Poptastic!

US teen-pop sensations Aly & AJ are, I’m sure, mere puppets of some sinister svengali. But who cares? Potential Breakup Song [Youtube] is fantastic, and makes me want to dance with all the sexiness you’d expect from a 34-year-old man with a bad back.

[Via popjustice]


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0 responses to “Poptastic!”

  1. mupwangle

    >>I’m sure, mere puppets of some sinister svengali

    Despite the song sucking quite majorly (I didn’t see the video), the Svengali is obviously Jesus. From an interview in Blender:

    “The first person thanked in the liner notes for the Into the Rush CD is “our Bestest Friend and Savior.” Aly and AJ say they do not make Christian rock and, indeed, they never sing the word “Jesus,” but their music flows from a Christian perspective. ”

    A couple of their singles have only been on Christian Rock radio stations too.

    They’re also creationists :-

    Do you believe in evolution?

    “No,” AJ says, shaking her head and frowning.

    “Wait,” Aly says, bolting forward. “Are they teaching that in schools now?”

    They’ve been teaching it for the better part of a century.

    “I think that’s kind of disrespectful,” Aly says. “Anything that has to do with anybody’s beliefs on religion, that should stay out of the classroom. I mean, I think people should be able to pray in school, if people were into that. Everybody should just do their own gig.”

    “Evolution is silly,” AJ adds. “Monkeys? Um, no.”

    The Blender article – http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1937

  2. Gary

    Teenage popstars in “blithering idiocy” shocker!

    What’s more depressing is the branding side of it:

    http://www.insidebrandedentertainment.com/bep/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003596169

    “Aly & AJ’s new, immediate brand partners include Post Honey-Comb cereal, MTV, Wal-Mart and Samsung… n the months ahead, Aly & AJ-branded products will arrive from Xbox and Nintendo (videogames), Trends International (2008 calendar), Huckleberry Toys (dolls), FEA Merchandising (apparel), Accessory Network (accessories), Bioworld (headwear), IMT (jewelry), Townley Girl (cosmetics) and others.

    In each partnership, the girls are heavily involved in product creation, design and marketing, says Gerry Cagle of Crysis Management, who oversees the duo’s career.”

  3. > Anything that has to do with anybody’s beliefs on religion, that should stay out of the classroom. I mean, I think people should be able to pray in school, if people were into that.

    That’s not blithering idiocy. It’s astute political insight, though, admittedly, she probably doesn’t realise it.

  4. mupwangle

    >>she probably doesn’t realise it.

    And even if she did, her sister’s subsequent comments kinda spoil the effect. ;-)

  5. Gary

    S2, doesn’t she contract her first sentence in the second one?

    I can’t believe we’re analysing teen pop muppets’ amazing intellectual insights.

  6. mupwangle

    Contract? Contradict, surely. ;-)

    And yes, she does. I didn’t notice that.

  7. Gary

    Oops. Too busy dealing with the exciting side of journalism – paperwork :)

  8. Squander Two

    > her sister’s subsequent comments kinda spoil the effect.

    Not at all. Evolution is silly. Truth does not negate silliness.

    > doesn’t she contra[di]ct her first sentence in the second one?

    No, because (although she doesn’t word it well) what she’s referring to is moves against people’s religion, as is made clear by the reference to prayer if you remember that prayer is actually banned in all publicly-funded American schools. So what I meant was that she’s providing a perfect example of how the ACLU’s successful campaign to ban all religion from schools has led to an increase in religiosity.

    > I can’t believe we’re analysing teen pop muppets’ amazing intellectual insights.

    Maybe we’ll look intelligent for once.

  9. Squander Two

    Apologies for fucking up the formatting there.

  10. They seem, well, fucking evil to me.

  11. Gary

    Heh. There is something of the Stepford Wives about them.