[Closed] Inexplicably successful careers?

Ha ha some good ones on here for sure.

But Lewis Hamilton and any of the Radio 1 DJs fit the bill along with a fair number of rgeular folk in management jobs the one that springs to mind is the clown who runs Network Rail, Mark Carne. Who first announced it was up to some committee whether or not he'd get his bonus, then quickly changed his tune once the PR department got back in to work.

James Corden OBE? Stick an SE on the end and you'd be nearer the mark. 😉

How can you possibly say Lewis Hamilton has had an "inexplicably successful career"??? One of the most talented racing drivers to appear in recent years, feared by his rivals as his driving ability is so good? If the rest of a sport says someone is good (as his rivals do) then I don't think there is any doubt as to why he's famous....

Read what I put in brackets..

How many times have you attempted to climb Everest?

John Hannah: the world's worst actor.

wheeliejim - Member
John Hannah: the world's worst actor.

I'm guessing you've never seen Hollyoaks before? He is Oscar material compared to that lot.

Will Ferrell about as funny as Michael McIntyre.

+1 Lily Allen. About the only credit i've got for Lily Allen was not standing for that useless talentless bitch Jo Whiley sarcastic remarks once.

Greg Wallace is a great shout, because he's sort of an imposter - but can you really begrudge him his success? It's like a feelgood story - lucrative tv presenting gig landed by man in pub.

I say sort of an imposter, not sure there's any such thing as an authentic food critic, so he's not that out of place.

Re Peter Jones [i]Really? So just like you, he's not actually a multi-millionaire at all?
[/i][u]
You got it.

Peter Jones somehow managed to lose money distributing mobile phones when everyone was making a packet (for example look up John Caudwell of Phones4U fame)however he was street wise enough to seek another career which is when he signed up with Max Clifford.

It was Max Clifford who got him the Dragons Den gig. If you can find any of the early Dragons Den series online you will note against Peter Jones the program intro quotes the turnover of Jones business interests whereas with the others it quoted either the value of their businesses or their guesstimated worth.

I have no doubt that via Dragons Den he now has quite a bit more money than before but I don't think he could be considered to be genuinely wealthy or a business guru. He is certainly decent TV fodder for the browsing masses but his only publicly quoted company has recently gone private again as it was not that successful and he could not stand the public scrutiny that goes with an AIM listing (shades of Richard Branson here 🙄 )

I guess in the final analysis what pisses me about Jones is his arrogance when dealing with contestants, as if he is their saviour and guarantor of fame and glory. Bottom line is he is a media savvy, ambitious mobile phone salesman with an eye for a chance.

Dame joan collins
Dame christopher biggins
james corden
Tony blair
Gordon brown
Danny dyer
David cameron
Barbera windsor
Dr fox

Peter Jones seems to be doing ok at reviving Jessops though.
He is the main reason I don't use Jessops plus the fact there is a family run camera/optics shop over the road from them in Harrogate, which I do use. 🙂

All of the above are like Queen. The band that is. Never hugely successful, but persistent.

As of 2005, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Queen albums have spent a total of 1,322 weeks (twenty-six years) on the UK Album Charts, more time than any other musical act.[85][87] Also in 2005, with the release of their live album with Paul Rodgers, Queen moved into third place on the list of acts with the most aggregate time spent on the British record charts.[281]

In 2006, the Greatest Hits album was the all-time best-selling album in UK Chart history, with sales of 5,407,587 copies, over 604,295 more copies than its nearest competitor, the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[86] Their Greatest Hits II album is the tenth best seller, with sales of 3,746,404 copies.[138][282]

The band have released a total of eighteen number one albums, eighteen number one singles, and ten number one DVDs worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. Queen have sold over 150 million records, with some estimates in excess of 300 million records worldwide,[234][283][284][285][286] including 34.5 million albums in the United States alone as of 2004.[287] Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the band is also the only group in which every member has composed more than one chart-topping single, and all four members of Queen were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.[288][289] In 2009, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame,[290][291] and the latter was voted the world's favourite song in a global music poll.[292]

Amanda Holden, I can't bear that talentless woman, Cheryl whoever as well.
Bono
Ed Milliband

Nicholas Cage . I can't believe we got to page five and nobody else mentioned him .

[quote=pb2 said]but I don't think he could be considered to be genuinely wealthy or a business guru.

From Wikipedia

A profile in the Sunday Times Rich List 2013 estimated his wealth at £475 million.

Obviously we move in different circles.

Liam Gallagher and Oasis.
Danny Wellbeck
Lenny Henry

Jade Goody. Sorry if its been done or if I've offended anyone. Yes she died - that doesn't mean she wasn't famous for no reason.

Morrisey.

[quote=pb2 ]Peter Jones somehow managed to lose money distributing mobile phones when everyone was making a packet

Did he? All the information I can find suggests he did make a packet from that, and that the company he founded is still currently going strong.

Bottom line is he is a media savvy, ambitious mobile phone salesman with an eye for a chance.

Sounds like the formula for a successful businessman to me.

Fergal keane.... enough for anyone to reach for the rope and nearest branch

Have we done Andy Townsend?

[i]Morrisey.[/i]

While I despise him, think he's a complete and utter attention seeking egomaniac, I do understand why he's had a successful career. Not because he can sing, which he can't, or write good songs, which he can't, but because he nailed what pitiful, self-absorbed agenda items would catch the imagination of pimply teenagers looking for a vague anti-establishment figure and just hammered away at them constantly.

I reckon he did it for a laugh at the start. "Lets create a dismal, repetitive, dull and immensely boring sound that no-one else is doing and then associate it with a series of obscure yet popular themes amongst teenagers and watch the money roll in. It'll keep us busy for a few years until we get proper jobs." And then it took hold and all those teenagers grew up but still swore blind he was some huge influence on them. You watch the comments to this post and mark my words.

Ramsey Neil - Member
Nicholas Cage . I can't believe we got to page five and nobody else mentioned him .

Not that inexplicable when you consider the connections that Nicolas Kim Coppola has and how many doors it opened for him. Still a shockingly bad 'actor'

I'd throw Ben Stiller in were it not for Zoolander.

[img] ~c200[/img]

Read what I put in brackets..

Untimateevil then concurred with you though.

I can't work out if people on this thread are bitter, or stupid! Yes there are some dreadful people listed on here, but it's pretty obvious why most have enjoyed their chosen career. admittedly often exploiting opportunities afforded to them or being in the right place at the right time.

As for Peter Jones not actually being rich and it all being a media invention... W T actual F?

Kate Humble
Shaun Keaveny
Jarvis Cocker
Jimmy Carr
Michael Macintyre
Sting
Morrisey
U2
Coldplay
Queen

See many already listed, have to turn the telly/radio off quickly if any of them appear

So they're people you don't like, many with good reason. However you must be able to understand why they have successful careers? Notably all of those musicians who've sold many many millions of records... I think that negates the inexplicable bit.

Postman Pat, complete liability. Should have been sacked years ago.

Notably all of those musicians who've sold many many millions of records... I think that negates the inexplicable bit.

isn't in inexplicable bit why all those millions of people bought the records in the first place ?

So they're people you don't like, many with good reason. However you must be able to understand why they have successful careers? Notably all of those musicians who've sold many many millions of records... I think that negates the inexplicable bit.

So their success isn't inexplicable because it's explained by their being successful? Right.... maybe people find that success inexplicable, hence the premise of the the thread?

There's loads of bands that I despise with a passion but I can understand why millions disagree with me and buy the records / concert tickets. Off the top of my head Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Take That and McBusted all fall into that category.

My nomination of Coldplay is based entirely on the premise of the thread i.e. when I've seen or heard Coldplay's offer, I really, really cannot work out how on earth it has connected with so many people that they are one of the biggest bands on the planet (and ditto for the Stereophonics, as stated earlier). In response to your post, yes I understand that their success is explained by the fact that they have sold tons of records. But I find it inexplicable that they have sold tons of records (and are, hence, very successful). Apologies if that wasn't clear in my original post.

For the person nominating Jarvis Cocker, my explanation is that, after quite some time plugging away in obscurity, JP and Pulp, by luck as much as anything, found themselves at the centre of the pop zeitgeist just as Britpop broke and managed to capitalise on it very well, perhaps partly because they were one of a few long-established bands who knew what they were doing surrounded by bands that had been going for ten minutes and were already desperately chasing the coat tails of their betters.

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I thought I was a cynical, negative son of a bitch but I now realise I am a rank amateur...

How good are we at what we do? How would we rank? I'm competent in my profession for sure but am I amazingly brilliant...? Probably not. Same likely goes for most of us really.

I strive for mediocrity, but my cynicism and inherent laziness normally prevent me from achieving it 😉

^^ 😀

...because they were one of a few long-established bands who knew what they were doing

Not inexplicably successful then...

I'm not a big fan of Coldplay but there success is based on: -
- Songs with a bit of simple sentiment. This hooks a lot of people
- Not that complex musically speaking. Simply constructed songs in familiar modes but with a couple of seemingly 'novel' sounds but without seeming too muso and inaccessible
- Doing the same thing repeatedly i.e giving people what they want

I can't work out if people on this thread are bitter, or stupid! Yes there are some dreadful people listed on here, but it's pretty obvious why most have enjoyed their chosen career.

^^This

admittedly often exploiting opportunities afforded to them or being in the right place at the right time.

This is definitely part of it for me. I don't attribute a lot of my (admittedly modest) success to 'me'. Yes, I've worked hard but I've had more than my share of lucky breaks that have let me be more successful than some of my peers.

...because they were one of a few long-established bands who knew what they were doing

Not inexplicably successful then...

Yeah, that's what what I was trying to say. Apologies if that wasn't clear. (?)

Re. Coldplay - while I would have to agree that you've probably nailed the key elements of their success, the inexplicable bit for me is that there are always tons of bands following that formula (or trying to) and I don't see (or hear) Coldplay doing it any more proficiently or competently than, say, Keane, Athlete or Starsailor?

Starsailor kind of gave up after a while and to be fair were not as catchy as Coldplay. Athlete probably didn't have enough hooks or enough 'colour' in their music. They were a little monochrome. Keane had a fair go and were doing well - the main guys drug problems got in the way more than Chris Martins addition (to macrobiotic foods).

MissStripes says "Clocks" is quite clever, musically.

Personally, I would change the CD!

Also - my vote:
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People underestimate Boris, and it's not by accident..

Yep. The "act" is doing my nut though.

Worst thing HIGNFY ever did was get that twerp significantly into the public conciousness.

has Davina MacCall been nominated yet? Having it off with a pervy rock star gets you a career in tv.

To everyone who thinks Peter Jones is loaded because Wiki or the ST says so --- a happy new year. I am off to talk to the fairy's at the bottom of our garden, they reckon they have seen pigs flying around our house however none of them think Peter Jones is worth £450m 😀

ps great shout on Sven, Roberto Martinez and AVB are also worthy of consideration