Aly and AJ fans unite to destroy all bedbugs!

As promised, here are the best (i.e. all) of the responses I've received for this rambling post from September, something I wrote in reaction to Aly and AJ's Into the Rush.

First, mandatory links: new jukebox , working on a column on twin-pop and might do one exclusively on Platinum Weird (ad campaign, etc...over at Radosh.net, the delectable conspiracy theory in the comments thread is that this whole project is designed to "trick" VH1 Classic boomers into loving teenpop without realizing it; how could someone admit to liking PW without also liking Ashlee?). But that might be more of a summer overview, since I'd like to cover some of the albums/promos I've been getting, too. Predictably, it's much more pleasant to correspond with artists through Myspace than through a PR company.

ALY AND AJ FANS UNITE

Anonymous emailer:

I think that you're really off about what you said about ALY & AJ!!!!!!! Because who CARES what their religion is!!!!!! My friend and I actually believe in the same faith! And they're GREAT girls that LOVE GOD!!!

Well, I think their religion is important to the extent that they make it important. One Christian review of Into the Rush I read calls the girls' expressed faith into question, basically saying that the pop "you" is too ambiguous and un-capitalized.

"Elizabeth":

I think Skye Sweetnam needs to shut up! First of all, what is wrong with kids-or anybody-being Christians? Second of all, Aly and AJ's lyrics are not disturbing. They are merely singing about many topics kids face these days. Especially getting kidnapped. Tons of kids are getiing abducted every day! Skye Swwetnam is just a little miss I Think I Know It All. Well, guess what, Skye, you don't know it all. And, Aly probably emphasized on 'I am one of them' because she was shy and self-conscious. So, Skye, just stay out because millions of kids, over 5,000,000 to be exact, love Aly and AJ. I personally just think you're jealous of all the attention they're getting!

This person seems to have mistaken me for Skye Sweetnam, who, as far as I know, has not expressed any stance on Aly and AJ. Yes, "tons of kids" are abducted, but not by complete strangers. The kind of "alertness" Aly and AJ are supporting is unfounded paranoia that's based on media sensationalism, not statsitics. From the very same missing children's site they list in their liners:

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does not ascribe to the "stranger-danger" message. We have learned that children do not have the same understanding of who a stranger is as an adult might; therefore, it is a difficult concept for the child to grasp. It is much more beneficial to children to help them build the confidence and self-esteem they need to stay as safe as possible in any potentially dangerous situation they encounter rather than teaching them to be "on the look out" for a particular type of person. The "stranger-danger" message is not effective and, based on what we know about those who harm children, danger to children is greater from someone they or their family knows than from a "stranger."

So there.

From "Victoria":

well, I'm not sure if you are aware of this fact, but Disney has often played artists that are believers in Christ, just like they play agnostics and atheists, supposedly.

If you think Disney has some agenda other than making money, (eg: religious motivation) I highly doubt that. if you would like I can find out for you! :0) Friend's fiance is the daughter of ABC/Disney's CFO... (long connection, I understand)

As far as A&A's parents encouraging them to write distrubing songs... Really - even heard of Marilyn Manson. Come on!

What's wrong with the girls being Christians and putting that in their music?

Rappers rap about their lifes, be it struggles, on the street, whatever. Do you have a problem with the girls' faith or the fact that Disney isn't so biased as to discriminate against girls who have values as opposed to "not so innocent" Britney?

Any 6-14 year old is going to have to be pretty diserning (sp?) to figure out that Aly & AJ are like "JESUS IS THE WAY!!" with lyrics as cryptic as theirs.

I don't want to keep going, lol. Your post had enough words for the both of us!

Be blessed,
vic

Sure, I'd love to have a few words with ABC/Disney's higher-ups! A&A's faith doesn't necessarily explicitly define the content of their songs (don't think I ever said it did, although it could, time will tell). Almost all major teenpop artists are openly Christian (as open as their liner notes, anyway), which maybe makes all their songs agnostic? Don't think it exists yet, but I'd love to hear an atheist teenpop song! It would fit nicely into the teenpop-emo trend (Meg/Dia, not Panic! variety). I'd also love to hear more teenpop exploring guilt or conflict resulting from fame and wealth. As far as I know, P!nk is the only one to even attempt to articulate this conflict, but she likes to fall back on "hard work" to evade hard(er) questions. The guilt of privilege! Come on, middle class angst, let's hear it!

From "Emma":

im sorry im not quite understanding what ur saying if you dont like them or do?

Good question! No idea, sorry!

From "Laura":

U have nare loser

What?

From "Laura" again:

You are the most shallow person in the world you spinless feak how dare you ever talk like that about aly and aj they are inspirational in so many ways.They have good meaanings to their songs and love god which i do as well! aly and aj rock and are two inossent teenageras who wright songs about what is actully happening oin the world and not some superficial life of how everything is just dandy! They talk abouut what is happening. They are not talking a bout I as in them but rverybody when you sing the song you as well are saying I am one ogf them and anybody in the whole worl could be abducted and it is good kids know this becxause it could happen when they least expect it. They greatly respect their mother so her name is long thats why it is C. MIchalka. Do you know anything about them about thier family, pets, life, what their house like what they like to do, what other careers they do and what other shows they have been on. No you dont ytou are just some jerk of the strret who loves to get some info on some new comer and dis them so everyone hates them well guess what a million people love aly and aj and know what they are about so stay out of what you know and dont know and apperently its aly and aj! Is all that comes out of your mouth trash about someone? R you a bully in this whole blog well you are! I hate anyone like you! you are the people who sits around and do nothing but to sabatouge someones reputation and onse you done that you move on out of them you find the most mior things and just pick at it! Like their christion omg thats sooooooooo bad so you get people to say like stuff about it and then you cause stuff. They will not go down because one idiot out of millions of people in the world decided to stand up and dis someone! You can dis anyone you like ill fend for them they sing sticks and stone so there! Everybody has idols yours may be satin but mine and my friend are Aly and Aj!So go find your self a life and get writ!

Those aren't typos; it's poetry. "Find yourself a life and get writ" is inspiring! I hope I get the chance to someday use "Everybody has idols. Yours may be satin."

From "mAGIE":

UR RETARTED

tr.v. Chiefly British tart·ed, tart·ing, tarts

To dress up or make fancy in a tawdry, garish way. Often used with up.

Which means that "retarted" would be to "dress up or make fancy in a tawdry, garish way after having already de-tarted." (Consider yourself retorted! HA!)

From "Lauren":

I've been listening to this album for the past few weeks, and I can see what you're saying about the lyrics, but I don't understand what you're getting at. Are you alarmed about the fact that they're Christians, and they're influencing the listeners of Radio Disney? In what way is that a bad thing? I certainly didn't pick up on the religious undertones from just listening to their songs without any background information on the duo. Since I'm 18, I don't think a lot of young kids will either.

As for their lyrics, the messages you're attempting to derive from them are a little too deep for the genre. Fear mongering? It seems like they're simply letting kids know what's out there with "I Am One of Them." "Sticks and Stones" is empowering, and lets young people know that you'll be alone if you continue to bully everyone around you. Vindictive? Hardly. I didn't get that impression at all, but I'm not trying to look for some insidious disturbing message in their youthful and somewhat naive lyrics. Catchy? Certainly. That's why they have such an eminently listenable album. Disney produces fun message music that's doesn't seem to have enough substance to amount to anything harmful.

Thoughtful response, and I think I agree with most of it. Maybe I'm just a big hater after all. You've also provided Disney with a parental disclaimer ("fun message music that doesn't have enough substance to amount to anything harmful") that is probably far superior to anything they would ever write. Which means they should hire BOTH of us!

EDIT: WTF alert! Reminds me of someone...log cabin lolz.

you guys are sooooo mean......I LISTEN TO ALY AND AJ AND THERE MUSIC IS AWESOME!!! they have every right to have things about god in there songs!!! THERE MOM IS A CHRISTIAN SINGER! and besides they are growing up and they can have WHATEVER they want tin there songs!And your comment..they shouldne be concerned about the topics of kidnappingn and bullying and all that??wtf they can be if they want the are kids! they may get bullied and they need to be worried about getting kidnapped alot of kids get kidnapped daily! so u need to really shut tfup you dont have ANY say in what they sing about...it is there music....and they arent any ppl bad..i talk to them on msn all the time and they are super nice./..imagine if see what u are saying about them! u no what go die somewhere in your little log cabin!!