Top 5: Music Icons That We Love/Hate

1. Sting
Moms love Sting. If I could poll all the mothers of the world, I would prove it. My own mom loves Sting. She loves him so much that she spent $26 to purchase his book, “Broken Music”. I decided to borrow it, because I like Sting (although I’m not a Mom). I like his music (The Police and his solo stuff), I like his style (Sting loves yoga, chess, and is a vegetarian), and so far, I like his book too. Allie, on the other hand, has no love for Sting. Shocked as I was, it got me thinking of our personal agendas with music icons. Allie, for instance, thinks Sting is creepy. Part of it is probably the whole tantric sex thing. Personally, I don’t mind Sting's affinity for tantric sex. Neither do most Moms. They think Sting is hot.

2. Bono
Most dads love Bono, although arguably not as much as moms love Sting. This is mostly because they think he looks cool with his perpetual sunglasses and he still rocks out even though he’s almost 50. They secretly want to be him. I hope I don’t get crucified here, but I don’t really like Bono. I think those sunglasses make him seem arrogant (Yes, you too, Kanye), even if he says it’s because his eyes are very sensitive to light. I’m sorry, but I’m not buying it. Although Bono is well known for his humanitarian work, it doesn’t come without controversy. His 2006 Vertigo Tour proved to be the second-most profitable tour of all time, grossing $389 million in ticket receipts alone. He promoted his ONE campaign, but according to Billboard, the revenue went to companies in Ireland with the intention of minimizing taxes. Questionable. Focus on the music.

3. Bob Dylan
Although Laurie has probably killed most of these heretics already, there are still some people out there who don’t fully appreciate Bob Dylan. Some accept that his songs are sheer brilliance, but do not believe that his voice lives up to them. Others put certain songs on such a pedestal that other creations of his could never live up to them and most of them shouldn’t. On top of this, he has aggravated countless interviewers and has had more split personalities than Sally Fields in “Sybil”. In a sense, Robert Zimmerman has deceived us all. Details! I still think he’s a musical genius.

4. Lou Reed
Much of the same can be said about Lou Reed, a principal member of one of the most influential bands of his time, The Velvet Underground. I love Lou Reed more than most. My dad even told him this when he met him at a concert, but I will try to keep an open mind. Lou is mean. You will know this is you’ve read any interview he’s ever done. I blame it on all the drugs. He also doesn’t have the most beautiful and melodious of voices. Okay, it’s downright gritty, but it matches the tonality of the music. You can’t have pretty harmonies when your subject matter is heroin. You just can’t.

5. Oasis
They claim to be bigger than the Beatles, and in terms of sales, they actually are, ever since “Morning Glory” beat out “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. Yet, we also must take their shenanigans into account. Drug abuse and constant fighting in the public eye? Guilty as charged. The dueling Gallagher brothers are both amusing and annoying. The question is, which are they more of?