No Bieber fever for this critic

PHOTOS

Click on image to view.

DISCUSS

Comments Comment on this story

I heard recently that Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, compared his client to The Beatles. I'm sorry, comparing Justin Bieber to the Beatles is like comparing David Spade to Paul Newman or Marv Throneberry to Hank Aaron. Heck, it's like comparing me to Ernest Hemmingway.

Granted, Scooter is paid to say things like that, but I could not believe any person with two ears and half a brain would utter such blasphemy, even if he is named Scooter.

Giving Scooter the benefit of the doubt, I tracked down the original quote. What Scooter actually said, in a riveting interview in Billboard magazine, was, “I don't want to draw comparisons, but there was a band during the British Invasion that had girls screaming at them. I think you know who I'm talking about.”

Well, no, Scooter, I really don't know who you are talking about. (Plus, I just like repeating the name Scooter.) Please tell me you were referring to a fun, fluff band like Herman's Hermits and not the greatest musical act the world has ever seen.

The Hermits' lead singer, Peter Noone, a.k.a. Herman, had the same kind of boyish good looks and moppy hair that Justin has (or had, before his new big-boy haircut.) They sold millions of records, and sang cutesy pop songs such as “Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter” and “Can't You Hear My Heartbeat,” and the little teeny-bopper girls went crazy.

Comparing Justin to Herman's Hermits is a far cry from comparing him to the Beatles. But even in that matchup, I've got to go with the group from the '60s. Peter Noone is still going strong after nearly 50 years. Do you really think Justin will be around that long, ... especially when his voice changes and his fans grow up and learn what real music sounds like?