zzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzz (imature, pointless reply I KNOW)

I suppose bands see this as an easier way of getting exposure which radio would not normally offer, non specialist radio that is. In times gone by the only means of getting exposure was probably to release the single, submit it to the radio stations and hope for airplay. That and touring. Since non specialist radio no longer plays non mtv friendly music access to the ordinary joe soaps living room has been cut off... TV appearences open this door again. my 0.02c

I had a hoooouge discussion re this a while back. I guess to me... in my opinion .. it really depends on the band - and the show. The Killers featured on the O.C. doesnt really suprise me. They are kitschy indie pop and totally commercial. However I did see The Walkmen on it and that to me was a load of b****x. I knew them previously as Jonathan Fireeater and have seen many interviews with them etc etc. They gave off the whole punk rock mentaity - dirty gritty hard work....keepin it real yadda yadda And then they're on the O. f**kin C.? now THATS a load of b****x. Interpol featuring in Friends too - man I gotta say i wasnt overly impressed. I guess I do just have a very romantic notion of music for the sake of music but in fairness its something I practice as well as preach.

The OC, Friends etc is art (drama, comedy, dramedy.whatever), it's really s**tty art but it's art all the same and I don't have a problem with other art being sed to enhance it. Films have been doing it for years.

Ah come on man. Its is different. Films usually use music to enhance the atmosphere of a scene. Whereas I very much doubt they were concerned with that when (i dont know the names entirely)... 'Seth' and 'Summer' were bitching about whos shoes cost more etc etc to a back drop of the Walkmen playing in the local youth club. Thats just blatant commercialisation and for bands that give off one image and not follow through well, I tend to loose respect rapidly. And that case was quite an outrageously blatant display.

What happened to the days when a band was happy with a slot on the Tonight Show with Carson/Leno? or in our case The Late Late, or even Live at Three, giving us these kind of surreal moments: Derek: "So Thelma, what have we got coming up this afternoon" Thelma "Well later, we'll be showing you how to crochet your own bridgets' cross, but first heres a band whose drummer just happens to be the producers nephew" *cue sound loud 80s Dublin indie, half dribbling Daniel O'Donnell loving audience has a coronary, other half claps along indifferently*

Remember the hormones (marc carrol from puppy love bomb) doing the wedding for Ross and one of his wives on friends. That was fairly tacky!

This is nothing new, Waylon Jennings was a cast member of the 'Dukes of Hazzard' tv show, a tradition carried on by Willie Nelson in the movie version, ding, dang, doogly doo, I sure love that film.

The OC thing of band playing gig for the hip teenager seems to be a "throwback" (why do people seem to use that word so much?) to the Beverly Hills 902010 era. As part of my student existence I was watching Beverly Hills 902010 some morning last week on Sky - it was the first time I've ever watched a whole episoide - to my surprise the Flaming Lips appeared in their local bar place singing "She don't use jelly" and then the video was played during the credits. The older blond guy who's kinda sleazy turns to one of the girls while they're playing and says " I don't normally like alternative music, but the Flaming Lips are great" and then goes back to talking about the "campus rapist" that's terrorising the masses....not the most perfect segue in the world!

And on the theme of country stars on the box (Willie and Waylon) you can't leave out the phenomenal piece of groundbreaking TV shown on TV3 on Saturday mornings featuring Billy Ray Cyrus as "Doc" - a hillbilly/cowboy type character uprooted and transplanted to NYC. It's so bad it's nearly enjoyable but Billy Ray's theme tune "Stand Still" doesn't seem that awful on first listen. However, when one purchases "Time flies" the album from the which the song comes and listens to it a few times, one deserves the wrenching headache that accompanies this foray into unbelievably-bad-country-music. I know I should've known better (Achy Breaky Heart, for goodness sake) but still....

F*ck it lads, I think the Walkmen, the Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse and whoever else you want to mention are completely justified in appearing in these shows. If MTV or commercial radio won't play their music during peak time hours then these bands are dead right to show some inniative and try and expose their music to a larger audience. I think they should be applauded for it. I don't see it as selling out as they're not diluting their music in any way. They're just presenting their music to an audience that wouln't usually be exposed to them.

I can just imagine blonde receding hair guy, Shannon doherty, Jason Priestley and tori Spelling listening to the Flaming Lips 'Zaireka' on all their car stereos in quadrophonic sounds. Now that would be worth taping. I agree with Stroller though and it is a thrill to watch some old movie from the eighties or nineties and catch a band that you used to love back in the day. Didn't the afghan whigs do the music for some movie years ago?

bell x1 played that show (oc) last year - according to them it made a huge difference to how they were perceived and treated in the states, raised their profile a lot. can't see why any band wouldn't or shouldn't want that really.

I suppose the other thing to remember is that on TV, the "Music" channels don't really play much music any more. MTV/VH1 are more about reality TV, celebrity gossip, etc. The heyday of the music video was in the 80s and its been slowly declining since, so if people aren't watching music TV as much, where on TV do you showcase your music?

Sweetie, the Whigs were in the background as a bar band in the film Beautiful Girls singing Barry White's 'Can't get enough of your Love, Babe'. Film was ok, great band though. Short of a band back tracking on some form of idealogical anti-corporate stance, you can't really blame them for allowing their songs to be used in the US when a favourable placing on a TV show could give you the same exposure as years of touring.

Its the age old new fan/old fan debate. I ave noticed the change in Bellx1s fanbase. I dont let it get to me, most of the time. But yeah, the reaction to eve (I reckon is one of their poorest song) gets me everytime. I've never been a 17yr old girl, so I dont know if its normal. Teenage girls at gigs are great, far easier to see the stage. I saw fcuk all of Interpol in Olympia a few months ago, bar the red lights on the background above them :(

Stoller and Binokular - i agree with both those points even though they are conficting. There is very little 'music' tv these days - altho mtv2 do try their best and shows like 120minutes have provided me with many cool little bands i never would have heard of otherwise. But then when you read anecdotes like Strollers of BellX1 its like - is that what you would really want? Its a catch22 situation i guess - but enough bands still steer clear of that kinda s**t these days and still manage to get along - even without the assistance of huge marketing campaigns and advertising. I guess it just depends on your own code of living really.