Spring Break
Spears: dysfunctional gift that keeps on giving
Joshua Aromin
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Entertainment
12/04/08 - I was pretty unmotivated in my efforts to write a piece about Britney Spears mostly because I had no idea what to write about. And frankly, I was about to pass on this gracious once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But Sunday night, sitting around listening to the cult-like band I'm From Barcelona, the musical shenanigans of the 30-person group slammed me in the face with of thunderous inspiration.
I was mulling over the idea that the band's sophomore album, Who Killed Harry Houdini? was somewhat of a letdown after their previous album, Let Me Introduce My Friends, when it hit me.
As the album was ending, the fun-filled tomfoolery of the Swedish band made itself apparent with their last song, simply entitled "Britney." I then realized how much of an impact one blonde-haired pop star can have on pretty much every person on the planet.
"Why do we care if good old Britney wants to shave her hair?" the lead singer asks - and he poses a fascinating question. Why are we so concerned with the crazy woman that's known for drug and parenting problems, among other things?
Through the scandal and endless hijinks, it's sometimes easy to forget the fact that Ms. Spears once had a splendid little career and that she once exploded the pop music universe.
With her mischievous adventures conveniently documented by the paparazzi, we sometimes forget that she was once the scantily clad teenage girl dancing in a hallway while sporting a school girl uniform: for a music video.
But come January, it will have been 10 years since Britney first arrived on the scene. And in those 10 years, we've experienced a multitude of fun things.
We survived a possible apocalypse with the coming of Y2K. The emergence of El Nino rocked the world of meteorologists and weathermen alike. George W. Bush took us through a wild eight-year ride and Elian Gonzales became the most famous Cuban aside from Fidel Castro.
Through all the ups and downs, Britney preserved her relevancy in pop culture while she evolved into a larger-than-life icon that seems to never disappear.
Back when she first stole the hearts of teens - boys and girls alike - Lou Bega sang about his numerous female lovers, Sisqo was infatuated by a certain kind of underwear, and the Baha Men just wanted to know "Who let the dogs out?"
Ten years later, none of that matters, but still, Britney Spears is Britney Spears and in a forum where longevity is hard to come by, good ol' Britt seems destined to be around forever. While she may do some weird things, people love her and will always love her.
So kudos to you, I'm From Barcelona, for reminding a lowly entertainment writer why Britney Spears is still around and why she truly does deserve some recognition.
But Sunday night, sitting around listening to the cult-like band I'm From Barcelona, the musical shenanigans of the 30-person group slammed me in the face with of thunderous inspiration.
I was mulling over the idea that the band's sophomore album, Who Killed Harry Houdini? was somewhat of a letdown after their previous album, Let Me Introduce My Friends, when it hit me.
As the album was ending, the fun-filled tomfoolery of the Swedish band made itself apparent with their last song, simply entitled "Britney." I then realized how much of an impact one blonde-haired pop star can have on pretty much every person on the planet.
"Why do we care if good old Britney wants to shave her hair?" the lead singer asks - and he poses a fascinating question. Why are we so concerned with the crazy woman that's known for drug and parenting problems, among other things?
Through the scandal and endless hijinks, it's sometimes easy to forget the fact that Ms. Spears once had a splendid little career and that she once exploded the pop music universe.
With her mischievous adventures conveniently documented by the paparazzi, we sometimes forget that she was once the scantily clad teenage girl dancing in a hallway while sporting a school girl uniform: for a music video.
But come January, it will have been 10 years since Britney first arrived on the scene. And in those 10 years, we've experienced a multitude of fun things.
We survived a possible apocalypse with the coming of Y2K. The emergence of El Nino rocked the world of meteorologists and weathermen alike. George W. Bush took us through a wild eight-year ride and Elian Gonzales became the most famous Cuban aside from Fidel Castro.
Through all the ups and downs, Britney preserved her relevancy in pop culture while she evolved into a larger-than-life icon that seems to never disappear.
Back when she first stole the hearts of teens - boys and girls alike - Lou Bega sang about his numerous female lovers, Sisqo was infatuated by a certain kind of underwear, and the Baha Men just wanted to know "Who let the dogs out?"
Ten years later, none of that matters, but still, Britney Spears is Britney Spears and in a forum where longevity is hard to come by, good ol' Britt seems destined to be around forever. While she may do some weird things, people love her and will always love her.
So kudos to you, I'm From Barcelona, for reminding a lowly entertainment writer why Britney Spears is still around and why she truly does deserve some recognition.
