You Know Who Doesn’t Suck? The Vines!

Poor Vines. All they wanted to do was entertain the good people with some nonsensical rockers and dreamy psychedelic bubblegum, and all they got was shit because Asperger’s poster boy Craig Nicholls wasn’t the new Kurt Cobain. This article uses them as the prime example of how excessive hype can crush a perfectly charming band (or Gay Dad) almost before they’re out of the gate. In a last-ditch attempt to gain some sympathy for the Australian mushmouths, I’m going to compare their plight to a musician who suffered a similar excess of expectation before people wised up to his sillier, but still genuine pleasures: Donovan!

How could anybody who’s seen Don’t Look Back not remember when “New Dylan” Donovan suffers the Worst Sonning Ever at the original’s hands?

It’s an awesome moment of hype-inspired homicide, but imagine if we’d left Donovan’s corpse catching the wind? Then we wouldn’t have such awesome lightweight incantations as “There Is A Mountain,” “Rikki-Tikki Tavi” and “Sunshine Superman.” Maybe you don’t need every album, but the guy’s got a great best-of.

Likewise, surely we can find something to enjoy about the Vines’ finer slack-jawed shenanigans.

Ride with me, people!

Next big heroes to nigh-on zeros. Where did it all go wrong? [Guardian] Bob Dylan and Donovan [YouTube] Donovan – Sunshine Superman [YouTube] The Vines – Ride [YouTube]