Wizrocklopedia

MTV’s Top Ten Wizard Rock Bands

Lizz

Despite having only been published this morning, a list of “Top Ten Wizard Rock Bands” made by MTV has already created a fair amount of controversy. Their list, which can be found here, consists almost exclusively of the bands they featured as a part of their Phoenix Rising coverage, an observation made by many, like Matt of The Whomping Willows. He wrote today, “While I’m grateful for the recognition and the resulting free publicity at a time when I’m releasing a new CD and I can use all the publicity I can get, I honestly think this list is complete bullshit and ultimately indicative of nothing.” The remainder of his statement is available here.

You are able to leave your opinions in regard to their choices. Tell them what you think.

We do congratulate the bands that made it on the list but would like to comment that the wizard rock community is not typically fond of “ranking” its members. Matt finished his blog post today with, “It’s about community. And if MTV knew anything substantial about wizard rock, they’d know not to construct such a stupid list.”

If you have an opinion of your own and would like to share it, please leave a comment or send us an email.

Lizz

Former webmaster of the Wizrocklopedia, currently a self-published author, photographer, and creative individual.

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32 responses to “MTV’s Top Ten Wizard Rock Bands”

  1. Wrock Lover Avatar
    Wrock Lover

    I just want to say that it excites me to even have MTV acknowledge us. Yeah, the list may be a bit off, but if it gets people to come and listen and find out what we’re about, then its good. And then they can discover all the other great bands out there.

    Reply
  2. Lizz Avatar
    Lizz

    I agree, but they didn’t so much as include links to the band’s pages. People are lazy. Doing that kind of thing is important.

    Reply
  3. Elly Avatar
    Elly

    I compleatly agree with Matt. How could you rate your friends?

    Reply
  4. Denni Towle Avatar
    Denni Towle

    Dear MTV,

    Next time do your research before even thinking about putting out a “list” of “your”” top wrock bands. Don’t catagorize us as “One Genre” we are a community, a community that supports and helps one another, and we are made up of many genres from Rock to Pop, Country to Rap. Just because someone is popular, doesn’t ever mean they are better, and we are not about that, as I have even made my mistakes in this community, but do they hate me forever? No, they still accept me.

    I love that Wizard Rock is getting this attention, and love that the bands on your list are getting free publicity and they deserve it, but then so does every other wrock band out there, because we ALL built this community and we all keep it going.

    Read Books or I’ll Curse You,

    Denni Towle

    Reply
  5. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    I did a YouTube video blog on the topic here. I love you guys.

    Reply
  6. Draco19 Avatar
    Draco19

    Very well said, Denni!

    Reply
  7. Whompy Avatar
    Whompy

    I love that the only bias the Wizrocklopedia exposes is its general pro-wizard rock bias. I love you. : )

    It’s funny that a lot of people have criticized the list for only including popular wizard rock bands. I thought the one and only strong point of the list is that it includes a few smaller bands like The Owl Post and Catchlove. I think the main problem to focus on (besides the fact that ranking wizard rock bands is a ridiculous and unnecessary endeavor) is the fact that a so-called journalist constructed and published a top ten list that only includes bands that she’s actually met in person and interviewed. She didn’t attempt to reach beyond her scope of knowledge as of June 2007. She also didn’t bother to check whether or not these bands have even been active in 2007. No offense to the Switchblade Kittens, but I don’t think they did much of anything this year in terms of wizard rock, whereas several of the bands they “beat” spent half the year touring, recording and releasing new material.

    The whole thing is just silly. It makes me think of that movie School Ties, when Brendan Fraser’s character says, “You keep using me for football, and I’ll keep using you to get into Harvard.” Let MTV use wizard rock to up its counter-culture and indie rock credibility, and wizard rock can use MTV for free publicity.

    : )

    Reply
  8. Ammie Avatar
    Ammie

    Well said, Whompy. Jeeze.
    MTV… is INSANE.
    Not only in terms of including some of the most talented bands like Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls, but also in the terms of using a brain.
    Like Matt said, the Switchblade Kittens may’ve been the ‘first’ (wrockers AND in this stupid list)…
    They just aren’t that active in the community.
    -nodnod-
    (Nothing against them at all though! 🙂 We all can relate to life taking us away from wrock at SOME point.)

    I guess what I’m saying is that MTV is beyond stupid, but at least more people’ll be exposed to wrock! C:

    Reply
  9. dani Avatar
    dani

    In defense of the Switchblade Kittens…

    They’ve been writing and recording “Podcats” which is a monthly podcast that has many wizard rock celebrities involved. The podcast includes at least one song per show and is actually quite entertaining. Don’t tell me they do nothing this year because it’s untrue. Plus they have an album in the works about another book series.

    Reply
  10. Ammie Avatar
    Ammie

    Oh jeeze! I’d forgotten about that podcast. 🙂 Subscribed, I am.
    (Holy cow, this snow is making me talk my Yoda…)

    Reply
  11. Whompy Avatar
    Whompy

    Again, that comment wasn’t meant to be a criticism of the Switchblade Kittens — they’re awesome and I would never criticize them for not going on tour or releasing a record — obviously those are things they should do at their own discretion. I just mean that there are many, many bands that have spent a lot more time on wizard rock this year, and a Top Bands of 2007 list presumably would be weighted in such a way that the most active bands would be recognized for being active, right? Like I said in my most recent email to Ms. Vineyard, you don’t give the Rolling Stones the Band of the Year Award for 2007 simply because they still exist. The Switchblade Kittens are awesome, but I think their being #1 on Jennifer’s list is merely an indication of Jennifer’s personal preferences, rather than an indication of reality.

    Reply
  12. Whompy Avatar
    Whompy

    But of course, that’s less than 1% of the point I’m trying to make, which is that competitions between wizard rock bands are supremely retarded.

    Reply
  13. Camie Avatar
    Camie

    grrrrrrr….. mtv anoys me

    I feel that I have said enough on this subject, but I will repeat here.

    I fully agree with Matt, there is no need for a top ten list of wrock. I have never felt the need to order my favorate bands, because my opinions on that matter change on a daily or sometimes hourly basis. It all depends on what I feel like listening to at that point and time.

    A lot of my feelings about this music are not just the recorded songs, its remembering how I felt, or how awesome some of those songs are live, or lets not forget the actual storys behind the songs. This list shows that the author did not even extend her knowlege of wrock past who she met in New Orleans, or who she has heard about through the grapeline. This disapoints me, there is so much more out there to be discovered and enjoyed, why put this out there except to make MTV look good.

    I can’t deny that the publicity is good for the bands. It is, any free publicity is good, but at the same time as a true fan, its sort of anoying to see something like this put together, the simple words “in my opinion” would be great but they were hidden within a paragraph about all of the top 10’s for the year.

    The title was also a sticking point, none of the bands would ever be bitter about being higher or lower than someone else. I’ve seen most of you interact, you all seem to get along pritty well and you all seem to support one another to no end.

    I am just disapointed. I was at first angry, but now its more disapointment. MTV fails again.

    Reply
  14. Maggie Avatar
    Maggie

    I think the sub title is what really gives away how unprofessional the list really is. Any person who knows an ounce about wizard rock knows that there would not be rivalries. Just look at the WrockStock finale of “The Weapon” for proof. It would have been nice if she did some research.

    It’s always good when there is publicity for Wizard Rock but this isn’t a way a lot of fans wished to see it.

    Reply
  15. Devinski Avatar
    Devinski

    I don’t think this will ever rub me the right way, and I don’t mean the list.

    The fact that the wizard rock community is banding together to be AGAINST something is just fitting too perfectly into the behind the scenes world of it that I’ve been subject to the last 6 months or so (see bloggery).

    Let’s find something to be FOR, not AGAINST.

    Become the love you claim.

    For Merlin’s sake.

    Reply
  16. Whompy Avatar
    Whompy

    Devin, I know it seems like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot by being against this list, but I see it as more an expression of unity than our desire to be against something. Most of us see the list as something that runs counter to the spirit of our community and we feel the need to voice that in such a way that our voices will be heard.

    MTV covered wizard rock in the first place because it was already an international phenomenon. Otherwise they wouldn’t have bothered. And wizard rock became an international phenomenon because a lot of people worked really hard to build and strengthen the community over time. It was a five-year process beginning with Harry and the Potters’ first tour, and it got a huge boost when Draco and the Malfoys and The Remus Lupins started taking their bands seriously, and it got an even bigger boost when fans came together an organized groups like the Wizard Rock group on myspace, or websites like the one we’re currently looking at. This phenomenon is a culmination of the efforts and enthusiasm of literally thousands of people.

    The community has had its little bubbles of drama and conflict, but I think that those of us who remain really close to the community sometimes forget that there are seriously hundreds of thousands of wizard rock fans out there, and that most of these people aren’t involved in the drama. They simply love the music and enjoy it on a regular basis. When something happens to threaten or cheapen or misrepresent the community, in my opinion it’s wonderful to see people rise up and stand for what they believe in.

    I’m FOR plenty of things. I’m for wizard rock. I’m for the HP Alliance. I’m for DIY ethics. I’m for sharing the wealth. I’m for skills sharing with other bands. I’m for my friends and my family.

    I’m also for speaking your mind when you see something that’s wrong with the world around you.

    Reply
  17. Roonil Wazlib Avatar
    Roonil Wazlib

    Oh, MTV. Count on them to find the most wholesome, unified, harmonious scene in the entire music world and try and inspire some competition and rivalry (I myself am currently sculpting clay figures of Brian and Alex to film their celebrity death match!) How cute.

    The reaction to this reminds me of why I love the wizard rock community. Who cares about MTV? Love is all you need.

    Reply
  18. Kristen Avatar
    Kristen

    Yeah, I think that everyone should just forget about MTV. It’s nice that they’re recognizing Wizard Rock, but they certainly don’t understand how it works around here, do they? But I guess they’re just doing their job, and ranking bands is what MTV does. They don’t have the same passion that we do to spend hours searching MySpace and carefully putting together a list after tons of thought. I think it’s great that this is a community where everyone is outraged when MTV tries to rank bands, who here are friends, and I think that shows a lot of strength.

    Reply
  19. Camie Avatar
    Camie

    Roonil Wazlib… tell me when the Celebrity Death Match Brian VS Alex is up… I would pay to see that!

    Reply
  20. Lizz Avatar
    Lizz

    We are banding together FOR something, that being the community that we’ve spent the last 2-5 years building. The one where it’s about the music and inspiring others and making the world a more awesome place where everyone’s efforts are just as important and integral as the next. I don’t feel that it’s inappropriate that the list has left a bad taste in some people’s mouths, especially with the article’s subtitle.

    Matthew, despite the fact that the ‘pedia runs on blogging software, we genuinely attempt to remain an unbiased media organization. I don’t think I was off in my statement and the majority of responses so far seem to be in support of that =)

    I love everyone’s reactions, pro and con.

    Reply
  21. Spiky Avatar
    Spiky

    I think everyon’e making too big a deal over this. When has MTV ever been about actually standing up for hard working independant artists: they haven’t. I don’t think that it matters at all what this list says, because the same people who actually follow and listen to what MTV puts it out think they’re too cool harry potter anyways. Would anyone be outraged over what I or any other wrocker listed as the top 10 wrock bands? Probably not, because we know it’s just what we personally like best. This list is just another list, and there’s no reason why people should be outraged over one person’s opinion of what the top 10 wrock bands are.

    Overall, this really isn’t even an issue, it happened, now move on.
    -Ashton

    Reply
  22. Gred and Forge Avatar
    Gred and Forge

    I’m pretty indifferent.

    Does the list mean anything to me? No.

    Does MTV mean anything to me? No.

    I wouldn’t mind a wizard rock list of the top 350 bands. That might cover it. 🙂

    EVERYBODY rocks.

    Reply
  23. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    The ‘pedia is relatively unbiased (except against displays like that of MTV’s), which is why we try to present the news of every wrock band out their, despite their popularity. We want everyone to have a chance to be part of the community.

    I love you all for supporting each other.

    Reply
  24. Matt S Avatar
    Matt S

    OK, let’s see here.

    Music related site/magazine/thingy releases an End of Year Top X list because no one can be bothered to actually do any work after Thanksgiving?

    Check.

    People piss and moan about the relevancy of the list and how band X was/was not included on the list or was listed to high/low on the list?

    Check.

    People piss and moan about how the music related site/magazine/thingy is stupid and hasn’t been relevant in years/never was relevant?

    Check.

    People say things using words that don’t properly express what they really mean and haven’t really considered the full ramifications of what they’re saying anyways resulting in them spending even more time back pedaling and trying to better express themselves?

    I’m going to put that down as a may be.

    People feel compelled to tell everyone how they don’t care about the list and how it doesn’t effect them anyway?

    Check.

    People try to make peace between the various parties?

    Check.

    Someone posts a smart ass comment attempting to point out how silly and repetitive the entire situation is, but probably only ends up pointing out how good he is at sticking his foot in his mouth and annoying people?

    uh… Hi Guys! 🙂

    OK, I think we’ve got all the bases covered. Thanks to everyone for playing along in this little holiday tradition. We’ll see you all around this time next year when we do this all over again.

    Reply
  25. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    All you need is love!

    Reply
  26. Devinski Avatar
    Devinski

    To: Ashton, Gred and Forge, and Matt S.

    Marry me. All of you.

    YOU are the responses we need. holy crap, everybody needs to get over themselves, myself included. My big revolutionary blog will only remain because I love the comments.

    Let’s just stop being jerks. And make babies. And music or whatever.

    😀

    Reply
  27. James Avatar
    James

    So I guess this has been said, but I agree with those who are in the “if it doesn’t matter, why are we so flustered by it” party. Because…really, if we all think the whole thing is stupid…then…it is stupid, and we just should ignore. I agree it wasn’t “right” to rank wizard rock bands just by who that person knows and likes and blah blah…but she is just a person, doing her job ( I think…to write stuff for her employer or something…), and we don’t like her result…
    well…
    it sort of sucks but I think we can get over it. It’s MTV. They have never really impressed me anyway.

    Reply
  28. Whompy Avatar
    Whompy

    I may be a jerk, but not because of this. : )

    Love isn’t all cuddles and hugs and teddy bears — it’s WORK. It’s effort, it’s blood sweat and tears, it’s honesty, it’s communication, it’s defending those you care about no matter what the circumstances. Haven’t you people ever read Harry Potter?!

    I’m teasing, of course. But seriously. If I didn’t write multiple bitchy blogs and a couple of hate mails in response to this, I’d be going against my nature.

    Wizard rockers show their love in so many ways. We spend half our time together hugging. It’s okay to break character every once in a while and kick some ass. I’m sorry, but I’m not ever going to back down from my thoughts and opinions, never ever. If I risk the respect of MTV journalists, colleagues and acquaintances in the process, then so be it.

    Reply
  29. The Wizrocklopedia: Encyclopedia of Wizard Rock » Blog Archive » Statements In Reaction to MTV

    […] number of bands have also shared their opinions via the comments thread attached to our previous post on the […]

    Reply
  30. Matt S Avatar
    Matt S

    Before everyone goes off beating themselves up over this you may be interested in knowing that this little ritual is happening all over the world right at this moment. My little joke referenced the music community, but the gamers and the gadget hounds and the film buffs and every other geek tribe you can think of are all doing this right now at this very moment. This is our end of year ritual. This is how we cleanse ourselves in preparation for the year to come. It doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a geek. In my mind, that is about the best thing you can be. So, if this is your first time playing this little game, welcome to the fold! You have survived your first initiation.

    And to quote one of my most favorite homilies, “just because you don’t like someone, doesn’t mean you don’t love them.”

    Now everyone go out and do something incredibly silly today.

    Reply
  31. Rachel Avatar
    Rachel

    just a note:

    i’m thinking that the reference to draco and the malfoys being bitter was more of a play on the CHARACTER the band embodies than the members of said band.

    of course brian and bradley are incapable of bitterness in real life.

    Reply
  32. nerdcore.info – geeky hip-hop news » Blog Archive » More Nerd News in Brief

    […] year-end top 10 list of their favorite Wrock bands. The Wrock community responded with the type of lively (and ultimately fruitless) debate that you’d expect from our fellow […]

    Reply

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