Most of us have, at some point, been attracted to someone who may have lacked classic good looks, but just had “that certain something.” Maybe it’s their personality, maybe it’s their demeanor, maybe it’s only on the days they wear that one red dress. The same sliding scale of hotness applies to certain celebrities – those that you wouldn’t necessarily look at twice if they worked at the mall, but in that one movie, you’d hop into bed with ‘em in a second. Here at Blendetta, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite “Not Hot Hotties” — keep reading to see who made the list… (more…)

Amirah’s picks:

10. Barenaked Ladies – August 28, 1997 – Merriweather Post Pavilion / Columbia, MD

Sounds quite lame in retrospect, but at age 16, I remember this being one of the most fun nights of my life. BNL live is something like a cross between a band and a comedy troupe, and given that this show was slightly before they had a big mainstream hit with “One Week,” they weren’t afraid to be completely off the wall. Plus, my mom insisted on going to “make sure nothing happened to me,” and even she had a great time.

Har Mar Superstar booty shorts. Yes, I do have these.

9. Har Mar Superstar/Ben Lee – April 22, 2005 – Black Cat / Washington D.C.

To say the crowd there for folky indie dude Ben Lee were not the same people who would appreciate Har Mar’s Prince-style sleaze-pop, is something of an understatement. I have honestly never seen such hatred from a crowd for a performer – and I have never seen a performer more willing to keep going despite the animosity. I think I was one of about 10 people who actually went there to see Har Mar (who puts on a fantastic show, I might add), and it seemed my devotion did not go unappreciated…I’ve been in the front row for a lot of shows, but this still stands as the one and only time the guy on stage grabbed me and kissed me in the middle of his set. Memorable, to say the least.

8. Reverend Horton Heat/Southern Culture on the Skids – September 28, 2003 – Recher Theatre / Towson, MD

I’ve seen the Reverend several times, and I have say they do pretty much the same show every time. However, it is an awesomely fun, gloriously gimmicky rockabilly show, and this was the first time I saw it.

What I could grab of the Phoenix set list.

7. Phoenix – May 6, 2006 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

I love this band, and they are simply amazing live. Singer Tomas Mars has a subtle charisma that few can pull off, and a beautiful voice that sounds just as good live as on CD – a real feat in these days of autotune. I remember the band doing “Playground Love” as the encore; Tomas being the original singer for this Air song, this was one of those special “for the fans” moments.

6. The Libertines – October 19, 2004 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

Many felt this tour would be somewhat lackluster thanks to the absence of band co-founder Pete Doherty, but I doubt anyone would claim that after attending this show. Sure, the Libs were magic as a duo, and I will always wish I could’ve seen that live, but this was still one of the most exciting shows I’ve ever been to. This crowd was up for it, and it certainly showed when the show ended with a massive stage invasion. Funny thing — I remember getting separated from my friend in the melee of the crowd and inadvertantly reuniting with him…on stage. Unforgettable.

A really bad photo from the Chemlab show. What
do you want — I had a shit camera and it was dark.

5. Chemlab – January 7, 2006 – Albion – New York, NY

This was the first of three Chemlab shows I’ve attended, any of which could easily have been on this list. I actually enjoyed the setlist more at the other two, but this one makes the list sheerly for atmosphere. At the time, this was supposed to be a one-off show, and there was really no reason to believe we’d see Jared “get the band back together” any time soon. The fans partied like there was no tomorrow with the kind of energy that it’s often hard to get out of a New York crowd. Credit Jared Louche, a natural performer and the kind of frontman you can’t take your eyes off of.

4. Skinny Puppy – June 22, 2004 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

Reunion tours generally have a 50/50 chance of being amazing or horrible, but luckily this one fell into the former category. It seemed the guys had moved on from the low-budget experimental shows they did in the early days, having put together an amazingly designed theatrical show, that still felt like Skinny Puppy. Plus, I was just thrilled to get to see one of reasons industrial music exists.

3. Arctic Monkeys – March 27, 2006 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

Never in my life have I come home from a show with more cuts and bruises. I was crammed right up in the front for this sold out show, and these were the real, hardcore fans at this one – this actually took place before the album was even released in America and well before the Arctic Monkeys hype machine made its way across the pond. No pretenders here, this was just a lot of Britpop kids for whom this was their new favorite band, and these were the songs that saved their lives. Can’t say the Monkeys have the best stage presence ever — they kind of have that Oasis “I’m up here playing for you and that’s all you deserve to get from me” attitude – but that wasn’t what made this amazing. The crowd made this something special.

My aftershow pass for KMFDM. Yes,
those letters actually do say KMFDM.

2. KMFDM – November 6, 2003 – 9:30 Club / Washington, D.C.

Way back in the day, KMFDM was my gateway drug to the world of industrial music. However, I never got to see them live thanks to problems like being too young to get into clubs, or not having a car, or not having friends that liked weird bands nobody had heard of, or a myriad of other things that stop teenagers from going to shows. But in 2003, after interviewing band founder Sascha K (my first real band interview) – I got to attend their WWIII tour and give him the issue of the paper the interview was published in. I just remember being so excited to be there, and really could not have asked for more out of this show. Plus I’m glad to have made it to the last KMFDM tour that resident singer/troublemaker Raymond Watts would be part of.

The Morrissey setlist, still with stage tape
on top. Now hanging on my wall.

1. Morrissey – September 29, 2004 – DAR Constitution Hall / Washington, D.C.

Morrissey. Moz. What can you say? Love him or hate him, the man’s a legend, and one that I never thought I would get to see live. I’m not one for “favorite bands” lists, simply because I like so many different genres, it’s too hard to compare. But, if I had to name my top 3, I’m certain The Smiths would be in there. Being too young to have ever had the opportunity to see them live – and also too young to have seen any of Morrissey’s solo tours prior to his hiatus from music – I didn’t really think this one was possible.

But in 2004 the impossible happened – Morrissey put out the phenomenal “You Are the Quarry” and toured to support it. I was attending this show with one of the most obsessed Smiths fans you could ever know, and I think we devoted the entire month prior to this show to Morrissey. Usually when you look forward to something that much, there is no way it can live up to expectations, but somehow this did. Morrissey has every bit the stage presence of a legend, and we were completely blown away. In fact, during “I Like You,” he actually reached down and grabbed my friend’s hand, and the boy nearly fainted — I literally had to catch him. The entire night was the very definition of magic, capped off with an encore of “There is a Light that Never Goes Out.” It gets no better.

Krissy’s picks:

10. Lollapalooza 1997 - Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
This show was just fun. I got to see James, Tricky, Orbital, Snoop Dogg, Korn and Tool all in one day. Despite being surrounded by ton of stinky, sweaty kids wearing striped Adidas pants, it was a good show. Oh yeah, and the Korn kids shouting “Korn, Korn, Korn…” while James was playing almost made Tim Booth cry. They didn’t finish their set.

9. Rolling Stones – World Tour 2002 – FedEx Field / Landover, MD
I had more fun at this concert than any other that I’ve attended. It started with tailgating in the parking lot with some dude named “Johnny” who claimed to be a representative from Budweiser. In reality, he was just wearing a Budweiser NASCAR jacket and had drunk a lot of beer. He was nice though. He literally gave me the shirt off of his back. I went to the show with just enough money to park, and ended up drinking, eating, and getting a ’78 tour shirt – sweet deal! The show itself was really good, even though Keith Richards missed all of his leads. Thank god for them that Ronnie Wood was on his game that day!

8. Buckcherry – Time Bomb Tour 2001 – Recher Theatre / Towson, MD
This was the first time I had the chance to see Buckcherry live. After their amazing show, my friends and I got the opportunity to hang out with the band since we knew their label rep. Josh Todd walked over to me, pulled up my shirt a little and jokingly said “wow, you’re skinny too” and rubbed my stomach. It was funny after the fact, but it scared the shit out of me while it was happening. Everyone in the band was incredibly nice and friendly, not scary at all.

7. Coldplay – World Tour 2002 – Pier 6 Pavilion / Baltimore, MD
One of the biggest perks of working for a music store was definitely free tickets and backstage passes. My friends and I got to see a wonderful performance and then hang out with the band. Sitting in the pavilion, drinking Heineken, chitchatting, and signing autographs – the guys from Coldplay are the nicest band people I’ve ever met!

6. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Summer Tour 2001 - Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
I’ve always known that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are under appreciated as musicians. I just didn’t realize how much they were underrated until I saw them live. I had really bad comp. seats for the show, but the music made it worth the ride to Virginia. I can say hands down that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are the most talented live act I’ve ever seen in person.

5. Oasis – World Tour 2005 – Merriweather Post Pavilion / Columbia, MD
I thought I missed the chance to see Oasis (and the Black Crows!) when I failed to get tickets for 2001’s Tour of Brotherly Love since they broke up after the tour. Thankfully for me, they reunited, released and toured for “Don’t Believe the Truth”. Liam Gallagher was incredibly rude to the audience and to the band – it was exactly what I had expected and it was awesome.

4. Aerosmith – Just Push Play Tour 2001 – Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
I’ve loved Aerosmith ever since I was a child, but never got the opportunity to see them in their “hay day”. Seeing them live from a few rows from the stage was amazing.

3. Paul McCartney – US Tour 2005 – MCI Center / Washington DC
Ok, I was so excited about this one, I have almost no recollection of the experience – and I wasn’t drinking! My friend Kitty and I managed to score 10th row center tickets. At first, I thought that I was crazy for paying $250+ for the each ticket… But after hearing “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Hey Jude”, I knew it was worth it - it was a once in a lifetime experience! I’m still very happy that I got a chance to see a Beatle!

2. U2 - Elevation Tour 2001 – Baltimore Arena / Baltimore, MD
This was my first U2 concert, ever. It was amazing! The air in the arena was electric that night. I was positioned at the tip of the heart shaped runway where I got a ton of great pictures. I also got a feel of Bono’s leg…

1. U2 - Vertigo Tour 2005 - Washington DC / MCI Center
Probably the coolest concert experience of my life! It started with Bono waving to me from the window of his Escalade. After the wave, I ran inside the building to get as close to the runway as possible since I had general admission tickets. When my ticket was scanned, the usher informed me that my friend and I had been randomly selected to stand inside the runway! We were up against the stage for the entire show. Bono even said hi to me, and at some point, he splashed me with water – it was pretty awesome. I still have the tank top I was wearing. It’s hanging in my office, unwashed since the event : ]

10) King of New York – Good movie. I like Christopher Walken.

9) Snatch – Some of Brad Pitt’s finer work. Couldn’t really understand a word he said, but it was still a good performance.

The real Serpico and Pacino as Serpico

8) Serpico – If you’re thinking this one doesn’t fit the category you’re wrong. Wearing a badge doesn’t stop you from being a criminal. This is a great movie, especially because Frank Serpico’s story is a true one.

7) Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels – Dangerous criminals + stupid criminals may be a recipe for disaster, but it makes for a good movie.

6) Pulp Fiction - All-star cast and a plot with lots of twists and turns. I’ve seen this dozens of times and I can still find little things that I’ve never noticed before.

5) The Untouchables – Kevin Costner and Sean Connery are awesome in this movie. It’s a great depiction of the mafia during the mafias hay-day - back when everyone owned a Tommy gun.

4) Donnie Brasco – Most movies where an undercover agent infiltrates the mob is full of suspense – this one takes the cake. Its funny with this film how you start to feel bad for the “bad guy” and begin to dislike the “good guy”.

3) Casino – Very brutal movie that shows how organized crime expanded from New York and Chicago to Las Vegas. Love everything about the movie except the part that takes place in the corn field – I don’t think I’ve watched that entire scene with my eyes open, ever.

2) The Departed – In my opinion, this is a modern classic. It’s one of those movies where the good guys are bad, the bad guys are good, and as for everyone in between, you really don’t know where they stand. It’s a shame that Scorsese had to wait so long for an Oscar, but I think he definitely deserved it for this movie.

1) Goodfellas – Hands down my favorite organized crime movie of all time. I think it’s just about perfect. It has an excellent cast and tells an excellent story, from beginning to end. You really get to know and like the characters, especially since you are first introduced to them when they are children. Plus, any movie that can make Layla feel so creepy gets a lot of cred in my book:

Honorable Mentions: Once Upon a Time in America, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, State of Grace, Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag, Made, Blow, Scarface… oh, and those Godfather. I’m only mentioning the Godfather movies because without them, the movies on my list may have never been made. I just don’t love the Godfather movies like everyone else does. I’ll probably wake up in the morning with a picture of a horse head in my inbox for saying that, but I’m just being honest.

Comments are welcome!

- Krissy

From November 1999 to November 2007 I worked for a Baltimore based chain of independent music stores. I started as seasonal help in ’99 making a mere $5.25 / hour when I was just 18. From there I quickly moved on to Key Holder, Asst. Manager, Store Manager, and Manager in Charge of Training. I worked in all 11 locations: doing inventory, re-merchandising, and general cleanup. My point is: I know the ins and the outs of running and working in an indie music store. Here are the stereotypes that I hate that were associated with my previous job:

10. I smoke pot like, uh, all the time. Not that I think it makes a difference to you if I do or don’t, but it did to me – under some circumstances… like with the police. Try calling the cops when someone steals a bunch of shit from your store and have them take you seriously… and not harass you. You can accuse me of a lot of things and you’d probably be right. But for the record, I don’t smoke pot.

9. High Fidelity is the Best Movie - EVER. Guess what? I’ve seen it a couple of times. I hated it, and I’m sorry. Although completely inaccurate I did like Empire Records. I would have had that little thieving bastard from that movie arrested (if the cops even came when I called them) – I wouldn’t have hired him.

8. People think that you just hang out and listen to music all day. I wish that were true but its not. There is actually a LOT of hard work involved in working in and managing a music store. The general public (and their heathen offspring) likes to fuck up your store – especially on the first of the month. It takes a lot of effort to maintain order in a store that is supposed to be kept in alphabetical order! It’s very hard to convey this realism to applicants – they also think that we just hang out and listen to music. If they are totally into My Chemical Romance, but can’t spell their name, they still believe that they are prime candidates for employment.

7. I Bet you’ve never even heard of Buffalo Springfield!

Buffalo who?

Guess what? I have. I might be a young white girl, but I know what I know. I also knew that when people asked for “that the bullet hits the bone song” they are asking for Golden Earring – Twilight Zone. It’s not called “when the bullet hits the bone”, but it’s the song they were asking about. And when people asked for “that heaven sent you song” by Marvin Gaye, I knew it was Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell - Your Precious Love, even though I’m not old and I’m white. If you ask me a question about your favorite song, you obviously have no clue what you are asking about: let me at least try to prove to you what I know. These are also the people who used to tease about “I bet you’ve never even seen a real 33 & 1/3 record before!” when there are 30,000 of them in the store.

6. So what kind of discount do I get? Ok. If you charged me $5.00 for a $12.00 pizza or removed all of my late fees for a video I hadn’t returned on time, thank you, but that’s on you. Indie store or not, we never operated on a barter system. I never jeopardized my job for cheap food or movie rentals. (more…)