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?
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.