You Cannot Be Serious!

Okay, so it was a boring Sunday afternoon today, and when the U.S. Open was rained out, we were forced to channel surf. At one point, we stumbled across VH1's "Greatest Artists" show. Full disclosure: we never take these "Rankings" shows very seriously, and neither should you. There is no real way to "rank" the importance of artists, albums, songs, etc., and even if all the critics could agree, then everyone in the general public still has their own varied opinions, and they're entitled to those opinions. This is still America, right? Well, at least until the Republicans take over Congress.
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Anyway, we were watching this countdown of the 100 "Greatest Artists", and we came in somewhere in the 80's. Immediately we knew something was amiss. They had Janis Joplin and Otis Redding ranked in the 80's. What? Joplin was one of the most important and influential female rock singers of all time, and ditto for Otis Redding in the evolution of R&B. The 80's? Stop it. But then came the most ridiculous cut of all. Justin Timberlake was ranked as a "greater artist" than Joplin and Redding. Stop, stop, stop the madness! It was at this point that we almost lost a lung retching up our breakfast. Okay, we know we just said that you cannot take these lists seriously, but seriously, come on! Justin Timberlake is a "greater artist" than Janis Joplin and Otis Redding? It was at that point that we turned the channel, knowing that VH1 just lost what little credibility it might have had on this topic. And even if Timberlake might have, at one point, been on his way to "greatness", oh please, we can't stop laughing, he lost that trajectory when he made "The Love Guru". There is no way in hell that Joplin, Redding, Dylan, Hendrix, Jagger, etc. would have ever donned a speedo and done "The Love Guru". What is it with Timberlake and his generation that they have absolutely no sense any longer of what it means to be "cool". To be considered a great artist, you have to have an innate sense of "cool", not be a laughing stock. Bitch, please!
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Okay, and now, with that rant out of the way, we happened to turn the VH1 show back on, just now, to catch the "Top 5". Michael Jackson was ranked #2 and The Beatles were #1. Okay, we can handle that, but the #1 greatest pop musical artist of all time is still, and always will be, Elvis Presley. Sorry haters, but it's true. And that's not coming from a generational prejudice, Presley actually came before our time. But when you consider his world-wide popularity at his peak, his influence on other artists, his helping to create rock and roll itself, and his success in other mediums, i.e. film, television, etc., no one, not even Michael Jackson or The Beatles ever equaled him. Even now, thirty years after his death, he's one of the top selling musical artists in the business, and his following is still cult-like. Say what you will, but thousands of fans aren't gathering to remember Jackson or The Beatles, and they certainly won't be gathering years from now to worship Justin Timberlake's speedo. Thank you, Jesus.