NME's Cool List
"Whether it is wearing the right clothes, being magnetically charismatic or deliberately trashing their talent for the sake of it, all of the entries in [the Cool List] have one thing in common – the X factor."
— NME editor Conor McNicholas, speaking in 2003[1]
NME's Cool List was an annual listing of popular musicians compiled by the weekly British music magazine
Alongside the Cool List, NME also often concurrently published alternative lists, such as the Fool List, the Had It, Lost It list, the If Only They Rocked list, and the Cool Places list. Fool Lists included individuals such as George W. Bush and Mark Ronson; Had It, Lost It lists featured Bobby Gillespie and Richard Archer; If Only They Rocked lists included the likes of Ferenc Gyurcsány and Charlie Brooker. As well as high sales, the Cool List also generated a large critical response for NME, from both journalists and members of the public: the magazine received criticism of its lists from various sources, including music journalists, pop stars, and drugs charities.
History
NME's first Cool List was compiled in 2002, with its inaugural winner being Jack White, the lead singer of The White Stripes.[4] White topped the list for "turning down Gap, his rediscovery of rock's debt to the blues, and for being the fire that torched the whole new rock revolution".[3] The American pop star Justin Timberlake topped the second Cool List in 2003, with the magazine praising his "killer career moves, genuine talent, charm and good looks".[5] Deputy editor Alex Needham remarked: "In a world of moaning micro-celebs, Justin makes being a superstar look the most fun you could have with your clothes half off."[6]
The first woman to top the Cool List was
Ditto was placed at number nine in the 2007 Cool List, which was celebrated as the "oldest ever" – its entries had a combined age of 1,389 (approximately 28 years each).
No Cool List was published in 2009[22] – it returned the following year as an expanded Top 75, with the British folk singer Laura Marling reaching number one.[23][24] The final artist to top the Cool List was Azealia Banks, who was named the coolest person of the year in 2011.[25] NME hailed Banks for her "youthful rebellion" and her "can-do, fuck-you attitude".[26] Accepting the honour, Banks remarked: "I'm fucking talented."[27]
Cool List winners
Alternative lists
In conjunction with their Cool Lists, NME also often concurrently published four alternative lists to highlight the "other end of the spectrum":[4] the Fool List, the Had It, Lost It list, the If Only They Rocked list, and the Cool Places list.[33]
The Fool List ranked the "10 most uncool people",[33] and was published alongside every Cool List, with the exceptions of 2003, 2006 and 2008. The first list was titled the "They Think They're Cool... But Aren't" list, and was topped by British pop star Robbie Williams. NME's Nicola Wood explained that Williams "permanently [tried] to display this image of being hip and cool", and that his lyrics were not "as up to date as they used to be".[4] Subsequent Fool List toppers have included US president George W. Bush (2004), and broadcaster Richard Bacon (2005).[8][28] The 2007 Fool List was topped by musician Mark Ronson – upon finding out, Ronson remarked: "This kind of sucks."[35]
The Had It, Lost It list charted the people who "used to be cool, but now aren't".
The If Only They Rocked list recorded the "10 coolest non-musicians",
The Cool Places list was first compiled in 2003, and comprised two separate charts: "Cool Places in the UK" and "Cool Places the World Over", with Leeds and Berlin topping them respectively.[42][43] The two charts were consolidated into a single "Cool Places" list in 2004, which was topped by the extension housing the record collection of recently deceased DJ John Peel.[44] The Cool Places list was compiled a further two times, before being retired in 2008.
Year | Place | Top ten | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2003 (in the UK) |
Leeds |
|
[42] |
2003 (the world over) |
Berlin |
|
[43] |
2004 | The extension housing John Peel's record collection |
|
[44] |
2005 | Yorkshire |
|
[60] |
2007 | Portland, Oregon |
|
[61] |
Criticism
According to Neil Robinson, NME's publishing director, the Cool List often generated a "big reaction" from critics
Following the publication of the 2006 Cool List, British pop star
In discussion of the 2010 Cool List, music critic Neil McCormick criticised its lack of racial diversity. Writing for The Daily Telegraph, McCormick noted that "according to the NME, there are only seven cool black people in pop culture right now", with popular British rappers such as Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal failing to make the listing.[30] Summing up his opinion, McCormick stated that he found the list "deeply disturbing", and asked: "Did I fight in the punk wars for this?"[30]
Compilation albums
To coincide with the publications of the 2004–05 Cool Lists, NME produced two
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