YMMV / Manic Street Preachers

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• Broken Base: There is a massive amount of disagreement between fans about which songs and albums are works of genius and which are indisputable proof that the Manics should have broken up after their first album/after Richey left/after Everything Must Go and many other things besides.This extremely long thread on a fansite is testament to these many disagreements.
• Creator Worship: Richey to the point of absurdity, Nicky to a lesser degree.
• Epileptic Trees: That nearly every song released since Richey's disappearance is about him. The only confirmed songs about him are "Sepia", "Nobody Loved You" and "Cardiff Afterlife", however.
• First Installment Wins: Many consider the Generation Terrorists album and era to be the band's most exciting period, although some reserve this for The Holy Bible.
• Funny Moments:
  • In the Close Up documentary, Nicky's talking about the period after Richey disappeared. Most of it is a Tear Jerker, but then he talks about how they had to cancel a Japanese tour because of it:
    "Some Japanese promoter was trying to sue us cause we cancelled a tour, and we were going 'well how do you expect us to come when he's missing', and he's going 'ah, but I lose honor!', you know, and I was like 'I don't fucking care about your honor!'"
  • This performance of La Tristesse Durera, with the soundman accidentally turning Richey's amp up and James' down, thinking Richey was the lead guitarist. Sean's bemused face and the rest of the band turning to each other trying to figure out what the hell's going on is hilarious.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: The Manics are quite popular in Thailand. Interestingly, James Dean Bradfield once proclaimed that Generation Terrorists would sell sixteen million copies around the world, "from Bangkok to Senegal".
• Heartwarming Moments: "Askew Road", about their time living in London.
  "Askew Road, a place in my heart.
  Forever hoping we'll all make our way back."
• Ho Yay:
  • Richey and Nicky all the damn time. The video for "Love's Sweet Exile" even has them rolling around together practically making out while implicitly naked.
  • The cover of Generation Terrorists is a picture of a man's naked torso.
• Never Live It Down: Even if the band admit it's an Old Shame, people probably won't forget that "worse than Hitler" quote anytime soon. Or wishing Michael Stipe would die of AIDS.
• Signature Song: "Motorcycle Emptiness", "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" and "A Design for Life" have proven to be their most enduring popular songs. "Yes" or "Archives of Pain" to Richey-worshippers.
• Sophomore Slump: Gold Against the Soul is seen as this, though its stature has improved over time.

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