>To paraphrase Todd Barry, making fun of music is as easy as shooting fish
in a barrel. No, it's as easy as LOOKING at fish 
>in a barrel. However, having worked as a journalist, I can understand how
the venom may build up in one's system. There's 
>only so much mediocre music you can take before someone gets unloaded upon.


Oh, absolutely.  And I think everyone understands...or they certainly ought
to, anyway...that there's no possible list anyone can create with which
every single person everywhere will agree, no matterwhether you're praising
or insulting.

>The list Blender put out, however, was really lazy and showed how little
the magazine staff actually cares about what it's 
>doing. I mean, if you told me I could write about how much I disliked
Falco, you'd get a long and, I think, rather funny 
>screed about how his music got my goat, especially "Rock Me Amadeus," which
actually makes me physically ill. Now, give five 
>writers the task of writing about the ten artists that make them cringe,
stir them to anger or drive them to depression and 
>you may have a very funny piece that points out that this is an entirely
subjective and personal subject. Instead, we get 
>the Blender list, which is more than a little pathetic. 

I still haven't seen the actual magazine, but, for some reason, I imagine it
to contain quick, tight lines about each artist that would get you the hook
at most comedy clubs.  Examples:

Blind Melon:  To listen to their music, you'd think they were Deaf Melon.
Mike and the Mechanics:  In desperate need of a tune-up.
The Doors:  Where's the one marked "exit"?
Live:  D.O.A..
Gipsy Kings:  Hopefully, the Tramp Kings and Thief Kings have better
material.

Okay, actually, that last one's pretty good.  I'll have to remember it...