`Sultan of Sneer' socks it to 'em again
David Migicovsky
Betsy Powell
ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER
Toronto Star
MuchMusic VJ Ed The Sock makes no secret of his disdain for the videos he
introduces on the air.
``Tonight we're going to play lots of videos, some of them good, most of
them crap, but don't blame me, I don't do the programming,'' snarled Ed,
a.k.a. Steve Kerzner, during his regular Monday night show shortly before
Christmas.
It's a different story today at 5 p.m., when the self-described ``Sultan of
Sneer'' writes, produces and hosts Fromage 2000: F2K Enter The Cheese, an
hour-long look at the ``cheesiest'' music videos of the past year.
Last year's edition was the station's highest-rated show over the holiday
season. ``The e-mails and stuff like that kept coming in for three
months,'' Kerzner says.
Fromage 1999 focused on the worst videos of all time. Most of them were
from the '80s, the decade that spawned the format and produced a bumper
crop of bad videos.
This year, instead of skewering Culture Club, Vanilla Ice and Michael
Jackson, it'll be such 21st century pop luminaries as Britney, Ricky,
Madonna and Eminem, an artist Kerzner holds in particularly low regard.
In fact, if he had his way, Eminem would be taken off the air.
``I have no use for him as a human being,'' says Kerzner, who launched his
career at cable television in the mid-'80s. ``His music is good, if you
don't listen to his lyrics . . . but I think he's an ugly thing that has
happened to music and will be very glad when he disappears.''
Viewers voted on some of the categories via the Internet. Kerzner, his wife
and co-producer Liana, and another staffer picked the other honours,
including a category called Cheesiest Attempt at Self Pity.
Britney Spears' video ``Lucky'' and Eminem's ``The Way I Am'' are in the
running. ``Both of them basically are complaining about how tough it is to
be them,'' Kerzner says dryly.
When assessing cheesiness, Kerzner cites a litany of sins: narcissism, bad
storylines, cheap effects, degradation of women, bad music, bad lip
synching and bad dancing, to name a few.
So what does the recording industry - which has a reputation for being
thin-skinned, especially when it comes to protecting its, um, artists/meal
tickets - think about Fromage? ``They've come to expect it from Ed,''
Kerzner replies.
``It isn't like (VJ) Rick (Campanelli) is doing it all of a sudden, because
if he did none of the videos would be cheesy as far as he's concerned and
everything would just be great.
``What they expect out of Ed is consistent with what they hear all year
long - it just happens to be concentrated into one hour of constant body
blows.''
Just the same, the show opens with a disclaimer.
``The opinions expressed are those of Ed The Sock and maybe you, but do not
necessarily reflect the opinion of MuchMusic.''
Still, MuchMusic has ``gotten a lot better'' and ``they've got a lot of
guts to allow me to do what it is I do,'' Kerzner says.
``It certainly isn't quite the ass-kissing that it used to be,
understanding that Much has to walk a line. These are people who they deal
with. It is part of their business. You can't have every VJ dumping on
whatever videos they don't like.''
Not that MuchMusic is about to elevate Fromage 2000 to, say, the lavish
extravaganza that is the yearly MusicMusic Video Awards (MMVAs).
``Well, we are getting a new desk,'' Kerzner chuckles.
He began hosting Fromage in 1997, but took over the writing and producing
last year, with his wife of 18 months. They also took it in a different
direction.
``Previous years they were lighthearted about it, and it was often composed
of videos that hadn't actually aired. Where's the fun in that?'' he says.
``We turned it around and said, `Let's go after the artists that really
deserve it, the ones who are putting stuff out year round.' ''
That includes Canadians.
``I think there used to be a feeling at MuchMusic, `Don't talk about the
Canadian acts, leave them alone. I don't think that's necessary. They can
take it.''
Is anyone shaping up to unseat last year's winner of the worst music video
ever? That embarrassing distinction fell to Philip Michael Thomas, one half
of the Miami Vice duo, for his video, ``Just the Way I Planned It.''
``I don't think there's anything quite as bad as him.''
Then he pauses.
``Britney,'' Kerzner says. ``She may very well be the inductee to the Hall
of Shame this year.''
Other targets this year?
Madonna's ``Music.'' ``It's an extravaganza of garbage.''
And what to make of Kerzner's cheesy criterion ``degradation of women,''
this from the co-host of Ed's Night Party, advertised as a ``boobfest'' on
the show's Web site?
``Our late-night show still has women on it, let's face it, that's where
the late-night market is,'' he explains. ``But rather than bringing them on
and glorifying them . . . we're basically saying: `Look, this isn't a role
model for you. We're not drooling or putting them on a pedestal.' ''
Kerzner says Ed is ``pretty much the only one (VJ) who won't play videos if
they use women in a very base manner.''
>>David ========>
--
David Migicovsky, Evil Overlord of ACF
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From the harridan files:
So you admit to being a kook, eh? That's certainly a step in the right
direction.
Linda C.
Is this a harridan dumping on Leslie, Judith??