Spaceship Days: A Band in Conflict.

   Spaceship Days have been doing a lot of shouting lately.

 There have been shaken fists, pointed fingers, rolled eyes, and unfortunately a even little bit of name calling.
 
  The source of this internal strife is an old one. Its a debate that has raged on since before there even was a band, since we were nothing more than speedo wearing teenagers with dreams of Olympic glory. It's been argued at a louder volume than Redskins vs. Eagles, and more often than  Temple of Doom vs. Crystal Skull. Yet, as the years wear on, we're still no closer to The Truth.

                                               Queen vs. Duran Duran

 That is the question. Which is the better band?

 Is it a fair comparison? Maybe.

Are both bands spectacular in their own way? Definitely.

Does this disagreement make as much sense as trying to build a drum kit out of Popsicle sticks and notebook paper? Probably-- but its been two decades, so we're too far gone to quit now.

Alas, Greg has never been much help in our seesaw battle. Whenever Matt or I pose the Big Question, his smug answer was always:

"Pink Floyd."

 Guitar players...


As we've presented them to each other over and over, these are The Facts:

Year Founded
Duran  1978
Queen  1971

Number of Members
Duran  5 ( or 3 depending on whom you ask)
Queen  4

Number of Albums
Duran 14* (* the next due in early 2011)
Queen 25* (*Plus one with Paul Rogers)

Top 10 Singles
Duran 14
Queen 18 (at #1)

Number of Times a Founding Member Quit the Band
Duran 7
Queen 1

Top 10 Albums
Duran 0 (but 21 songs on the Billboard Hot 100)
Queen 18 (at #1)


Number of Band Members with the Last Name Taylor
Duran 3
Queen 1

Number of Soundtracks
Duran 1 (a #1 single from the James Bond film that even Christopher Walken couldn't save)
Queen 4 (Including Highlander aka The Best Movie Ever)

Number of Cool Videos
Duran All of them
Queen 2

Number of Albums Sold
Duran  Over 100 million
Queen Over 300 million



 So those are the numbers....but are any of these things what really matter?

 Is a band ultimately only judged by the number of chart topping singles or whether or not those little decorative records the Powers That Be hand out are shiny gold or sparkling platinum?

 We think not.

 It seems that the great bands--the truly great bands-- give fans like us a little something more. They give us music that we feel, the sort of music that continues to mean something even as the years shuffle by.  They give us the songs that remind us of a pleasant afternoon that time way back when, or that wild road trip, or that whirlwind romance that left us with curled toes and face splitting grins.

 The greats give us the songs that make us feel like crying, or make us need to stomp. They give us the music that gives us the urge to dance on both of our left feet. They give us the songs that are impossible to forget.

  More often than not, these tunes aren't the "hits"; they're the track three on side two's, or the hidden B sides from extra rare imports that we die hard musos will spend insanely irresponsible amounts time and money trying to add to our collections.

  Clearly, both of these iconic groups have done these important things for each of us, and yet the quarrel goes on and on. After so long its safe to say that neither of us will ever sway the other, but that doesn't mean we won't stop trying.

 One of these bands has to be the winner.

 Who would you choose?

C