The Spraylist 2005: Thing Of The Year

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It’s the last day of our teary-eyed retrospective of 2005. We’ve looked at the best CDs, movies, DVDs and TV shows of the last year. And now it’s time to get personal.

Today, we’re looking at the Best Thing of 2005. But what does that mean, exactly? Well, we’re not too sure. It’s a bit vague. Sorry. But you want to see what the hecklerspray writers picked, don’t you? Of course you do…

Chris Lake, CEO, hecklerspray
Coffee, cigs, the Internet, my iPod
(when it isn’t in CRASH mode), the Danger Sidekick II, Mark E Smith’s
appearance on Score (he read out the football results in November), all
things Google, milk.

Stuart Heritage, editor, hecklerspray
Call me a buffoon with a tiny attention
span (actually, don’t), but I’ve mostly loved some of the TV adverts I’ve
seen in 2005. I spent the last couple of years in the Far East, and
the adverts I saw there were all full of pretend sincere cack. All of them. But I come back to the UK and what do I find? Devendra Banhart
advertising cheese. Stereo Total advertising camcorders. Brigitte
Bardot advertising bottled water. Fanta adverts that have taught
children to spit fizzy drinks. KFC adverts that taught kids to cram as
much food into their gobs as possible and then start singing. And that
French woman off the Renault Clio advert, whom I developed the most
pathetic crush on.

C J Davies, writer, hecklerspray
Hay-On-Wye Literary Festival - Quite possibly the best
of both worlds – the chance, every year, to spend your daylight hours
listening to a mixture of highly entertaining intellectual debate by a
variety of respected and prominent literary figures, then to spend the
hours after sundown drinking more alcohol than should really be humanly
possible and collapsing into a tiny tent outside Baskerville Hall. Rock
and roll, kids. With a slight librarian twist.

Chris Laverty, writer, hecklerspray
The year I learned to like Jamie Oliver, the
fake-chirpy bastard. I am so sick of seeing fat kids running
around everywhere with parents who don’t give a shit, it’s about time
somebody took a stand. Oliver has milked the publicity from his school
dinners programme to do the kiddies good and to do himself good. Fair
play. He’s a chef, not a saint. I can’t help but think however that
in a year of London bombings, New Orleans floods and Sienna Miller,
Jamie has at least raised our spirits a tad. Better get on and hate him
next year then, I suppose.

Shawn Lindseth, writer, hecklerspray
MVP of 2005 goes to the all important
Google.com. For such features as News, Earth, Local and Images, the
award is truly deserved. This comes as harsh news to phone books, globe
makers and microfiche fanatics everywhere. Google is the giant asteroid
to their thriving dinosaur populations. It spells an end to one old,
dusty and archaic era, and the beginning of a new exciting ‘instant’
age. Now, I’m well aware that Goog-doggy dog’s been around since way
before 2005, but the constant innovations and improvements give off a
permanent fresh feeling. Now raise your glass and say "Google".

Dd W, writer, hecklerspray
The brilliant UK Music Scene - new bands, new friends, good times. My
year has been driven by one big first timer’s ‘fresh off the boat’
adrenalin rush. Moving to London has (predictably) seen me checking out
live bands most nights of the week. I’m like a kid in a candy store.
From big amazing gigs like Franz Ferdinand and Sigur Ros to Basement
Jaxx in Hyde Park, the list is too big to fit on here. One night I’m
chilling out at a Sondre Lerche solo show, then weeks later I’m gaping
in awe as Fantomas tear up the stage at the Forum. In between, many
small exciting gigs watching new bands I’d never heard of. And just to
make me feel really at home, quite a few NZ bands I’m stoked to see are
doing so well. I’ve made lots of friends at gigs, club nights,
festivals, or just through the usual idle chatter about music. For me
nothing beats the buzz of being out there amongst it. So when you find
yourself living right in the midst of it all, you basically go into
overload. But in a good way.

Nick Levine, writer, hecklerspray
Mariah Carey: The comeback.
The album sales! The hit singles! The Grammy nominations! That Live 8
appearance! Those dresses! I doubt there’s a single person on this
little planet we call Earth who hasn’t been thoroughly entertained by
Mazza’s antics this year. Apart from her ‘Water Assistant’, of course.

Joanna Sim, writer, hecklerspray
My favourite moment of 2005 was
on a camping trip to Keats Island in Canada – a small remote island
just west of Vancouver in the Pacific Ocean. It was the hottest weekend
of the summer and I was with my best friends in this beautiful place.
We all sat on the marina late at night, feet dangling in water, beer in
hand, and yep, there was a guitar – cue the rock ballads. It was such a
cheesy Dawson’s Creek moment, but my favourite all the same.

Jack Johnson, writer, hecklerspray
Sorry to get political, but it has to be Blair losing a vote in the House of Commons over plans to detain people for 90 days.  But then again, I found the whole Blunkett thing really funny. I suppose I just like the idea that Blair does not always get away with all his Presidential decisions! That phoney smile only has a certain level of longevity.

Later - a bunch of people we like choose their best things of 2005. But now it’s up to you. What was your best thing of the year? Leave your comments below…