Even though One Direction weren’t my bag, this is horrible news and I let out an audible ‘no!’ when I read this. This guy means the world to a very large number of people, and it’s possibly the most culturally significant music death for many years. (maybe it’s not the culture HERE, but everywhere else…)
It’s the level of mega-stardom just below Taylor Swift. There will be a lot of distraught people.
What a way to go, and at such a young age. Incredibly upsetting.
Yes, my daughters were very upset last night judging by the Whatsapp messages I saw. 1D were a big part of their lives for a short period and they still remember that time with great affection.
Can you imagine how dirty you would feel if you were one of the redtop/tabloid hacks who’ll spend the next several days/weeks hacking out “Troubled last hours of tragic Liam”-type stories for their ghoulish readerships?
Your post prompted me to visit one of Britain’s finest, most dignified and upstanding news outlets, so that you don’t have to. And you are sadly, quite correct
The ‘final’ photo of tragic Liam Payne before his fatal plunge: One Direction star returns to his hotel room before fall from balcony as staff told police he was ‘off his head on drugs’
You wonder how these people can face their kids – some of whom are/were surely 1D fans – when they go home at night.
How long before the first “shadowy figure” leaving LP’s hotel room conspiracy theory rears its ugly head?
The Fail/Scum, etc, will have to go some to lower the bar further than they did when covering Stephen Gately’s death a few years back, but I’m sure they’ll give it their best shot
My daughters were just the right age for 1D so I heard quite a lot of them back in the day. They were actually pretty good for a boyband. They did a sort of epic indie-lite pretty well. Must admit I’m not sure I could have named him until today but 31 is a schockingly young age. Very sad.
As a sidebar I notice that Wikipedia lists “Strip That Down” (a track on his solo LP) as credited to no less than 18 (that’s Eighteen) co-writers. It must be very good.
One of the interviews I’ve read today specifically mentions that he found the forced co-writing methods (common in modern pop) incredibly stressful. He felt that he didn’t want to have to share his personal experience with a group of complete strangers.
It steals something from a Shaggy number, which in turn stole something from Smile Happy by War. Hence seven of those co-writers were the entire 1975 line-up of War.
Point taken about the sampling above, but 18 different writers does rather suggest the lawyers are firmly in control!
In Rock ‘n’ Roll – now almost 70 years old – some of the ‘appropriation’ is astounding and the original (sole) writer rarely got a credit.
Genuinely famous people tend to be older and have actually accomplished something that earned them genuine levels of respect/admiration.
The best most younger people can aspire to is celebrity status – something that is both easier to attain and have snatched away by the fickle/easily offended fucktard masses who confer it.
Parky used to have true greats (Welles, Astaire, Mitchum, Bronowski – and none of them shilling books they had authored rather than written) on a regular basis
On the rare occasions Wossy or Norton host anyone approaching that level of fame they’re incapable of lifting their game and simply lump them in with other guests
1D were the biggest band on the planet for a period roughly equalling the shelf life of the Beatles. They are all legitimately as famous as the Fab Four were, just to people forty years younger than yourself. Sic Transit wossname etc
In comparing 1D to the Beatles, a band who really did change the
world in many ways, you set an impossibly high bar.
In the 60s, everyone but everyone – kids, teens, mums, dads, grans and granddads could name the individual Beatles and many of the songs they sang.
While we’ve all heard of 1D, I doubt very many of us who aren’t parents of, or older than, their fanbase could name more than one or two of their hits or all five members.
I got four – HS, LP, NH, ZM -but had to look the fifth one up*
That’s because 60 years have passed and we have thousands of pop/rock artists to choose from now. And a deluge of information available on all of them. Which makes the actual fame 1D have achieved in such a crowded field more impressive if you ask me.
Yes quite. How big do you have to be to qualify? Or is there some arbiter of quality who confers fame? I think not. Even celebrities are famous even if they are not deemed ‘important’. It’s relative. I am sure many of the 1D fans knew their names and that’s a hell of a lot of people. Who knows The Beatles by name now?
Leffe Gin says
Even though One Direction weren’t my bag, this is horrible news and I let out an audible ‘no!’ when I read this. This guy means the world to a very large number of people, and it’s possibly the most culturally significant music death for many years. (maybe it’s not the culture HERE, but everywhere else…)
It’s the level of mega-stardom just below Taylor Swift. There will be a lot of distraught people.
What a way to go, and at such a young age. Incredibly upsetting.
Max the Dog says
Yes, my daughters were very upset last night judging by the Whatsapp messages I saw. 1D were a big part of their lives for a short period and they still remember that time with great affection.
fentonsteve says
More than his death, which is bad enough, his 7-y-o son with Cheryl Cole is going to grown up without a father.
Jaygee says
Can you imagine how dirty you would feel if you were one of the redtop/tabloid hacks who’ll spend the next several days/weeks hacking out “Troubled last hours of tragic Liam”-type stories for their ghoulish readerships?
slotbadger says
Your post prompted me to visit one of Britain’s finest, most dignified and upstanding news outlets, so that you don’t have to. And you are sadly, quite correct
The ‘final’ photo of tragic Liam Payne before his fatal plunge: One Direction star returns to his hotel room before fall from balcony as staff told police he was ‘off his head on drugs’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13970493/Liam-Payne-final-photo-buenos-aires-hotel-room-death-balcony.html
Jaygee says
@slotbadger
You wonder how these people can face their kids – some of whom are/were surely 1D fans – when they go home at night.
How long before the first “shadowy figure” leaving LP’s hotel room conspiracy theory rears its ugly head?
The Fail/Scum, etc, will have to go some to lower the bar further than they did when covering Stephen Gately’s death a few years back, but I’m sure they’ll give it their best shot
Guiri says
The Fail have already found ‘two mystery women’ it seems, so it took them less than 24 hours. Bloody hell, who would want to be famous?
Jaygee says
fuck me they’re already hunting down “two mystery women”
Guiri says
My daughters were just the right age for 1D so I heard quite a lot of them back in the day. They were actually pretty good for a boyband. They did a sort of epic indie-lite pretty well. Must admit I’m not sure I could have named him until today but 31 is a schockingly young age. Very sad.
MC Escher says
That is terribly sad.
As a sidebar I notice that Wikipedia lists “Strip That Down” (a track on his solo LP) as credited to no less than 18 (that’s Eighteen) co-writers. It must be very good.
Leffe Gin says
One of the interviews I’ve read today specifically mentions that he found the forced co-writing methods (common in modern pop) incredibly stressful. He felt that he didn’t want to have to share his personal experience with a group of complete strangers.
Timbar says
That’s a whole rugby team plus subs
Gatz says
And probably more of them than it took to write The Ball of Kirriemuir.
JQW says
It steals something from a Shaggy number, which in turn stole something from Smile Happy by War. Hence seven of those co-writers were the entire 1975 line-up of War.
deramdaze says
Point taken about the sampling above, but 18 different writers does rather suggest the lawyers are firmly in control!
In Rock ‘n’ Roll – now almost 70 years old – some of the ‘appropriation’ is astounding and the original (sole) writer rarely got a credit.
Feel sorry for this lad. Fame? You can have it.
Jaygee says
Big difference between fame and celebrity, D.
Genuinely famous people tend to be older and have actually accomplished something that earned them genuine levels of respect/admiration.
The best most younger people can aspire to is celebrity status – something that is both easier to attain and have snatched away by the fickle/easily offended fucktard masses who confer it.
Ardnort says
This can be enscapulated by the chat show culture of our youth compared to now. i.e. Parkinson v Ross/Norton.
Jaygee says
Absolutely.
Parky used to have true greats (Welles, Astaire, Mitchum, Bronowski – and none of them shilling books they had authored rather than written) on a regular basis
On the rare occasions Wossy or Norton host anyone approaching that level of fame they’re incapable of lifting their game and simply lump them in with other guests
MC Escher says
1D were the biggest band on the planet for a period roughly equalling the shelf life of the Beatles. They are all legitimately as famous as the Fab Four were, just to people forty years younger than yourself. Sic Transit wossname etc
Jaygee says
“Legitimately” famous? Harry Styles maybe.
The rest of them? Sorry, but no.
In comparing 1D to the Beatles, a band who really did change the
world in many ways, you set an impossibly high bar.
In the 60s, everyone but everyone – kids, teens, mums, dads, grans and granddads could name the individual Beatles and many of the songs they sang.
While we’ve all heard of 1D, I doubt very many of us who aren’t parents of, or older than, their fanbase could name more than one or two of their hits or all five members.
I got four – HS, LP, NH, ZM -but had to look the fifth one up*
* it was Brad Dexter
MC Escher says
That’s because 60 years have passed and we have thousands of pop/rock artists to choose from now. And a deluge of information available on all of them. Which makes the actual fame 1D have achieved in such a crowded field more impressive if you ask me.
Diddley Farquar says
Yes quite. How big do you have to be to qualify? Or is there some arbiter of quality who confers fame? I think not. Even celebrities are famous even if they are not deemed ‘important’. It’s relative. I am sure many of the 1D fans knew their names and that’s a hell of a lot of people. Who knows The Beatles by name now?
Jaygee says
Suggest we all reconvene and discuss this is 60 years time
Diddley Farquar says
Probably for the best. Maybe longer.
Jaygee says
The 12th of Never works for me.
How about you?
I’ll have my people call you to fix
a time
Sitheref2409 says
Horst Buckholz, surely
Jaygee says
https://cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/1220-WHO-WAS-BRAD-DEXTER-THE-MAGNIFICENT-SEVEN-MEMBER-ALWAYS-OVERLOOKED.html