Uh, OK. So, Nickelback.
No, I know. Me, too. Like, everyone, all of us. We all do.
There’s no point in discussing it, even. You just sigh, change the dial for about three minutes, and then you dial back again. See? Like, you barely even have to actively hate the music. The band is just kind of everywhere, ubiquitous and permanent, like a type of tree. It’s just this thing you step around.
Nickelback is a pretty popular punching bag. In 2005, NPR’s All Things Considered did this totally scathing piece on Mikey Smith’s Nickelback mashup, “How You Remind Me of Someday.”
“Can a band plagiarize itself?” NPR wondered.
At the time, Nickelback’s bassist responded. He remarked on the band’s signature sound, describing the identical melodies and musical structures as a “hit quality.”
I remember thinking, well, Nickelback’s worst crime, then, is no sense of humor. Like, don’t try to convince me of the artistic process of manufacturing. Just laugh it off, bros!
Lately, Nickelback has learned to laugh. Billboard:
Apparently tired of being the butt of many a music joke, the band members of Nickelback (or the reps controlling the group’s Twitter account) have gone online to sarcastically respond to every joke and insult being hurled their way.
In response to “Was driving down the street, and a @Nickelback song came on. I had an aneurism and violently shit myself at the same time. And my dog died,” the band replied, “I bet it was the best day you’ve had in awhile. #yourwelcome [sic].”
And after seeing the tweet “Nickelback came on the radio… Worse than rebecca black #earsbleeding,” the band shot back, “Then it’s working?!?!? Sweet!”
The band members didn’t just go after haters who replied to them, but to anyone who used their name. Between the sarcastic replies, Nickelback continued to send friendly messages to fans and supporters.
That is… actually hilarious.
ONTD has culled some of the very best ripostes from the Nickelback Twitter account.
My favorite exchange simply goes:
“They played nickelback at this game. Ew.”
“you loved it”
(Image via Beat Wolf.)