Tonight, Nickelback hits the Value City Arena in Columbus. In my life, I am not sure if there has ever been a band that has been hated on so much for their music yet still had strong mainstream popularity (only Milli Vanilli comes close, but that was due to their lip-synching controversy).
In Comedifans' episode 26, a Chad Kroeger impression by Golak led to he and I talking about the subject of Nickelback. While both agreeing that Nickelback had become the butt of too many jokes and “hack” in comedy, I suggested that they had become so hated that it was time for something completely different to happen that would get a majority of people to be fans of them.
In the podcast, I couldn't quite pinpoint how that would happen, but I reflected on it, and I know what would be best for Nickelback: a heel turn.
In pro wrestling, a heel turn in simple terms is when a good guy goes bad. He does an action that ultimately turns him to the dark side and makes crowds hate him. Yet, there are heels that are very appealing, and ultimately get respected for pulling off the bad guy so effectively. Right now is the perfect time for Nickelback to do that.
But, how did we get to this point? For years, Nickelback has been producing popular songs. For many of their haters, the main problem is that the songs all sound the same, have little to no merit lyrically, and that the band is put under the label of rock. (Fact: we're just eight years away from Nickelback's eligibility in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!) In a time period where the divide between independent and mainstream music is huge and opinions strong, Nickelback turned into the poster child for all that is wrong in what is labeled as rock.
In 2005, Nickelback got hit with criticism about their song similarity. If you read the article and listen to the “All Things Considered” report, there are a number of interesting points to this issue as a whole. First, there's the belief by a fan of music that this type of self-plagiarism is a duping of the band's fan base. Second, there's Nickelback's defense from Mike Kroeger that they have a “distinct style” and such a style can lead to similarity. Third, there's the defense from a forensic musicologist (I learned this existed in this article) that there is a difference in the songs and such similarities in music do not matter because it sounds good to the public. Fourth, there's Mikey Smith's response that his girlfriend now hates Nickelback as a result of his findings. So, Nickelback symbolizes the homogeneity of pop and mainstream rock music and goes against the demand of certain music fans for a more unique and consistently different creative approach from an artist. It's the constant battle that occurs in any art form of what is popular versus what is artistic. But, as I'll present, a heel turn could suddenly break up this criticism of homogeneity for Nickelback.
For years, Nickelback has taken a beating from rock music fans who do not see them as having a “distinct style.” As mentioned on Comedifans, it reached such a point that when they were chosen to be the halftime entertainment at the Thanksgiving game in Detroit, an online petition generated thousands of signatures. Nickelback eventually performed at the event to not much of a response from the fans at Ford Field.
In early 2012, Nickelback finally made a move to deal with the haters. They responded on Twitter to many tweets directed to them.
It was well done, but to me, it now needs to go further.
I'll now present my argument for a heel turn using Nickelback's own work. In 2003, they released the song, “Someday.” Listen closer to the lyrics. Nickelback forecasted their own heel turn potential for nine years later!
How the hell'd we wind up like this? / Why weren't we able to see the signs that we miss? / Try to turn the tables.
Nickelback can't conceive of how they ended up in this state: loved or hated. It is time for them to turn the tables and become true heels.
Someday, somehow, gonna make it all right, but not right now. I know you're wondering when.
No need to wonder when anymore. When is now.
Now the story's played out like this / Just like a paperback novel / Let's re-write an ending that fits / Instead of a Hollywood horror
Nickelback realizes they are the horror. The ending of the paperback novel is clear: heel turn!
Now, how do we implement Nickelback's heel turn? Well, first of all, Nickelback has to be completely prepared for nothing to matter anymore. They cannot care about their popularity or money. It's all about Nickelback and being whatever they want to be. If people want to come along with them, they can. If not, who cares? The responses to tweets began a thought process along those lines.
Nickelback needs to then go out and do a performance at a very public event and make the turn. I would say Saturday Night Live would be the best choice where there have been plenty of memorable live insane moments. In the middle of their song, the band stops, and Chad Kroeger lashes out against mainstream radio, their haters, and just everybody in general. He stands up for what Nickelback is. There is likely some profanity used, too.
After the shocking moment on Saturday Night Live, Nickelback grants interviews with morning shows and cable news networks. They continue to ridicule everyone even their own fan base with a “love us or leave us” attitude.
They continue their rampage on social media with more direct tweets to anyone and everyone.
The real risk for Nickelback is where it heads. They could go from being the band that fills arenas to being back to doing bar shows in no time. But, I think that's highly unlikely. If you go to enough YouTube videos for Nickelback (and I did for this post), you can see how divided the posters are and that even the lovers of Nickelback subtly would embrace a heel turn. They write that haters can “click the close button on their screen” or don't have to interact with Nickelback at all.
I genuinely believe that if Nickelback turns heel and shows that they wholeheartedly don't give a damn about anyone's opinion of them, their fan base will love them even more for having the guts to do it, and they'll win over the people who are indifferent to their music but will respect the approach.
It also would be one of the more captivating moments in music of the 2000s so far, and something that just hasn't happened in a form other than pro wrestling. The closest moment came in sports with LeBron James's “The Decision.” But, at the time, James had no idea he was doing a heel turn. He then attempted to embrace the villain role, but did it poorly because he never wanted to be the villain to begin with. If Nickelback wants it, they could grab it, and make music history.
I'm waiting on the heel turn. I can feel it coming. Then, and only then, Nickelback will become the greatest band in the world. I don't want them to end up having to feel like they had no time to rewind. Heels have no regrets.
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