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Pop CultureMay 26, 2017

WATCH: Shortland Street’s Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones discuss conspiracy theories with David Farrier

Contributing writer
conspiracies

For the Shortland Street 25th anniversary week, we’re reissuing David Farrier’s phenomenal 2014 ‘Real Talk’ interview series with two of the soaps’ biggest stars and thinkers – Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones. Today, the trio discuss their favourite conspiracy theories. 

“It sounds a bit hippy and I don’t like hippies. They annoy me.”

Click here to watch the entire Real Talk series

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Pop CultureMay 26, 2017

The nine types of response to Simon Sweetman’s botched Aldous Harding joke

Screen Shot 2017-05-26 at 3.38.56 PM

We read the entire Simon Sweetman/Aldous Harding Facebook thread so you don’t have to.

Last week music blogger Simon Sweetman reviewed Aldous Harding’s album Party with a video of goats screaming. Then, a couple of days ago, he added to that critique with a Facebook post of Harding’s Jools Holland performance with the comment “I take it all back, this is amazi…sorry, I couldn’t finish that without laughing…”

All sorts of people came out of the woodwork and threw their voices into the fray. To save you an hour of your time, here are the nine ways people responded.

Straight-up ad hominem

 

Gotcha!

 

‘It’s not because she’s a women, okay. Sweetman is an equal opportunity troll. He exaggerates his opinions on music from all kinds of people to get clicks. He’s colour-blind. Gender-blind too. I mean he went after Six60 and Robbie Williams. The integrity! The bravery! Nothing to do with gender. Just like that time he wrote that people who liked Lorde liked her like they like Farmers lingerie models or that there was something ‘fishy’ about her success because she had, wait for it, co-writers and a producer and a record label. Nothing to do with gender, mate. Just God’s honest criticism. What is it with these musical snowflakes who can’t stand engaged critiques? Millennials are ruining everything! Kate Bush didn’t complain when she was coming up and her success was attributed to that dude from Pink Floyd. Why can’t these women be as grounded and authentic and non-posturing as Kate Bush? She’s great. Did I mention I own her four “classic” LPs on near-mint New Zealand pressings? Love Kate Bush! Francoise Hardy, too. Nothing to do with gender, mate.’

????????????

 

Implied compliments (these are compliments, right?)

 

‘She’s on fucking Jools Holland!’

 

 ‘Why can’t she just be normal’

 

Short n sweet

 

Lou Fucking Barlow!

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