10 Reasons to like "The Biebs"

[Schwa.]

10 reasons to like pop-star Justin Bieber

Don't hate the Biebs: Columnist Joel Rubinoff offers up 10 reasons why you shouldn't hate Justin Bieber.

“The men don’t know, but the little girls understand . . .â€

— Willie Dixon, Back Door Man

In honour of his new 3-D concert doc, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never — bombastic catalyst for what will undoubtedly be another heated round of Bieber-bashing — here are 10 reasons you shouldn’t hate the tiny Stratford powerhouse.

1. He’s on the cover of MAD magazine, for crying out loud. MAD Magazine!

“HIS STUPID HAIR!’’ screams the cover. “HIS DUMB BOOK! HIS TERRIBLE MOVIE! HIS AWFUL MUSIC!†Never mind the slags — how cool is this?

2. Well, now I’m stuck.

Come on, brain. Think, dammit, think . . .

Part of the problem, of course, is that when it comes to Justin Bieber, those of us who don’t fall under the demographic heading “12-year-old girl†are at a supreme disadvantage.

By virtue of our age, gender and cynicism, we find ourselves immune to Bieber fever in its purest form.

And while we may grudgingly respect the impish upstart who went from busking outside Stratford’s Avon theatre to world domination in less time than it takes to grow a Chia Pet, we may find his charms elusive.

Nonetheless, as any objective survey of Biebermania confirms, the kid is all right, and here are nine more reasons that prove it:

1. He represents. Stratford, that is, not only returning home frequently to hang with friends and family, but mentioning his humble origins at every opportunity and screening his film there a day before its official release.

“He’s a very charming and engaging young man,’’ says mayor Dan Mathieson, who met the soprano-voiced singer a couple of times. “He’s very cognizant of where he came from and genuinely humbled by what’s happened.’’

2. His little sister calls him “Bieber.â€

“Say ‘Love you, Bieber!’’’ he cajoled the obstinate toddler during a MuchMusic interview to hype his movie. Wiggling out of his grasp, his restless half-sib grinned mischievously and cooed “La-ya-bee-ba†as the marketing machine — collective gasp — careened wildly off the rails.

3. Despite the massive fame that swept him like Dorothy to the land of Oz, he is, as the ads for his movie trumpet, “just like you and me.â€

“He’s very humble,’’ notes Chad Ritter, the Kitchener entrepreneur who became his unofficial big brother after his parents split and can be seen riding a Segway with Beebs in the movie.

“Nothing extreme has changed — he’s taking it all in stride. He knows when to be Justin and when to stay focused and do his thing for his entertainment career.â€

4. He may not be Fabian/Elvis/Donny Osmond/Shaun Cassidy/New Kids on the Block / Backstreet Boys, but he’s a lot better than Zac Efron and the Jonas Brothers. OK, and Shaun Cassidy. And Fabian. Did I mention Leif Garrett?

5. His windswept hairstyle — a ravishing display of follicular splendour — is tough to maintain on a daily basis. Trust me, I speak from personal experience.

6. It’s not his fault he’s so famous.

No, really, blame the internet, which turned this talented, small-town nobody into an international sensation when his mom began posting videos on YouTube, turning him into the first web-generated megastar and — with apologies to the Dalai Lama — King of the Twitterverse.

7. His life can be a grind, just like yours.

“You’re always on the go and it’s a lot of work,’’ notes Kitchener pal Ritter, who joined Bieber’s North American tour for two weeks and, at one point, found himself happily cleaning the bus.

“For the majority of the trip, we’d be sleeping on the bus and be at the next destination when we woke up. And the routine would be the same: breakfast, exercise, then Justin has school every day, so he’s got a responsibility with that.

“Then it’s lunchtime, meet and greets, sound check, tomfoolery in between, and show time. And then we jump on the bus and we’re on the road again.’’

8. You and I can walk out of shopping malls without a hysterical mob ripping our shirt off. Bieber, says Ritter, once had to be smuggled out in a hockey bag. Actually, this would make a great video.

9. Despite the apoplectic haters posting outraged Bieber missives from the recesses of their parents’ basements, the object of their derision remains an eternal optimist.

“It’s funny, because there’s so many people that don’t like me,’’ he noted recently. “But for people that don’t like me, just go see my movie and tell me what you think, because I think I’m a pretty good guy and maybe you’ll see that.’’

Maybe they will and maybe they won’t, but one thing is clear: when it comes to the riot-sparking pop Prometheus, there’s no sitting on the fence.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

i'd pork 'im

[ollie]

I thought he was pretty funny poking fun at himself at the end of this Super Bowl Ad.

[NewRider]

hahahaha... I hadn't seen that. Hilarious.

[Kanada Kev]

He was better than most pop stars are on SNL last weekend as well.

[phishtaper]

i'd pork 'im

[AD]

1. He represents. Stratford, that is, not only returning home frequently to hang with friends and family, but mentioning his humble origins at every opportunity and screening his film there a day before its official release.

“He’s a very charming and engaging young man,’’ says mayor Dan Mathieson, who met the soprano-voiced singer a couple of times. “He’s very cognizant of where he came from and genuinely humbled by what’s happened.’’

Fuck that. He's bad-mouthed Stratford in international press multiple times, has no idea of the history of the place, and on top is a stupid racist little shit who shouldn't be sullying the name of my fine town. Leave that to my friends.

[timouse]

[Velvet]

is a stupid racist little shit

Based on what?

[AD]

Based on multiple trusted second-hand sources. I know 2 of his school teachers very well, and am also friends with a swimming teacher who all separately share similar stories about how he treated certain kinds of people differently based on skin colour and religion.

[AD]

Of course people grow up and change viewpoints and opinions, so I hope he has too.

He's definitely said some dumb shit recently about Stratford though. That I can't put up with. The only reason our esteemed mayor is talking so flowery about Bieber is to draw attention to the city.

[phishtaper]

i dunno AD, you sound jealous. i think his mom was 18 (?) when she had him, they lived in subsidized housing for most of the time they were in stratford and had a pretty rough go of it. i'm willing to cut this (now only) 16yo some slack if he said some shit about Stratford or whatever. besides, he can't be all that racist, he chose usher over timberlake for management.

i still think he's dreamy.

[Thorgnor]

Actually, he could be just as racist for choosing the cool black superstar over the lame white guy. It goes right along with the same exotic/erotic other shit that regular racism goes on. It's not about hate, it's about fear, and the desire to be as bad as the boogeyman.

Hey Velvet, finish the albums yet? What's your opinion now?