural Arbiter — but wouldn’t it be more fun to just admit you love him already? C’mon, PopWatchers, are you with me?
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no
Umm…no.
I’m totally with you.
The boy can sing, dance, and simply look delicious on stage.
Ick. No.
Yes! I fully agree that J. Timberlake kicks some major tail! I am not saying this just because when I was 12 NSYNC top the charts and I dreamed of being Mrs. Timberlake. No! I fully stand behind his booty shaking music, and I know almost everyone, even if you do not want to admit it, can not resist turning up a J.T. jam and dancing and singing along when it comes on the radio. Now, you know how disheartened I was last weekend when I went out to a bar and my request for “Sexy Back” was denied. It is such a shame to live in a world where one can’t freely support his/her favorite boy band member gone solo. Especialy with one as good as Justin Timberlake.
There is nothing wrong with teen pop starts attempting to create credible music careers in their twenties and beyond, but JT has yet to make anything that is seriously worthy of standing the test of time. The only reason why “sexyback” was actually taken seriously was b/c Timbaland was featured on it. Otherwise, he would have been laughed & ridiculed endlessly.
I can’t say I’m with you on this one, Simon. Sure, sexyback was cool, but JT’s kinda overrated.
Couldn’t agree more.
As an indie music fan, I shunned JT, mainly for his popularity. But, when FutureSex/LoveSounds appeared on so many year-end lists in 2006, I decided to give it a shot. I was surprised, but I actually liked it quite a bit. To be fair, there were still a few cheesy boy-band moments, such as the last few songs of the album (in my opinion), but there were a number of solid, inventive pop and dance tunes. It’s nice to know that, every once in a while, some music that is really good is also really popular. Also, “D*ick in a Box” proved that JT is pretty damn cool, so the NYT doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
I am totally with you, Simon.
The NY Times being patronizing about popular culture!?
Get outta here!
JT is about as cool as parachute pants. Or Scott Baio. Or a reunited Flock of Seagulls. meaning, NOT cool at all. First of all, he compares himself to Prince. You, sir, are no Prince. Second of all, is everyone forgetitng how he completely threw Janet Jackson under the bus for their joint Super bowl fiasco? Lastly, he’s a little whiney white boy with a high pitched girl voice and while some peope find him sexy, I find him limp, bland, boring, and the antithesis of cool. I’m not trying to playa hate. To each his own. But yeah, Simon, I’m so not with you on this own.
Stop drinking haterade.
Normally I would back you up on the NYT being more than a little elitist, and I was on JT’s side BEFORE I saw the concert. JT is more than a little full of himself, and while that’s allowed in the world of pop, you NEVER EVER ask the audience to pull out their lighters and cell phones to salute your song. They should do it on their own.
No, I am not with you. Although I will say My Love is an amazing track much of the credit goes to Timbaland. The thing a lot of people forget nowadays with songs is that the beat makes the song and the lyrics are secondary. Yet somehow the singer/songwriter usually gets credit before the producer.
Here, here, Carlos! I despise Justin Timberlake. He’s such a phony. And despite his adult-sounding persona on his solo work, he’ll always be tied to the boy band image because, honestly, he’s not a man. And when I say he isn’t a man, I’m not questioning his sexuality. I’m questioning his integrity and his maturity. A real man, as Carlos excellently points out in regards to Janet Jackson, wouldn’t throw a lady to the wolves in order to save his own skin. I’m not defending Janet Jackson or excusing her but no one twisted Justin Timberlake’s to rip off a revealing piece of clothing. Next, his attacks on Prince are unjustified. Prince, to his credit as well as Madonna’s, rewrote the boundaries of sex in contemporary pop music. Timberlake, the former Mousketeer, can only pretend to be a contender. Finally, the guy cried like a little girly man on Punk’d when he thought he was bankrupt. He dropped the “black-cent” and immediately called Mommy. He’ll always be a little boy. WAAA-WAAA-WAAA!
i totally agree. and frankly, JT should be more embraced since he’s the only boy-bander (and one of the only teen stars of his generation) to graduate on to a solid solo career (2nd album haters!).
No one can argue and win that JT isn’t talented. Is he “cool?” I don’t even know what that means. I do know that the first time I heard SexyBack, I thought it was the coolest ish I’ve ever heard. And no, Timbaland is not responsible for everything. That’s easy to say and impossible to prove, especially considering that they both say the album was a collaboration.
I wouldn’t say I am a JT hater, but I do tend to lean more towards the NYT article. While the guy does have some talent, I think he is largely overrated. I think there are hundreds, if not thousands, of musicians out there that could easily fill his shoes.
Justin Timberlake is not that cool, nor talented. The only talent Justin has is Timbaland.
He’s a better comedian (on SNL) than singer. And he’s a pop singer. I’m not buying the R&B stuff.
all of you giving credit to timbaland are ridiculous. a couple of years ago, nobody cared about him, so you cant give him all the credit now. good producers still need good artists to make their vision come to life
and i’m sorry, but for JT’s first album, is everyone ready to hail pharrell for his musical genious, or was it someone else’s guidance that made that album a hit as well?
Over-rated, over-hyped and over-heard.
And the fact that his mother is always in tow just adds to the “meh” factor.
Crap is crap, no matter how many fools decide otherwise
Totally agree with Joe from NYC’s comments. In short, the guy has some talent, some good singles, but I will never consider him “cool” or edgy….or black, for that matter.
So EW, you devote entire blogs to hate Beyonce, someone with a stellar voice and talent to burn, yet praise Timberlake, a gerbil with a voice I achieve after inhaling helium from a party baloon? FATIMA PLEASE COME HELP ME!
Agree with Carlos and NY Joe completely. And I only disagree with Stephen in that I prefer human ferret over gerbil.
I know I always look to the New York Times to found out what’s cool. Please.
gerbil, human ferret. Potato, potato (pronounced differently). At least we’re in agreement.
I’d have to agree with Stephen. Timberlake has a decent voice, is a decent dancer, and has decent songs. I’d also have to agree with everyone who said that Timbaland is the reason for the succes that FutureSex/LoveSounds has had. A song like “Summer Love” has terrible lyrics (thanks, Justin!), but a catchy beat (thanks, Timbaland!). People aren’t listening to the song for its lyrical content, so yes, Timbaland is the reason for the album’s success. I don’t mind Timberlake, but he is WAY overrated and I am VERY sick of hearing/seeing him.