A girl with two names called me a "Dumbo"

08/20/04: Three in a day.  This has got to be a record.  Sara's just not letting up, OR spending any more time on her thoughtful letters.  Sara writes:

I happened to have an IQ of that of a college senior and I'm not yet in college but no one tries to kill anyone I love and gets away with it unharmed

To which I replied:

Step AWAY from the computer.

Why don’t you do us all a favor and point out exactly where it is that I have threatened harm to the insipid devil spawn known as the A*Teens?

Now as for your letter: Whether or not you “happened” to have a high IQ in the past (Drugs perhaps?), you certainly aren’t exhibiting it currently. You’re making baseless accusations, and phrasing them poorly to boot. To date, I have received precisely ONE letter which was well-written, insightful, and showed even the slightest command of the English language (And no, it wasn’t yours).

The majority of the hate mail I ever get starts off on an instant tirade about what an idiot I am. That’s no way to start a conversation, but I’ve yet to be intellectually humbled by an A*Teens fan. I’m willing to bet that’s not going to happen this time either. So, before you go leveling threats, why don’t you try to form some kind of general idea of what it is you’re trying to accomplish? While you’re at it, why not read over your own letters before sending them. You might want to try a spell checker or something too.

Now, down to the business at hand; your letters are becoming more and more threatening. At the same time you are faulting me for threats that I have never made. I’d seriously suggest you stop before you get yourself in trouble. You aren’t going to harm me, so drop the attitude. You don’t scare me, and you wouldn’t last two minutes anyway. It’s over, move on, let it go.

MG2

08/20/04: Twice in one day, even.  Sara wrote me back again, continuing her rather amusing attempts at a threat:  If anyone can translate from Idiotese, I'd love to know what it was she was trying to say, exactly.

WHY I ORDER, do you think I'm playing because I AM NOT.

And I just had to respond as follows:

Why you no speaking English like brain-having person?
Go away.

MG2

Honestly, It just goes to show that NONE of these people ever read what others have written.  If they had, they'd KNOW not to send me poorly written gibberish such as this.  You're just humiliating yourself, and wasting everyone's time.

08/20/04: Some girl named Sara (sara_the_hip_hopper@yahoo.com) just wrote me this morning in what has to be the most pitiful attempt yet to make me change my page.  Normally I don't put people's email addresses up here, but since the letter is kind of (mildly, laughably, flacidly) threatening, I'll put it here as a matter of public record.  Speaking of "the record", when I say "You wouldn't stand a chance" I refer to my stature.  I'm 6'2" and well over 250lbs.  I've been offered bouncer jobs many times.  In short, I don't often find myself threatened, least of all by adolescent fangirls.

Anyway, here's what Sara had to say:

I just came upon this website of yours, http://www.oocities.org/melgrubb/rants/ATeens.html, and I was shocked. You don't want to mess with their fans like me because disaster can happen as a punishment for threating their lives. They are humans like us and you treat them like trash.

Take me advise

IF ONE OF THEM DIES BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU'RE D-DAY WILL COME!

To which I (as always) responded.  Here's what I had to say to Sara:

Wow, obsess much? Or maybe you just assume everyone else does. So lets just cut to the chase, shall we?

1. No-ones threatened anyone but YOU, and you seem stupid enough to have done it online.
2. No-ones dying because of ME.
3. You wouldnt stand a chance anyway.

Move along now. Go play. You just made the page.
MG2

10/03/02: It took me quite a while to get to these two, what with me having more IMPORTANT things in my life than answering A*Teens hate mail. Anyway, I got two letters a month ago, and of course, I replied to them both. Here are the contents of my responses. First, a letter from "alan" whose email is signed "Kerry". I've seen this pattern before somewhere.

Hello whoever you are,

Couldn't be bothered to find my name? It's at the bottom of EVERY FREAKIN' PAGE of my site.

I am not 14 years old, I am 17 years old and a senior in high school.

My respect grows by leaps and bounds.

Usually I go to humor sites against music groups expecting to see some witty and funny comments regarding the groups. This is the first "hate" site I've been on in years that I didn't find funny or enlightening in any way whatsoever.

I never said it was a humor site. It's just MY site, where I post MY thoughts, nothing more.

You are married with two kids?? My God, I would have thought someone at your age could at least be mature enough not to act like a Goth anymore. My school's full of goths by the way-- I thought that was something people grew out of. In your case, I guess you haven't progressed since your kindergarten year.

Your ass must hurt after pulling that one out. What the hell does "Goth" have to do with any of this, and when did I claim to be one? For your information I consider myself to be a CyberPunk thank you very much.

What in the world are you talking about with all these comments about how the A*Teens are evil? How specifically are they evil?

Since you obviously can't be bothered to read my thoughts before commenting on them, I'll spell it out again. They represent all that is evil and wrong with modern consumer culture. They are vapid, vacant, market-researched product that comes from corporate executives with money on their mind rather than from the hearts of artists pursuing artistic expression and groupie-sex as it was meant to be.

Out of all the pop groups out there, I have never encountered a group like them. Each member is so sweet and caring to their fans-- do you know how rare it is for a celebrity to treat fans well?? Believe me, it is beyond rare.

And how soon after the first public "leave me the fuck alone" would one of them find their ass out of the band, eh? I'm not saying they're not enjoying the hell out of this, I know I would. But that doesn't make them any less of a vacuous waste of time.

The A*Teens have 3 CD's, proving that they have a solid fan base.

Strong evidence indeed. I know local bands with more albums than that and I guarantee you've never heard of any of them.

And if you live in the U.S. (I didn't bother to even find out on your website)  I hope you know that in Europe they are majorly more popular.

Yeah, the Germans dig David Hasselhoff, and the French love Jerry Lewis, what's your point?

Their music is so incredibly happy and uplifting. It is so rare to find a band that has such cute and fun- to- listen- to music.

You're still under the illusion that the music is theirs, like they actually wrote it.

If you prefer to listen to Eminem (i actually like Eminem, but I am not so cold hearted as you that all I listen to is depressing music) and other hateful music, go ahead.

Not really, I find his voice to be irritating in a way I won't even attempt to put into words. By the way, on what do you base your opinion of my music collection? Perhaps you'd like to describe it for me. I remember it being a very wide and varied collection of stuff, but maybe I haven't been through it as recently as you.

But don't even start bashing young fans who are so innocent and simply love the music they are hearing. You should at least get a sense of humor, because the pure hatred that I see on this website is just disgusting.

I'd like to point out that I didn't bash the fans, I bashed the band. When someone sends me an attack, however, I feel it is only proper to defend my position, and if I find a little sport in the odd jab at the weakness of their attacks, then so be it.

And one more thing! The A*Teens are NOT an ABBA cover band. Not only do their songs sound different (much more modern, in my opinion), but 2/3 of their CDs have NO ABBA TRACKS ON THEM!!! Did that get through your thick skull? They were put together to create a CD of ABBA remixes, but that was only their breakthrough record.

Had you bothered to read the site, you would have seen that I've already addressed this issue multiple times. The page is somewhat frozen in time. I don't remove parts of my site, I amend them, which I have done to the A*Teens page countless times. I guess you couldn't get THEM through YOUR thick skull, though.

And it is retarded of you to say that the lyrics don't apply to them. They were singing ABBA songs, get it? I sure hope so, because seriously, they didn't write the lyrics. They aren't even claiming to.

You really haven't read the site, have you. That is precisely my point! They were singing songs that were not appropriate for them. They were singing songs about the end of a relationship that lasted longer than they'd been alive, AND doing it with stupid grins on their faces.

And I am sick and tired of morons like you who are so old fashioned and ignorant as to think that a group has to write their own music to be considered "good." Want an example of a highly regarded singer who did NOT write his own music, but is coincidentially ignored by people like you?  Elvis didn't write his own music. And there are quite a few others that I am too tired to think of right now.

There's a huge difference between using songs written for you by others, and being a cover band. I know they're not a cover band any more, they're still a pre-fab band, and I dislike them on principle.

So anyways, I really don't care what you say in reply to this. It will be interesting to see if you have the guts to post this.
-- Kerry

You don't have to "dare" me to put up your letter. I would have anyway.
MG2

10/03/02: And then there's my favorite of the two letters.  This one has quite a bit more to say than "You suck".  It's one of the best I've had yet.  A letter of substance and subtle sophistication.  Kelly wrote:

Hey! I like your site, it was greatly amusing to me. I'm a big A*Teens fan btw, but heck, I must admit that some of your points were completely justified for being an Abba fan. I'm writing to you partly out of boredom and partly out of fascination. I'm always up for a good debate. I don't think you're an idiot, I think you're just a person who says what they think. I don't think some of your points were good, that's just me, why else would I be writing this? You tend to use a technique of writing that I commonly use (like now) to impress upon someone your superiority and confidence. By speaking to everyone in a condescending tone, you not only prove your point better, but tend to come off as being "smarter than you actually are".

The medium lends itself to an authoritarian tone. When it's YOUR site, I think you have every right to claim the upper hand in the conversation. Also, the page was originally such a minor feat, that I thought nothing more about it until the hate mail started pouring in in spurts every time some enraged A*Teens fan would mention me in a forum or something. It just struck me as so rediculous that people would get this bent out of shape that I felt obliged to knock them back into place.

Don't worry, I like doing that too on occassion. Your vocabulary is larger than mine granted, I hope to build mine up as I get older.

Not sure where that comes from, actually, since I never even liked reading until I was 25. Thank Roger Zelazny I guess.

Please, don't take any of this as a insult on your character, take it more as a critique of your writing, ultimately making the reason you wrote all that worthwhile. I'm by no means trying to change your opinion, as your comments aren't changing mine, I'm simply forming a rebuttal to your argument. Let's start from the top and work our way down the page.

That's what I always do. Have at it.

First off, how old are you? I feel sorry for poor little 14 year old Kyla and the many other 14 year olds whose intelligence you've insulted, although in some cases I'd agree with you.

I'm sure she's intelligent in other ways. This was a pretty foolish battle to pick, though. I mean really, is this that important? To me it's just amusing.

Gramatically, you aren't perfect either.

I try my best.

Your very opening line, considered by many as the most important line in a thesis paper, is: "Wow, two letters in as many days." In as many days?

What's wrong with that? Agreed, it's not common American usage, but it's perfectly valid. It means I got two letters in two days. "In as many days" is used quite often. Go to Yahoo and search for "In as many days" (With the quotes) and you'll be surprised just how much it IS used.

I'm not saying you should be perfect gramatically, I'm not either. And I know you didn't mention grammar as being one of the "clues" to the writer being 14, but before you go off ranting on what a young and inferior audience the A*Teens have, make sure you too are perfect in your writing else you look like an idiot as well.

Their tastes will mature as they age, and one day we'll all look back on this and laugh.

"And if they don't do ABBA any more it's not because they've "moved on", it's because they've run out of ABBA, get it?"
But how could they have run out of Abba! Their CD had 11 Abba songs, Abba had way more songs that they could've done.

Okay, to be more specific, they ran out of ABBA "hits". Most of ABBA's music is exceptional, but not all of their songs were "singles" if you know what I mean.

They've stated that they wanted to move away from Abba, thus the CD without Abba songs. But, considering what you think of the A*Teens, you'd probably think this is a marketing ploy.

You win a cigar.

But couldn't we say that there's a chance that it isn't? I wouldn't try to put words in their mouths, just as you wouldn't want someone putting words in yours.

Now THAT's irony.

This point was one of your weaker, it was not supported by any evidence. It just frustrates me how your arguments are so entirely based upon assumptions. Your proof of factual evidence runs low.

But it's my opinion. I put MY opinions on MY site in the OPINION section (Of which Rants is a sub-set). I'm not writing an expose' book claiming to have the insider knowledge of the A*Teens secret lives off-stage. I'm talking about how we're sold to these days. Bands names and logos exist before the members have been chosen. That's just wrong. There's a place for exactly that kind of thing. It's called Broadway.

"I would find it hard to believe that having life handed to you through your formative years could possibly lead to someone being "nicer 10 thousand times better than" a real person who has to deal with other real people all day."
What? The A*Teens aren't real people? Yes, I know what you mean, but before you start saying they aren't real people dealing with real people having real problems, you should get to know them a little at least.

Substitute "Normal" for "Real" and my point will be clearer.

"I have no lackeys fawning over to inflate my ego. I know exactly what I am, and like it just fine."
Another gramatical error by the way. Should have a "me" between "over" and "to". I'm sure all the fawning by us lackeys of the A*Teens inflates their egos. It does not mean however make them bad people. And how do you know that the A*Teens don't know who they are, and that they don't "like it just fine"?

Excellent point, I wonder where the "me" went. I know it was there before. I think GeoCities has developed a leak or something.
I didn't say that they don't know or like what they are. That comment must be taken in the context it originally appeared. I was given the opinion "Cause i bet anything i owe they can sing, dance, smile, and are nicer 10 thousand times better than you can!" This was meant to make me feel bad about myself, and that I am not as "nice" as them. To which I respond that I am perfectly happy with who I am.

"The defense rests."
From what I've gathered, you were the one putting out the original comments.  Therefore it makes everyone who responded to it the defense. True, you are defending yourself against them. But, if we look at it from the origin of that phrase, the court, you'd still be the prosecution.

I beg to differ. I stated my opinion on my own site, and didn't go foisting it on the fans. I never posted to their groups until they attacked ME. That makes me the defense. Someone might be a prick, but if they don't pick the fight, then they are not the attacker.

Ok, moving on to the page where you took a whole section of the old d/b and pasted it on. We have a new d/b if you'd like to check it out, it's part of a-teens.com. Although the rules have gotten stricter since that one and if you start a fight I'd have to ban you.

I hardly see the point of going there if I can pretty much guarantee that just by showing up I would start a fight.

Actually, I now see that I did see your site before but didn't read it carefully. That was a while ago, I've changed, I've grown up. For the record I was yoshixc, I have a spelling error, and you left in my siggy. :)

I'm willing to make corrections for people other than myself. I post everyone's comments as they are unless asked to change them. I will not change the content, however, or fix errors that are mentioned later.

You can still chat with Britney if you want on the new board, her new sn is Mariel. I must say, I find this whole thing incredibly funny. I still didn't read the whole conversation on that page, it's rather long winded on both sides. Therefore, I won't comment on it.

It was rather amusing.

As I move down your page, I wonder if you know the history behind the A*Teens. You may, you may not. Some people in Sweden wanted to do a tribute to Abba. They set up an audition, the A*Teens' dance teacher encouraged them to go. They got in, they're loving it. Alright, now picture this. You're a teenager and you get to audition for a tribute band for one of your favorite groups. You go, you get in. Then some anonymous person writes about how much you suck and don't measure up to the original group. Ok, now seriously, when given this once in a lifetime opportunity, would you really quit because the director told you to smile while singing the opening line?

I'd have to express my artistic differences at that point. I just don't see singing about infidelity with a smile on my face.

Yes, I understand that part of your criticismwent to "the people behind the A*Teens". If that's the case then why does it seem like you're coming off so hard on the actual 4 teenagers? Perhaps because you are. If you mean for part of the criticism to go to the director and producer, please, SAY SO.

The director and producer suck. There, I've said it. I feel so much better.

"I turned it off at that point and moved on." Oh come on. You don't strike me as someone who takes a brief look at something and then judges it (take that back, you slightly do).

No, I really did. The smiley line turned me off instantly.  I felt the singing was flat, and I didn't want to see any more.

If I had done that to you, I wouldn't have gotten through the first sentence. I gave you a chance, I sure wish you would have given them one too.

"I bet none of them can even tell you what a fucking "Super-trouper" IS!"
I'm sure they could. Heck, I knew what it meant . . . you're not the only person that knows what it means, so don't assume so. Again, these assumptions should stop.

Again, this is my site, and my opinion section, and I'm going to post my opinions in it.

"How can you be sick of touring already, your band has existed for what, a couple of months?"
They're a cover band for crying out loud. They're using the same lyrics, it's not their fault. A lot of your criticism lies in that they are too young to be singing these songs. Well, the casting call was for younger people, they were younger people. Think of this instead as singing along to your favorite group. You sing the lyrics, you may not be feeling those feelings or anything at the time, you you can still sing it. Sure, it may not mean as much to you as it did to the writers of the song, but it does not make it a public offense to sing them.

No, it's not a public offense, but I may still find it privately offensive.  If I'm assembling a pre-fab pop group, I should think I would put a little thought into choosing songs that were appropriate for them.

"Oh isn't that cute, the suits that manufactured this group have them paired off just like the original band. We have the pre-requisite blonde, the brunette, but for that 90's feel, they are NOT all pale Swedish Caucasians."
Again, they're a cover band. What kind of cover band would they be if they weren't a little similar to the original? And I don't think anyone would've gotten upset if all of them were "pale Swedish Caucasians". I apologize for my repetitiveness, but they're a cover band! They're suppossed to be similar.

I won't repeat myself again, you know the drill.  That's what I dislike about them.

"I can't tell whether the marketing suits made him change the spelling of his name, or if he's even really Swedish, but I think the phrase "Ricky Scroeder clone" covers it pretty well."
Ok, so now we're taking one picture and disecting and judging by it. I'd hate for you to get a hold of a picture of me. Before I continue I apologize, I'm getting more frustrated as I trudge through your work. Ok, his name's John Dhani Lennevald. No, he didn't change the spelling of his name. But yes, he does like being called Dhani better. He is Swedish, born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden as well.

"She's obviously meant to be the "Sporty spice" of the group. Otherwise, why the inconsistent hair from picture to picture?"
This is something I completely don't get. Perhaps you could explain it to me. Does Sara's hair not change as well as Marie's? How many pictures have you looked at of them? To make that statement completely valid, you'd have to had looked at a lot more than 2 pictures. I'm sure you have, try look again. Notice that perhaps Sara's hair changes just as much as Marie's.

I was reaching a bit.  I needed to say something about each of them for consistency.  Not one of my stronger points, agreed.

"I was going to make fun of Amit's spelling and grammer mistakes in his 5/21 news entry, but since I assume English is not his first language, I'll let it slide."
How very nice of you. Yes, english is not his first language. Yes, that was a nice thing of him to write things to the fans don't you think? Yes, I'll let YOUR gramatical errors slide as well. *rolls eyes and sighs* It's only human.

Since Grammar and spelling had been points I'd brought up before, and leveraged against people with, I felt it necessary to "disclaim" my way out of attacking someone who clearly didn't deserve it.

"Hmm, name-brand tie-ins just like Britney spears, the hallmark of pre-fab pop groups."
*thinks* To tell you the truth, I've seen more than "pre-fab pop groups" doing ads and commercials. Let's not be simple minded here, everyone does it. I suppose that's just one more thing in life you'll have to live with.

That's actually my point.  It's one way to test the "Artificial fame" factor of a group or individual.  If the group is featured in a major (IE Pepsi) commercial within a year of the first time you heard of them, it's probably a safe bet that that corporation has a tie-in with them, and therefore an interest in seeing them successful.  I wouldn't go verify it myself, of course, but I wonder how many stadiums that normally sell Coke are allowed to house a Britney Spears concert, or at least without changing the drinks for the night.  It's all about franchises.  You'll never find a Taco Bell that serves coke because Taco Bell is OWNED by Pepsi.  They own KFC and Pizza Hut, too.  In a similar fashion, I bet they "own" a part of the artist's tour.  They have exclusive rights to what gets served on the tour.

"And I can almost guarantee they don't fit with the theme, or quality of ABBA's original works, although they probably have the same "feel". Gotta keep that "hook"."
Your use of "And I can almost gaurantee" implies that you haven't actually heard these songs. Or else, you being the opinionated person you are, would have said something more like "I can guarantee". And yes, it's a good thing they kept that "hook". If something's good, go with it. Why in the world would they change their music so dramatically so that they'd lose theiroriginal fan base? That'd be incredibly stupid.

Nope, haven't heard them... have no desire to either.  There was a time when you could get SUED for imitating someone else's "look and feel".  If, in the 70's, I created a band called "SSIK", with a terrific light-show, extensive costumes, and included a band member with an unusually long tongue, I'm pretty sure KISS would have sued me, whether or not I was covering their songs.  You see what I'm saying.  This is not my major point of contention.  I don't mind someone else making songs similar to ABBA.  I'm all for it.  What I'm saying is that even when they stop covering another band's WORDS, they still can't stand on their own, and stop trying to cover that band's FEEL.

Ok, it's late, I'm tired. I again apologize for the last parts of this email. As I looked closer at your writing I find that it does in fact irritate me. I don't believe that this will have changed your mind, but I do hope that you respond to this. It's a bit longer than I had originally thought it would be. For future fuel for your site, check out their newest CD. And, so you know, I just turned 16. So, make of that as you will. Sorry for any typos you may find.

Crud, I forgot about the other matter I wanted to address. I'll make it quick. Concerning your "He Needed Killing" article. What you're saying is that the judgement of one human being's life should be made by another human being. True, some people would be better off dead, but it is completely and utterly ignorant and stupid to say that the choice should be made by another human being! I mean, seriously, that was plain and outright a bad point. I'd write more, but I'm tired. Perhaps if you email me back telling me how in the world you came up with this I'll tell you more. Thanks for your time, hope you enjoyed it.

-Kelly-

The choice is already made by another human.  A judge can sentence you to death already.  It's hard to put into words more succinctly than the other page, but I'll try.  Person A is a malevolent, unredeemable scourge on society.  One day he will undoubtedly do something that lands him in a courtroom where a death sentence could potentially be given.  If you were to kill Person A, and then subsequently convince the judge of this, then you get to go free.  It's a play on "justifiable homicide".  You can already go free if you killed someone that was putting you in immediate, imminent danger, such as in the case of self defense.  I'm saying you should be able to defend yourself by proving that the person was enough of a lurking, CHRONIC danger to society itself.

It's not an honest suggestion, more of a stand-up routine.

5/26/02: Wow, two letters in as many days.  Obviously someone's mentioned me again in a fan page.  Tim to go log-diving!  I'll put the info here just like last time.  Anyway 14 year-old "Kyla" wrote me to let me know how wrong I am as well.  Here are her comments and, as always, my reply.

Hi, how are you? Well, I saw your little A*Teens thing. And, I am 14, laugh all you want. Well, I think you put lots of effort into that, and I am not sure whether I am impressed or a little disturbed. Why, if you hate them so much, put so much time and effort into listening to their songs, and then judging them, plus take up good space on a webpage that you probably could have used to something useful, to rant and rave about them? See, my friend and I had a slight idea as to why: you are a bit gay, now like its a bad thing--but when you saw Dhani and/or Amit, you had to have him. But, your still afraid of coming out of the closet--best case scenario, hate them with all your heart, and make a webpage about it, then no one will guess, ever! But, that is only a fanciful idea as to why, only you could tell me your reason. Obviously, by now, you must have figured out that I am an A*Teens fan, doesn't take a Scientist, but, beside the point, I really think you need to get a life. Give me a break! ~Kyla

I'm fine, thanks for asking, but why would I laugh at you just for being 14?  14 and a lemming maybe, but not just for being 14 (He says as he throws his head back in an evil MWAHAHA!)  As for time and effort, I put about 10 minutes into that page originally.  I'd say that the A*Teens community, however, has devoted inordinate amounts of time into trying to "correct" my opinions.  As for the time I spend defending my position, it would be rather rude of my to not reply when attacked, don't you think?  Each time another wave of hate mail hits my inbox, I look forward to the 3-4 days of sheer flame-war enjoyment that is forthcoming.  As to the question of my sexual orientation, I'm married with two kids thank you very much.

By the way, that's an extremely weak attack.  I mean, come on, I stopped accusing people I disliked of being gay back before high-school... oh, wait, you're not there yet... never mind.  You'll grow out of it.  Trying to call someone gay, and thinking it's some great insult is a very 80's mentality that I'm glad our society has advanced beyond.  Even at the time it was only a slightly more sophisticated epithet than "booger-brain" anyway.

If you couldn't guess my "reason" from my page than you are truly an illiterate moron bound for the trailer-park.  I've spelled it out countless times on the original page and the defenses that have since followed on.  They are a PRE-FAB COVER BAND!  As a member of the record-buying public, I am personally insulted that we are viewed as mindless masses that will buy whatever the "focus group" has identified as being the new big trend.  Unfortunately, the record-buying public at large seems to be EXACTLY what the execs see us as, nameless, brainless consumers who buy what they are told to, regardless of it's merit or lack thereof.

Yes, I guessed you were an A*Teens fan before I even opened the email.  I only ever get mails with the subject "hi" from people who think I'll delete their without reading it if they were to give a real subject.  Anyone who has anything important to say to me provides a decent subject line.  It is only those trying to "fool" me into reading their tirades that use the generic "hi".  By the way, I HAVE a life.  I don't sit around all day brooding about the A*Teens the way their fans do over my attacks.  I don't give them a second thought until someone demands that I clarify my already crystal-clear position, thinking that somehow they'll make me see the light.  MY page is where MY opinions go.  It is my choice what to post there.  I will say what I want.  If you don't like it, get your OWN page, and I'll be happy to provide a link to it.

5/25/02:  I received this letter from a "Barbara" (Last name withheld).  While I failed to notice it at the time, she introduces herself as "Natasha" in the letter, thus providing the only proof we need that she is indeed a youngster on Mommy's 'puter.  That in no way invalidates her opinion, but it should convince the casual reader to be forgiving of her atrocious spelling, grammar, and use of IM-slang in an email (The very depth of keyboard laziness).  My own fingers got away from me in a few places while composing my response.  I have cleaned them up not so much as a means to make myself look better, but rather to make myself FEEL better.  Barb-tasha is welcome to correct and re-submit her letter as well, and I will likewise expunge her gaffes from the public record.

hi, my name is natasha and i recently visited your site about the Anti- A*Teens. I have to say everyone is entitled to their oipion. But where have you been the last couple of years!? Shut up in a cellar?? Obviously NOT on top of things! The A*Teens are a whole lot better now!!!! Have you seen them lately. The girls are georgous and the guys, are ok looking. But for 1 thing, they only sang the old ABBA songs b/c they said they wanted to show the world how great ABBA was. And they said it themselves that the lyrics were hard to relate too. That is why their new cd involes stuff that 15 and 16 yr olds go through. Even though Marie, the oldest is 18. If you would open up ur eyes and clean out ur ears u would realize that. Well no duh they can't relate to some of the lyrics you dumbo! But even by 15 u can still be cheated on! All the guys at school, and that i know, even though they hate the A*Teens, they still think the girls are VERY attractive!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And they are very beautiful. And personally i don't think it is right for you to make fun of ppl just for the heck of it. They are good singers and they don't deserve the harsh things you say on that dumb website. Your not suppose to hate anyone, if your a true Chrisitan! So look at the most recent pic i have, and shut ur mouth about them. Cause i bet anything i owe they can sing, dance, smile, and are nicer 10 thousand times better than you can! Your just jealous!! So shut up and leave them alone! -Nat- 

To which I (Of course) replied as follows:

I don't take down my opinions just because they are a few years old. That would be like Fox ending sales of Star Wars Episode I now that Episode II is out. My pages are snapshots of what I felt and said at the time. And if they don't do ABBA any more it's not because they've "moved on", it's because they've run out of ABBA, get it?

To this day I consider them a symbol of all that is wrong with modern consumer culture. We've been analyzed, studied, divvied up into neat little demographics, targeted, and finally sold to like the cattle we've become. I've said all that needs said on my site, I don't really need to go into it again.

Now on to the specifics:

Q: But where have you been the last couple of years!?
A: Living my life and not giving a second thought to the A*Teens, thank you.

Q: Shut up in a cellar??
A: Funny you should say that as my office is, in fact, in the basement.

O: they only sang the old ABBA songs b/c they said they wanted to show the world how great ABBA was.
R: It's called Money, I think ABBA once wrote a song about it.

O: All the guys at school, and that i know, even though they hate the A*Teens, they still think the girls are VERY attractive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
R: I never said they weren't, but if looks=talent we'd all still be listening to Tiffany, and that didn't happen did it?

(ASIDE) Please don't construe this as a slam on Tiffany's talent, I don't feel like starting a second page for hate mail from HER fans as well.  I threw a dart into the "Where are they now" corner of my brain, and she was the unfortunate victim, simply because I couldn't remember Samantha Fox's name at that particular moment (Thus demonstrating her superiority for this particular example).

O: And personally i don't think it is right for you to make fun of ppl just for the heck of it.
R: It's my site and I'll flame whoever I want. That's why it's called the "Opinion" section.

(ASIDE) Okay, technically it's the "Rant" section, but I consider that as simply the extreme end of the "Opinion" section, so don't get technical with me.

O: Your not suppose to hate anyone, if your a true Chrisitan! So look at the most recent pic i have, and shut ur mouth about them. 
R: When did I ever call myself a "True Christian"? I certainly don't recall giving that impression at all. I defy the categorization of any religion or division therof as "True". The idea of "MY group has it right and everyone else is going to burn for eternity" is what's caused more wars than anything else in human history. MY beliefs are my own, formed on my own, and not "given" to me by a preacher, priest, shaman, or hippie cult leader. I listen and collect theology from those around me. I do my OWN research. I've got an autographed copy of street preacher Bro. Jed Smock's book on a shelf next to "The Shaman Within" and "The metaphysics of Star Trek", and if anyone asks me to pigeon-hole myself I say proudly that I'm into Neo-Pagan Tao-Buddhist Shamanic Jedi-ism.

O: Cause i bet anything i owe they can sing, dance, smile, and are nicer 10 thousand times better than you can!
R: Thousands of dollars worth of voice lessons, endless rehearsal and sophisticated pitch-correction equipment will do that for you. I would find it hard to believe that having life handed to you through your formative years could possibly lead to someone being "nicer 10 thousand times better than" a real person who has to deal with other real people all day. I have no lackeys fawning over to inflate my ego. I know exactly what I am, and like it just fine.

O: So shut up and leave them alone!
R: I already HAD, you're the one that brought it up again.

The defense rests.

Last updated 09/03/03 Site contents Copyright © 1999-2001 Mel Grubb II