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NME Cool List Announced

added 22 November 2005 at 11.26

It's that time of the year again, as the NME publish their annual list of who’s hot and who’s not in the world of music. In 2004 Pete Doherty and Carl Barat controversially topped the chart, but this year?

It seems that Arctic Monkeys are officially (in the minds of NME writers at least) the coolest band on the planet right now, as their singer Alex Turner tops the magazines annual cool list, knocking Pete Doherty (who this year resides at number 7) off the top slot.

Similarly Carl Barat (who shared the 2004 number 1) has dropped to number 10, despite not having released or played any significant amount of new music of note all year.

Just below Turner is Oasis’ Liam Gallagher at 2 making a welcome return to the chart after a no show last year, while rap artist uber producer arranger and writer Kanye West deservedly gets the 3 slot. Just behind at 4 is Mercury Music Prize winner Antony from Antony And The Johnsons and Brandon Flowers from The Killers ends the Top 5.

Speaking about the chart, Associate Editor Alex Needham, said: “Featuring both elder statesmen and thrusting young turks, the NME Cool List is the one every musician wants to be on. Last year Pete Doherty and Carl Barat were joint number one and 2005’s looks set to stir up even more controversy!”

To balance things up the NME also publishes a Fool List with those celebrities, politicians, musicians and (in this case) multinational corporations who are deemed the most offensive, irritating and generally f**king useless.

This year that honour goes to Richard Bacon for his inappropriate comment towards The Magic Numbers, closely followed by Tory MP David Cameron, Prince Harry (for some indiscernible reason other than that fact he’s an upper class t**t) and the jury who deemed Michael Jackson innocent.

For the full Cool List along with exclusive interviews with some of those honoured, read the NME this week.

The NME Cool List (Top 20) is:

1. (New) Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)
2. (New) Liam Gallagher (Oasis)
3. (New) Kanye West 
4. (New) Antony (Antony and The Johnsons) 
5. (9) Brandon Flowers (The Killers)
6. (17) Devendra Banhart
7. (=1) Pete Doherty (Babyshambles)
8. (New) Jemina Pearl (Be Your Own Pet) 
9. (New) Bob Dylan 
10. (=1) Carl Barat (Dirty Pretty Things)
11. (New) Ian Brown 
12. (New) Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz)
13. (New) Ryan Jarman (The Cribs) 
14. (New) Julian Casablancas (The Strokes)
15. (New) Ninja (Go! Team) 
16. (New) Paul Epworth 
17. (New) Billie Jo (Green Day) 
18. (New) Tom Atkin (The Paddingtons)
19. (New) Henry Harrison (The Mystery Jets) 
20. (New) Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance)

The NME Fool List is:

1. Richard Bacon
2. David Cameron
3. Prince Harry
4. Michael Jackson’s Jury
5. The Who
6. George Bush
7. Coca Cola 
8. James Mullord 
9. Tim Westwood
10. James Blunt

But do you think the staff of the NME have got it right? We want to know who - out of the Top 20 - you think should be at number 1. Just click on the poll below to let us know. Or maybe you think they missed someone out? Let us know who (and why) by clicking here.

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