bellulah wrote:i hesitate...

musically? there were the beatles and the stones, but americans have given the world gems like limp bizkit and birtney.

we americans are responsible for good cheese. and brits should be docked points for a little thing called the 'teletubby.' such a tough descision to make...

josh

i can see your point, but the u.s. was responsible for barney the purple dinosaur.
thats nearly a crime against humanity, and children.

Not an Intern wrote:

I do laugh a hearty Englishman's laugh when I am, say, playing online poker with the same name and location as it says on the left here, and people from major US cities ask "so is that London, Ontario?". As if! Such tiny incidents remind me just how effortlessly superior in every way we British are to all Americans.

Well, perhaps if you had looked past the tip of your ethnocentric nose and opened up a map, you would have learned that London, Ontario actually exists. There are towns named London in 17 U.S. cities and 6 different countries, for your information.

It isn't *their* fault if they happen to have a better grasp of geography than you do, but don't feel too ashamed of yourself for your ignorance. After all, North America is a pretty big place.

our colonial cousins! how funny they are.
i do know london, ontario exists. i also know north america is a pretty big place - i've driven all over it. but this really is what we brits laugh at: the thinking that nothing else important really exists outside it. there's smaller places called london all over the english speaking world. where do you think they are named after? if you asked one person in every country in the world "where is london?"; what do you think they'd say? jeez, i was joking in the first place, but now i'm laughing.

And another thing! A billion is a million millions.

johnnyshape wrote:There are smaller places called London all over the English speaking world. Where do you think they are named after?

My guess is London!

Of course, London was originally called "Londinium" by the Romans who founded it.

So the world honors the Italians whenever a city is named "London".

Does that help?

bellulah wrote:there were the beatles and the stones, but americans have given the world gems like limp bizkit and birtney.

I would go see a band called "Birtney".

I lived in Lincolnshire for a year, and I have to say that I felt more at home in England than I ever did in NEW England; the people are hilarious, the countryside gorgeous, and the bookstores excellent--and I'm not one to complain about lots of rain. But the food IS pretty bad, and there seemed to be a real dearth of attractive women. Good beer, though. English pubs kick most American bars' asses.

But when it comes to creating innovative popular music, America wins, hands down:

USA:
blues
jazz
country
bluegrass
rock & roll
gospel
soul
funk
hip hop

UK:
skiffle

Punk rock is a toss up, but I gotta give the nod to The Ramones, who, as it turns out, were led by a jingoistic guitarist fond of wearing U.S. Marines shirts. Seems perfect somehow.

As far as music is concerned...America...hands down. The Brits knew a good thing when they heard it(ie" blues, jazz,rock and roll, punk....th' que could go on) and "improved" it.

The Sex Pistols did not invent punk Rock....Maclarren just knew how to market it better.

Their best song was a Modern Lovers cover.

I think the Brits and the 'mericans have more in common than we think...

but whats up with the Welsh....eeek.

The Welsh?

Dylan Thomas
Tom Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Super Furry Animals


Not much to base an empire on there, I'm afraid.

Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:Of course, London was originally called "Londinium" by the Romans who founded it.

So the world honors the Italians whenever a city is named "London".

Does that help?

hono(u)r the italians? what a load of old ding-dong bollocks.

"Londinium c.AD115. An ancient name often explained as 'place belonging to a man called Londinios'. From a Celtic personal name with adjectival suffix, but now considered obscure in origin and meaning."

from the Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names

"Although there is no evidence of a large pre-Roman settlement, the name is thought to be pre-Roman."

from Wikipedia.

admittedly though, we were basically living up trees and rolling in mud (a la Monty Python and the Holy Grail) until the Romans invaded - in terms of sophistication it would be akin to flying-saucered aliens invading now.

why didya revive this brown chestnut of a thread? (cracks knuckles with pompous glee).

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:The Welsh?

Dylan Thomas
Tom Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Super Furry Animals


Not much to base an empire on there, I'm afraid.

Don't forget the Manic Street Preachers and, I'm fairly sure, McLusky. The hordes are getting stronger.

IPL wrote:but whats up with the Welsh....eeek.

The Welsh are Britons. Wales is part of Britain.