VH1 Needs Better Researchers

So I was flipping channels the other day and VH1 Classic was rerunning their "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders" special hosted by William Shatner. Entertaining stuff, however I had one big problem with it. Many of the bands were not "One Hit Wonders". To me, a one hit wonder is a band that has that one hit song, and you never hear from them again. You don't know any other songs by them. They didn't have long careers afterwards either. Their career is completely defined by that one song.
So lets look at some of the artists in the top 100 who really shouldn't be there.

The Waitresses - I know What Boys Like. Sure that was their one big song, but I am sure around Christmas time every year, you hear the song "Christmas Wrapping". Maybe not a hit song, but people know them for that song as well. So I would take them off the list.

Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart. He is definitely known by most people for only that song, and that was his only pop hit. But it was a crossover hit. He had a string of hits on the country charts. Disqualified.

Tommy Tutone - Jenny (867-5309) - Again, definitely their biggest song, but it wasn't even their first song in the top 40. Disqualified.

Spandau Ballet - True. They had three top 40 hits from that album, and a slew of hits in the UK. One Hit Wonder? Not True.

Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U. Smash hit, and her most well known song, but "The Emperor's New Clothes" was also a modest hit, and her albums have sold well for many years since then.

The Cardigans - Lovefool is their only hit over in the states but they have released several awesome albums since then. Their career is not defined by that song. In fact that song is the antithesis of their career. I would take them off the list because they are still around releasing albums which sell quite well overseas, and are critically revered in the U.S.

Falco - Rock Me Amadeus. Disqualified because "Der Komissar" was a hit before Amadeus. You can't be a one hit wonder if you have two hits.

Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It. Twisted Sister had several hits. "I wanna Rock" is being used in a car rental commercial that airs all the time. Whoever did research for this show had their head up their ass.

Ratt and Quiet Riot. Both are best known for one song, but I don't know many metal fans who think of either of these bands as on hit wonders.

Faith No More - Epic. Are you kidding me? all I have to say is "Falling To Pieces" to automatically remove them from a one hit wonder list. That album was huge, and lets not forget "We Care A Lot" which came out years before epic. Sorry, they are just plain not a one hit wonder.

I'm sure they were more that should be removed from the list too, but these were the ones I didn't need to even look up.

Perhaps my definition of "One Hit Wonder" is different than VH1's. But if only having one song in the top 40 automatically makes you a one hit wonder, then Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin are both one hit wonders. Even if that was the case, many of these bands still had more than one top 40 hit. VH1, if you couldn't come up with 100 artists who actually fit the bill, maybe you shouldn't have made the show. It was an insult to those bands, and to anyone who knows anything about music.

Crowded House concert on VH1 Classic

Last week I briefly wrote about the release of Crowded House's farewell concert on DVD. To my surprise, as I was flipping channels last night, I found the concert playing on VH1 Classic. It will be in heavy rotation for the next few weeks. If you aren't familiar with the band, aside from their 3 or 4 stateside hits, you should definitely give them a chance. Neil Finn is a fantastic songwriter, and they never got the big fame they deserved in the States.
You can get the full schedule of airings here (VH1s site is damn near impossible to navigate, without getting looped back to their front page every time)
Links:
Crowded House schedule on VH1 classic
Previously on Pining

Eddie Vedder and Laird Hamilton on Sundance

Season 2 of the Sundance channel series Iconoclasts is currently re-airing, and episode one was great. Eddie Vedder waxes philosophical with one of the world's greatest athletes, Laird Hamilton.
The premise of the series is pretty cool: In this original series, leading innovators and creative visionaries come together to discuss their passions and creative processes to provide viewers with an inside glimpse into the inspiration and motivation that made these iconoclasts who they are today. Previous episodes have featured Michael Stipe with Mario Batali (weird combo) and Robert Redford with Paul Newman.
This show documents Vedder and Hamilton hanging out in Hawaii together, surfing, painting, and discussing their views on life. Laird has a sick spread of land overlooking one of the most vicious waves in the world, Jaws, which he and his crew were the first to surf and live to tell the tale. After flying around and surfing Maui, Laird attends a Pearl Jam show in california, which he gets to by biking 75 miles, rather than drive. The dude is extreme.
The show re-airs today at 2 PM, and Wed. the 24th at 1 AM. Check it out.