that prick at number one???.....i ask ya. what exactly is the fuss with that arsehole, if there were some half decent tunes, even a handful, i'd try to understand, but that feeble tinny racket.

crock of shit

The complete Top 50 was posted on the ILM Messageboard [p3r.net]

50. Graham Coxon
49. Alan Dohoe (The Rakes)
48. The Game
47. Sam Forrest (Nine Black Alps)
46. Mike H (The Bravery)
45. Thom Yorke
44. Eddie Argos (Art Brut)
43. Joanna Newsom
42. Nic Offer (!!!)
41. Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro)
40. Robert Smith
39. Charlotte Hatherley (Ash)
38. Paul Epworth
37. Greg Oliver (Fierce Girl)
36. Victoria Bergsman (The Concretes)
35. Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs)
34. SAm Herlihy (Hope Of The States)
33. Willy Mason
32. Jamelia
31. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
30. John Linger (Neil's Children)
29. Murray Lightburn (The Dears)
28. Abi Harding (The Zutons)
27. Albert Hammond Jr (The Strokes)
26. Jack White
25. Dizzee Rascal
24. Matt Bellamy (Muse)
23. Liela Moss (The Duke Spirit)
22. Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)
21. Ross Millard (The Futureheads)
20. Serge Pizzorno (Kasabian)
19. Gwen Stefani
18. Devendra Banhart
17. Meg White
16. Carlos D (Interpol)
15. Kyp Malone (TV On The Radio)
14. Kim Deal
13. Andre 3000 (Outkast)
12. The Maggot (Goldie Lookin' Chain)
11. Dominic Masters (The Others)
10. Ana Matronic (Scissor Sisters)
9. Martin Tomlinson (Selfish Cunt)
8. Brandon Flowers (The Killers)
7. Kele Okereke (Bloc Party)
6. Morrissey
5. Nick McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand)
4. Johnny Borrell (Razorlight)
3. Eminem
2. Mike Skinner

1. Pete Doherty / Carl Barat

From The Times Online [timesonline.co.uk]

He's been jailed, sacked by his band and he's a junkie. How cool is that

By Adam Sherwin, Media Reporter

THE music industry was accused yesterday of glamorising drug abuse after the New Musical Express chose an artist who is fighting crack cocaine and heroin addiction as its “Cool Icon” of 2004.
Pete Doherty, who was kicked out of The Libertines for failing to control his drug use, topped the magazine’s writers’ list of music stars who embody the notion of “cool”.

Drug charities said that the magazine, the most influential music publication read by teenagers, was behaving irresponsibly. The NME said that it had rewarded Doherty for his wit, musical abilities and positive influence on his young fans, not for his well- documented drug problems.

The Libertines topped the album charts in September and the Indie rock band are hailed as a classic English group in the tradition of The Clash, The Smiths and The Kinks.

Last year Doherty served a two-month prison sentence for breaking into the flat of Carl Barat, The Libertines’ co- founder, to steal possessions to sell for drugs.

After a six-month reunion, Barat ejected Doherty from the group as he failed to combat his addictions. Doherty walked out of rehabilitation at a Thai monastery and friends say that he still uses heroin.

Doherty, who received a four-month suspended custodial sentence after pleading guilty to possession of a knife, is now pursuing a solo career.

His unpredictable behaviour has enthralled the NME and thousands of young fans flock to his shows, although his appearances are erratic.

The NME voted Barat and Doherty joint-top of the Cool list. The magazine said: “With a loyal fan base that copies their every move, they (Barat and Doherty) are indisputable kings of cool.”

Alex Needham, deputy editor of the NME, said: “It is not a heroin addiction which makes Pete Doherty the coolest. “He is a very talented musician who has become a modern-day minstrel, wandering the country playing for anyone who wants to see him. There is something seductive about the idea of doomed destructive youth, which goes back to the Romantic poets.

“There is a parallel with Kurt Cobain, but the NME does not endorse drug abuse. Readers can see that it has caused the disintegration of a great band like The Libertines.”

Rebecca Cheshire, policy manager at the drugs charity Addaction, said: “Young people are vulnerable to hard drugs and not everyone has the ability to fall back on expensive rehabilitation programmes like rock stars. The record industry does have a responsibility to promote healthy lifestyles.” She said that consumption of crack cocaine and heroin usage is rising among young people, fuelled by cheap street prices.

Harry Shapiro, director of the Drugscope charity, said that young people could decide for themselves. “Fans can see when someone is messing up through herion and crack,” he said. “I haven’t seen evidence that they are influenced to take drugs because of a rock star.”

The Libertines, who continued without Doherty, will split next month after touring. Barat said that he would reform the group with Doherty in “full health”. Doherty is expected to hit the Top Ten next month with the single Killamangiro, under the name Babyshambles.

THE COOL LIST

1 Pete Doherty (ex-Libertines) and Carl Barat (The Libertines)
2 Mike Skinner (The Streets)
3 Eminem
4 Johnny Borrell (Razorlight)
5 Nick McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand)
6 Morrissey
7 Kelle Okereke (Bloc Party)
8 Martin Tomlinson (Selfish C***)
9 Brandon Flowers (The Killers)
10 Ana Matronic (Scissor Sisters)
11 Dominic Masters (The Others)
12 The Maggot (Goldie Lookin’ Chain)
13 Andre 3000 (OutKast)
14 Kim Deal (Pixies)
15 Kyp Malone (TV On The Radio)
16 Carlos D (Interpol)

Read the rest of this comment...

6 MORRISSEY (New entry!)
'Heaven knows he's cool as fuck now'

Career reborn by dint of his best record in a decade, feted by the Libs, Franz, and, um, Nancy Sinatra, Mozzer's critical turnaround in 2004 - from grumpy LA recluse to Lazarus-style godhead of indie cool - was akin to Goldie Lookin Chain winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. Opening at Reading
with 'How Soon Is Now?', changing his shirt umpteen times per gig, putting out 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' as a Christmas single, booing bouncers who manhandle stage-invaders, refusing to play within sniffing distance of a sausgae - suddenly a whole new generation are practising their withering wit in front of a mirror and limiting their circle of friends to seven. The more we ignored him, the cooler he got.
MB

6 MORRISSEY (New entry!)
'Heaven knows he's cool as fuck now'

Career reborn by dint of his best record in a decade, feted by the Libs, Franz and, um, Nancy Sinatra, Mozzer's critical turnaround in 2004 - from grumpy LA recluse to Lazarus-style godhead of indie cool - was akin to Goldie Lookin Chain winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. Opening at Reading with 'How Soon Is Now?', changing his shirt umpteen times per gig, putting out 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' as a Christmas single, booing the bouncers who manhandle stage-invaders, refusing to play within sniffing distance of a sausage - suddenly a whole new generation are practising their withering wit in front of a mirror and limiting their circle of friends to seven. The more we ignored him, the cooler he got.
MB

i for one, am very relieved to now know what/who is cool this year. a weekly music paper scraping together yet another list compiled by failed musicians is just so wonderful and exciting.

btw, the only reason morrissey made the list is because he granted them a few quotes this past year.

I guess the NME's a publication about being cool. It's not surprising. V pleased about Moz making it so high, but I'm a bit sus about all. Why should they hold him in such high esteem if he's slagged them off for so many years?

Thrilled about Kele (Bloc Party) making it at 7!

Nic (!!!) and Carlos D (Interpol) are outrageously cool. Hold them in infinitely high esteem.

As for Pete making at 1.. he's the figurehead in the fallen figure moment. The masses can't help him now. That's my two cents I guess...

I think Del Marquis is relly cool. Don't really like the Scissor Sisters though.

When will people finally realize, that FRANZ FERDINAND are neither cool nor talented. All that hyped nonsense about their "qualities" concerning songwriting, clothing etc. is utter bollocks. I think their performance at the annual EMAs proved once again, that those dudes couldn't even write a decent tune to save their lives. At times they even out-do THE WHITE STRIPES at being an overestimated crap band. Enough of that now. When it comes to the Doherty/Barat pole, I think it is actually -halfway- justified, 'cos, despite being surrounded by too much overblown press coverage also, they just have IT, as Morrissey once declared a standard for a good band. Be it their albums or their sense for very good imagery, THE LIBERTINES are in fact a cool (for Mozzer's sake...)band. Moving back to the main topic, it is of course not surprising, that our man is among the "coolest", although, I always thought of him as being quite the opposite of what is considered to be "cool" to most people, 'cos thazz what I'm opposed to mostly, and thazz why I've delved into the SMITHS/MORRISSEY microcosm in the first place...

and written by the magazine writers. you know how critics 99.9% get it all wrong anyway.

just b/c someone got on this year's list doesn't mean they're going to be hugely influential as the Mozzer has been for nearly 2 decades now. most of the people on this list probably will won't even have enough talent and chutzpah in their left pinky to even make it to the top 50 next year. then again, if Moz doesn't put out an album next year, his dear old NME might not rank him either.

also...this is a "cool" list - why would a stuffy magazine writer holed up in his cubicle know about cool anyway? if I were Jack White I'd beat up my sister for ranking higher than myself...hehehe.

first off, to get it outa the way, of course Morrissey should be #1- there should be no questioning it. as for the rest of the list, it is really quite shameful.

ilov Pete Doherty, but to put him #1 after this year is nearly as bad as putting Kurt Cobain #1 for 1994 [God, ihope they didnt do that ten years ago]. what kind of bloody msg is that sending to readers, honestly? thats a really terrible selection. Barat is an good selection for picking up the pieces and carrying on but he shouldnt hav to share this "honour" with Pete [sorry, Pete].

same goes for Eminem at #3. theres nothing cool about this guy this year- hes not even original anymore and has become a pathetic parody of himself at this point. 'Encore' is easily one of the major disappointments of the year across the board. NME seems it will be the last to figure that out.

im sorry, but The Streets really blow. iknow theyre huge in the UK, but theyre real crap. when people wake up to this fact and are flippin through their old copy of NME they will laugh when they see this. same goes for The Killers.

Gwen Stefani should be left off as well on a year where she released arguably the worst album of the year. somewhat ambitious, but there should no awards for ambitious failures.

Andre 3000- honestly, im getting a little tired of this guy. it was a good song, sure, but did you listen to the rest of 'The Love Below'? not that great. hes far overrated and if all it took to be cool was to dress like a disaster, well anyone could do that [give the honour to Elton John if that be the criteria].

Deal should definitely be further up the list and should be accompanied by the ledgend, Frank Black Francis [juste saw The Pixies lastnight- amazing]. oh, and how the hell does Meg White make it on before Jack?

other names that hav been unbelievably left off:

Bono [U2]
PJ Harvey
Stephin Merritt [The Magnetic Fields]
John Peel [BBC Radio 1]
Nancy Sinatra
Jeff Tweedy [Wilco]
Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood [Radiohead]

1 Pete Doherty (ex-Libertines) and Carl Barat (The Libertines)
2 Mike Skinner (The Streets)
3 Eminem
4 Johnny Borrell (Razorlight)
5 Nick McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand)
6 Morrissey
7 Kelle Okereke (Bloc Party)
8 Martin Tomlinson (Selfish C***)
9 Brandon Flowers (The Killers)
10 Ana Matronic (Scissor Sisters)
11 Dominic Masters (The Others)
12 The Maggot (Goldie Lookin’ Chain)
13 Andre 3000 (OutKast)
14 Kim Deal (Pixies)
15 Kyp Malone (TV On The Radio)
16 Carlos D (Interpol)
17 Devendra Banhart (solo artist)
18 Meg White (The White Stripes)
19 Gwen Stefani
20 Serge Pizzio (Kasabian)

It's a "newspaper" with lower standards of literacy than the Sun or even the Star, in which university-educated idiots promote drugs at every opportunity, then come across like a faintly condescending schoolmaster when some poor sod takes their advice and ends up hooked.

It's a publication written by idiots for idiots.

If my name ever shared space on any list with Karen O's, I'd promptly sue for defamation.

Whatevah happened tah puttin' good ole' Frankie on dah cool list? I gotta admit, it ain't so cool where i'm at now, but hey - i'm still bettah den some of doze cats!

...about being an unreliable, volatile house-breaking junkie with the originality of a bleak performing "Gallagher"?

NME have reached a new low. There are countless more deserving "cool" people from 2004. Not that I care mind you.

Muppets! (Even they are cooler in fact!)

morrissey is the only one on that list that's as cool as kim deal. they should have been #1 and # 2 repsectively.