EW’s Music Mix is searching for the Greatest Guilty Pleasure Musical Act of All Time. With 16 seeded contestants remaining (see all the matchups), this tournament is continuing to change hearts, minds, and lives, as well as make some people remarkably agitated! Read/listen to the following, and then cast your vote in the poll after the jump; reader comments will be used from here on out, so we encourage you to also post a comment explaining why you chose the way you did. Note: In case of a tie, please select the artist you feel more ashamed to adore. Also note: Yes, the bracket was rearranged to be in proper bracketing order. Thank you.
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In part due to multiple voting irregularities and other behavior not in the letter or the spirit of this game, Phish advanced past Nickelback in Round One. NOTE: Continued funny business will result in disqualification. UPDATE: “Funny business” is defined as “hacking the system in order to vote multiple times,” as well as “Not really participating, just wanting Phish to win because ‘Phish always wins.’” Thank you.
“Sell it to the butcher at the STORRRRE” — Drew
“Give the director, a serpent deflector!!!” — galaxygal
“I went to a concert by Phish once and women were walking around topless. I can’t complain.” — YouAreAllMySons
“llama taboot taboot blastoplast on yer face.” — Mcgrupper
“Phish isn’t for spoon fed commercial idiots that are told what to like. Its for free thinkers and intellectuals aka stoners.” — Kriss Kross
“Reducing what is objectively one of the most important and innovative musical acts of a generation to the ranks of ‘guilty pleasure’ by virtue of its fanbase is just silly. Come on.” — mike
Mariah Carey made short work of Ashlee Simpson, despite the latter’s strong showing during our initial reader survey. If anyone’s going to take on the obsessive fans of Phish, it’s the obsessive fans of Mimi. Game on.
“To vote on a list like this implies Mariah is a guilty pleasure, which she is not. Now, if you want me to vote for her for the greatest artist of the MTV era, yep, I am in.” — Joe C
“I have the best CDs by Prince, Bruce Springsteen, the Stones, Led Zep, Michael Jackson, and I will stack Mariah’s best against any of theirs. ‘Daydream’ was the best CD of the 90’s, period.” — Joe C
“I’m older than most of you; I’ve been buying music since the 70’s. I’ve seen ‘em come and I’ve seen ‘em go. So I know talent when I see/hear it and Mimi has it in spades.” — Joe C
“…how can you not give it to Mariah? She wins for having ODB on a track alone. ‘Me and Mariah/Go back like babies and pacifiers.’ One of the greatest lines in pop/rap collabo history.” — kat hayes
Want to vote in a previous matchup? Click here to visit Guilty Pleasure Bracket Central!
Photo Credit: Carey: Markus Klinko & Indrani
Oh my god, how could you not pick Mariah ? she is an amazing singer and to pair her against phish ? Please, 100% Mariah for sure.
have you ever heard the phish from vermont? they’ll melt your face
Bobbie Brown? I hope Whitney’s feeling alright after last weekend… but you KNOW she’s not gonna like you talking all up about Mariah like this….
your a retard mariah carey is fat and ugly. However phish is no guilty pleasure, phish phans are a proud people
Time for the meatstick,
Bury the meatstick,
Take out the meatstick time
Whoa, shocks my brain
Whoa, shocks my brain
Whoa, shocks my brain
Whoa, shocks my brain
Ryan
Please stop talking. You are making us all look dumb.
She had jumped the shark by the time I was through with her.
whoa akimakisha
bobby, I see that your balls haven’t dropped yet. it’s ok man. one of these days little buddy…
MIMI ALL THE WAY! If she doesn’t win this, I’d be concerned for her safety.
People who write their own music versus an industry pop machine fed into a singer personality.
You’re right, people should feel more guilty about liking Mariah.
I realize, given my name, this is probably going to be ignored, but Mariah Carey has always written her own stuff. Obviously not ALL her songs, but she’s been a songwriter since she first came out.
yeah, she did a great job writing Genius of Love
Are you trying to say Phish hasn’t?
And they have composed songs too. Which consists of more than the 3-5 chords Mariah uses
No, I was referring to this statement “but Mariah Carey has always written her own stuff” while ignoring the next sentence.
Genius of Love by the tom tom club is probably my #1 guilty pleasure
Because sampling=writing.
dude….she blows.
Yeah col, i like that song too.
not as good as any talking heads stuff though.
these should be more organized I feel like I have to search too much to figure all of this out and vote for each bracket
Voting for Mariah, even though I didn’t vote for her in Round One. I listen to much more of her music especially everything off her #1′s album, the sheer amount of Mariah-music I have on my Ipod compared to the zero amount of Phish, is overpowering the tiny bit of shame I might have in recognizing a Phish song.
I am the same.. But I can’t name a single Mariah song where Phish I can name a lot more songs..
how about a #1 from you kristi?
#1 of KYS
TOTS OR GTFO!!
This “Joe C” character seems to know what’s up. I’m with him.
Phish play the hell out of their instruments. Mariah is a past-her-prime singer. Does anyone care about musical integrity anymore?
no but everyone cares about phish, who are no guilty pleasure, i am proud that i take pleasure in phish
Mariah
Going with Mariah here.
SO ‘funny business’ is unappreciated, and yet you ignore all of the comments from Phish fans saying how they are not a guilty pleasure in any way, but put one up for Mariah Carey? You are simply trying to prove the stereotype of the fanbase (which in the comments we didn’t do much to dispel), but I think we all know Phish will either win this tournament or be disqualified…
Sit up and take notice; Tell it like it is!!!!
Phish fans might be awful, but the music def isnt. Mariah on the other hand…
i am not awful
i am not awful
I am awful.
I am not a crook!
Mariah’s got the voice, but she’s no Tela.
Phish is anything but a guilty pleasure to me, but I refuse to let them be beat in any type of competition, long live “funny business”!
WE CAN STAGE A RUNAWAY GOLFCART MARATHON!
i’d vote, but ive got a blank space where my mind should be!