Who is the most brazen commercial "artist"?

[SweetZombieJesus]

In the history of popular culture, there have been scores of image driven glorified models masquerading as serious artists, but only a handful reach truly mythic status without really contributing much of anything to the medium they make their money from. Which of the following is the most guilty of the crime of shameless commercialism?

[Cocoa]

1. I'd rather hear Stephen Hawking sing

than listen to his wife's crap. :-)

[SweetZombieJesus]

2. Bumpty bumpty bump. CIBOLA! MY LIFE FOR YOU!

I want to know what the "Other" vote was for.

[SmileyBoy]

7. You think it's Stephen King???...

He wrote several excellent books and won Pulitzer Prizes. I wouldn't include him with the other dreck in this thread.

On Edit: Sorry. I didn't know you were just kicking (bumping) the thread. D'OH!!!!

[SweetZombieJesus]

9. No, I just like that quote and decided to use it instead of just "bump"

Trashcan Man is one of my favorite characters of all time.

[SmileyBoy]

10. I know. I misunderstood. See my edit.

:crazy:

[SweetZombieJesus]

3. Bumpty bumpty bump. CIBOLA! MY LIFE FOR YOU!

I want to know what the "Other" vote was for.

[AntiCoup2K4]

4. To say Elvis didn't contribute "much of anything" is ridiculous....

...however, mostly due to Col Parker and his daddy, he WAS ridiculously merchandized to death. How many other recording artists have released more albums dead than they did when they were alive?

Actually Jimi Hendrix has, but much of his stuff was actually "new" material that was unavailable in the 60's. And at least it's his own family releasing it.

[SweetZombieJesus]

6. After the Sun Sessions album and the self-titled, Elvis is dead to me

But of all the people you can choose from in this poll, he's the one who definitely contributed something, but it's not like rockabilly was his creation and his alone. It just pisses me off that everyone knows who Elvis is and a lot of peopled don't know Carl Perkins, Charlie Feathers, Ronnie Hawkins, and scores of other artists.

Elvis started out great, and then the Colonel watered him down more and more until he became the ridiculous caricature that most people seem to worship.

[dawg]

5. I voted for the boy bands.

Britney is on the same exact level, but I could only make one choice.

[SiobhanClancy]

8. Michael Jackson

for his commercial exploitation of the Beatles songbook,especially the use of "Revolution" in a Nike commercial. Some people may say that Jackson made contributions,but I don't feel they approach the level of the Beatles' contributions,which is why he gets my vote for "most shameless". The fact that I also detest him as a human being has nothing to do with it,of course.