Favorite Song Tourney Matchup #25 DSJS vs. Shop Vac

robgonzo

Back to some Second Tier action. Remember in these matchups winner plays on and loser goes home.

Dance, Soterios Johnson Dance defeated Ikea but lost in the next round to The Future Soon.
Shop Vac lost early to I'm Your Moon but has had two wins in the second tier against That Spells DNA and Baby Got Back.
This will be an interesting one.
Favorite Song Tourney Matchup #25 Dance, Soterios Johnson Dance vs. Shop Vac

eta
Shop Vac wins 26-18

Covenant

Well, neither is a favourite of mine, far from it.
But I think I can tolerate Shop Vac over DSJD.

That'll probably get my vote...
Unless the bribes get better... ;' )

Dr. Perry Cox

I think Joe should vote for DSJD because everyone took their time and explained the song to him (And Angela)

Covenant

We didn't need it *explained*.
We just disagreed with those 'explanations' as reasons for it being 'awesome'.
Nor that you didn't *need* those explanations 'for' it being classed as 'awesome'.

Bry

It's gotten to the point where I'm always on edge when DSJD comes up, because I know there's going to be unwonted hostility.

Dr. Cox, I agree with you that DSJD is a great song, but, y'know, not to talk down to you, but sometimes people just don't like the same things you do! You needn't behave as though you've taken on this huge obligation of making others see something they're too slow or too ignorant to see -- I for one wrote at length about how much I liked DSJD because I enjoy writing about things I like ("things I like" include writing about things I like), and if it helps change someone's opinion I'm glad of it, but that's a bonus. And as I've said, I really appreciated your DSJD explanation. This place would be a happier one if everyone spent more time saying, "This is what I like and why I like it," and less time saying, "...and if you think otherwise you're wrong."

I've been curious to hear what, if anything, makes Covenant dislike the song so much (or at least regard it so negatively) -- it'd be more interesting than hearing him reiterate that he doesn't like the song. But I can't blame him if he doesn't want to open himself up to more attacks and more people trying to persuade him his opinions are wrong. I don't mind disagreement, but can we at least be respectful of one another, please?

Dr. Perry Cox

Before anyone else jumps down my throat, there was no serious intent in my post

Covenant

@Bry
Wait till after the last Watchmen episode.... 25 mins...

ETA:
(My that was good...)

Anyway...
Its really simple.

(These are MY personal reasons... Please note song quotes may be incorrect.)

SJ means nothing to me. I don't know who his is-nor even care to.
Without knowing who he is the premise of the song is meaningless.
Just because a newsreader (which you only truly know if you know who the man is) dances at night is nothing unusual to ME as someone who has been in the performance business for many many years. I know news readers... The fact one could be a dancer is nothing new.
The fact that he is a *secret* dancer is therefore pointless.
What is *amazing* about the fact that people have *lives* ?
The line "A genius smashing expectations" is also therefore pointless. (Why is he a genius? Why is having a *honeyed voice* something to equate with genius? Again, no frame of reference-it means nothing. )
As I have said before, I could write about someone from UK TV that perhaps many people IN the Uk would know. Maybe (probably) as many people who know who SJ is.. But would it mean anything to people in the US... Not a thing. The references would be meaningless....

HOWEVER, the mere fact that those references are intrinsic to the song (to me) is not my only reason for not reacting in the same manner to its content...

Knowing people like those described, (as I do), means I do not equate those *talents* with genius, nor that the dancing thing should be a surprise -
I hate to point to pointless TV culture to reference my point but "Strictly Come Dancing" is a partially decent example of my reasoning.
(Three points in one sentence.. Do I get extra points for that!?)

Or, for an opposite take (but with very similar content)... The majority of you would probably need to look these up...
Google "Frank Bough"... or "John Lesley"... Or "Michael Barrymore"... or "Angus Deaton"...

Finally, Musically,
I also don't think the song is particularly special, certainly not when compared to some of the incredible work Jonathan has created.

Ergo... DSJD is simply another of his 'also rans'...

... to me.

But, as Bry says.. I'm not going out of MY way to push MY 'take' ON anyone.
Nor ridicule them if they disagree with it.
*I* am only trying to make others understand *my* opinion.

(Its MUSIC! One man's meat... if I may mix metaphors)

And on that note....

(See what i did there !?)

... I now await multiple usages of Bry's avatar...
(Hopefully the syntax above is follow-able.. it is, after all, 4am here....)

;' )

Bry

Thanks, Covenant! That was interesting to read -- as I said, the context of SJ as a newsreader is something we both lack equally (though I'm unsure whether you know that SJ is little known even within the US, so that even New Yorkers are likely not to have heard of him, whereas I've heard of Barrymore and Deayton), but oddly, you have more context than I do, due to your close connection with performance.

Ah, I always read "genius" as referring to his dancing ability (he's a genius of the dance, rather than a genius of newsreading).

CoolJammer00

So even if you hummed it without words, you'd still hate it? Do you even just like it as a tune?

Angelastic

I think Joe should vote for DSJD because everyone took their time and explained the song to him (And Angela)

People also took the time to explain Shop Vac, and I think those explanations were better (at least, I could relate to them a teensy bit more.) What the SoJo explanation eventually came down to was, 'It doesn't matter who he is, and it's not supposed to be funny that he's dancing. It's about somebody who has a job he finds boring who is living his dream of dancing', which I don't really get because dancing is very far from any of my dreams. Whereas the Shop Vac explanation boiled down to, 'he's living the dream. But is it his dream?' which I can kind of relate to, I don't think I've ever been sold the Suburban Dream but there are things such as having kids that I probably would have consented to do eventually if I hadn't realised that it was somebody else's dream being pushed on everybody. Not that I think that there's anything wrong with it, just that a lot of people do it not because they really want to but just because it's the thing you do, and it's kind of expected, and if you don't, then oh no, your parents will never avenge your troublesome childhood, and you won't get cute grandchildren to give back to their parents when they misbehave, and there will be 10 billion people and not one of them will have half your genes and give you warm fuzzies to pay back for the [unintentional] warm showers.

That's not to say I'm definitely going to vote for Shop Vac. I'll think about it.

JonathanL

I'm wit DSJD on this one. Shop Vac is in my "3 Star" range on the old iPod, and DSJD is a 4 Star song. Open and shut. The lyrics to DSJD are weird, but it's a lot of fun. It may not be in JoCo's upper tier to me, but I like it.

three08

argh. i am probably alone in this, but choosing between these two is going to be torture for me.

wishflower4

Both of these songs get stuck in my head so easily...I think it's the hand claps in "Shop Vac," and "Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance" is just damn catchy. I'm probably gonna go with DSJD...there's just something in JoCo's voice that does something to me in that song. It's very passionate--I almost forget that it's a ridiculous premise, on occasion.

CoolJammer00

I doubt DSJD is on the Creative Commons flash drive, but I really wish it was, because I want the backing track to it.

Angelastic

It isn't, but everything that is is now available for download (see the JoCo Looks Back thread.)

CoolJammer00

Yeah, I saw that, but I think I've said to Bry and maybe others, that I had this wonky mp3 player and earpiece, and I could twist it just right and hear the backing tracks only. I like the falsetto in the backing track for DSJD.

Spiff

Aye, tough one. I think I'm going to have to go with DSJD, only because between the two of them, it's a little bouncier and gets stuck in my head easier.

pieisthetruth

Shop Vac for me, partly due to that line about the starbucks.

Bry

I find it interesting that Covenant and Angelastic both seem to have kinda thought, "Huh? What's so special about DSJD?", only Cov was thinking, "Dancing's not uncharacteristic behaviour," and Angela was thinking, "I can't relate to dancing at all."

Or, phrased another way: Covenant was saying, "Why is dancing his secret passion?" and Angelastic was saying, "Why is dancing his secret passion?"

Caleb

Well put, Bry. I fall into Angela's camp on this one. Dancing?

CoolJammer00

Soterios Johnson, dancing.

elliomeg

Egad. These choices are getting to be impossible. I'm going to have to think about this some more.

Encubed

It's not unreasonable to have dancing as your passion. It was my mother's passion (she did ballet as a child) but she never followed up on it and it makes her sad to this day. Unfortunately health circumstances don't let her do it anymore.

Angelastic

I'm sure it's perfectly reasonable, and I'm sure dancers are unlikely to eat your eyes, it's just not obvious to me, since it's so far from any passion of mine.

Great summary, Bry.

MitchO

For the first time in this contest, I'm unsure what I'm voting for.

JonathanL

Go Soterios Johnson, Go!

three08

it was a hard choice and i was this: | | close to just flipping a coin but in the end i felt i had to pick soterios johnson.

Gina

Uhg this is hard. I haven't cast my vote yet. I love both of these songs.

I'd never heard of SoJo until this song, I don't think that detracts from it. Although one might find it even more awesome if one has had the experience of waking up to his dulcet tones.

DSJD is happier and more fun and totally makes me want to dance.

Shop Vac is my husband's favorite JoCo song (although Always The Moon might replace it) and I respect his opinion. It's awesome too.

But I think it's gonna be SoJo.

Encubed

I think I'll be voting Shop Vac, because while I've had both songs stuck in my head, Shop Vac is catchier and I reall like clapping along when I hear it. You don't get to clap for SoJo.

jonas3333

I really dig both of these songs! So hard to choose. Leaning Soterios because I just love the imagery so much.

robgonzo

BTW the voting on this closes Sunday.

MitchO

Well after much deliberation, I went with Shop Vac. Call me a sad sack, but I empathize with the guy (even if I'm not exactly in his situation). I think in some way, it's easier to write a fantastic tale of dance than it is to write a sad story that rings true.

BorbaSpinotti

I love both songs, but I'm just a DSJD man, probably because I find it musically highly satistfying. The fact that I liked it before even knowing that SJ is a real person, or in fact before I figured out that the character is a newsreader, might point to my absurdist side. Also, I find it amusing how emotional people get when DSJD comes up. It is starting to remind me of this comic.

elliomeg

In the end I went with DSJD. So catchy. Plus I love the celebrate yourself and the moment message.

robgonzo

it is the end of the Dance
Shop Vac wins 26-18

JonathanL

NOOOOOOOO!!!

Caleb

Guess there never was any other answer.