NME to be free / still shite

[Céadóg]

Presented without comment.

[Delete Delete Delete]

Nah, you've scrawled actually kinda cool over the cover.

[Céadóg]

Lads, we finally have incontrovertible proof that the NME is shite. They quoted me, without credit, saying that John Feldmann is a bit rubbish really.

I mean, I can now say that I've been printed in the NME, but fuck me.

[momatt]

They quoted me, without credit, saying that John Feldmann is a bit rubbish really.

pics mate.

[Céadóg]

Yeah, I run a Biffy Clyro fanblog. Fuck off.

[Famous Mortimer]

Yeah, I run a Biffy Clyro fanblog. Fuck off.

No hate, thebiffyboffin is about the best possible name you could have picked.

[Céadóg]

No hate, thebiffyboffin is about the best possible name you could have picked.

Alliteration, innit. Also, it makes me sound like an arrogant cunt, so it was the obvious choice.

[thraxx]

Does anyone still have a set of those Top Trumps that either the NME or Melody Maker had as a free gift in around 1993/4?

[CaledonianGonzo]

Top Trumps or just photo playing cards?  If it's the latter I've probably got them kicking around somewhere.

[Norton Canes]

I've got them too. The artists on each suit were taken from a different decade - the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. Unfortunately the deck was published in 1991, which means there's a bit of a narrow focus for the 90's acts.

[DukeDeMondo]

Wasn't that Jimmy Page one from the Kerrang! set? Proper nostalgia bomb there. That one would have been later than 1991 though.  I was in primary school. One of them had Glen Benton on.

[lazyhour]

There was a Top Trumps one too, given away in about 4 instalments by the Melody Maker. It's quite amusing and I have it somewhere.

Each performer was given a brief description at the top of the card. Prince's was, from memory, "a dwarf dipped in a bucket of pubic hair".

[Famous Mortimer]

There was a Top Trumps one too, given away in about 4 instalments by the Melody Maker. It's quite amusing and I have it somewhere.

Each performer was given a brief description at the top of the card. Prince's was, from memory, "a dwarf dipped in a bucket of pubic hair".

Knock yourselves out:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NME-Top-Trumps-Cards-Mid-90s-Complete-Set-Rare-/272049740286?hash=item3f576d99fe:g:NvMAAOSwLzdWTLCa

[Norton Canes]

Ha, Mr Agreeable has a  card. Can anyone make out the categories?

[holyzombiejesus]

Isn't the Brian Wilson card on the noticeboard on the cover of Barafundle?

[Head Gardener]

I have the full set of the NME playing cards too, not the Top Trumps ones but the same as these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NME-Leader-of-the-Pack-Playing-Cards-Set-Rare-Complete-Vitually-Mint-/272049731024?hash=item3f576d75d0:g:RvEAAOSwIwhWTK5w

[thraxx]

Ha, Mr Agreeable has a  card. Can anyone make out the categories?

That the cards.

From memory, three of the categories were:

Shagability
Sartorial Elegance
Hardness (Top Trump was Sonya Madan who had 10).

For Prince, instead of a number he had a mathematical like Pi.

Can't remember what the others were.

I might have to buy the set on Ebay - they were great fun.

[lazyhour]

They were deffo from the Melody Maker and not the NME, right?

[Norton Canes]

Melody Maker if Mr Agreeable, yes.

[Chriddof]

Now the NME thinks it's Digital Spy or something?

A news item about a slight mistake made by one of Ant and Dec in "I'm A Celebrity Get Me etc". Which isn't even a particularly interesting mistake.

They've pretty much killed this "brand" now, haven't they?

[Mark Steels Stockbroker]

Does anyone still have a set of those Top Trumps that either the NME or Melody Maker had as a free gift in around 1993/4?

Yes I do, thanks.

[Head Gardener]

Grimes #1 in the NME albums of the year

[Johnny Textface]

I tried listening to that and it made me feel sick.

[Mark Steels Stockbroker]

What do these modern bands sound like? Does anyone know?

[greenman]

Ultimately the NME started out as a vapid pop rag so returning to that status doesn't seem unnatural.

[Gavin M]

Fair play to them this week, this is a proper, old-school NME cover:

[Norton Canes]

Grimes was on the cover last week. Except the whole thing was wrapped around by an ad for the new Coldplay album.

[Custard]

Fair play to them this week, this is a proper, old-school NME cover:

Music on the cover? Blimey

[marquis_de_sad]

"Ok so trying to ape the Heat reviews section didn't work, let's try being Tumblr."

"And what if that doesn't work?"

"...Minion quotes?"

[Ghostly Pale]

That the cards.

From memory, three of the categories were:

Shagability
Sartorial Elegance
Hardness (Top Trump was Sonya Madan who had 10).

For Prince, instead of a number he had a mathematical like Pi.

Can't remember what the others were.

I might have to buy the set on Ebay - they were great fun.

I might like this idea were I not now haunted by the mental image of a young Caitlin Moran in charge of / coming up with the "shaggability" ranking and narcissistically snorting her assessment of people's aesthetic virtues and failings. It suddenly became a bit depressing.