Feature / Music
2006: A Year In Review

Posted pre-2010

Top 5 Things That Didn't

Suck (For Some) in 2006

Quick links: Top 5 DVDs | Most Anticipated Albums of 2007 | Reasons The Fresh Prince was awesome | Top 5 Singles | Big Comebacks of 2006 | Top 5 Shows | Top 5 Things That Sucked | Top 5 Things That Ruled | Noteworthy Songs | Top Reissues | Reasons the BBC Is Killing UK Music | Top 5 Vinyl-Only Releases | Worst Cover Art | Band Tour Stories

  1. Snakes on a Plane: The Movie

  2. "Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!"

    "Who's your daddy now, bitch?"

    "Great, snakes on crack"

    "One of those slimy pieces of shit trip a circuit, hydraulic or a relay, and pretty soon we'll go down faster than a Thai hooker!"

    Not to mention the sex scene, the scene in the bathroom, the uber-snake, and Kenan Thompson not being annoying for once. Essentially, the greatest bad movie ever made. Yes, even better than Ninja Terminator. You owe it to yourself, nay, you owe it to the world to see this movie. Something that the NME will undoubtedly be dumbfounded by, as it actually lives up to the hype.

    New Line Cinema: We salute you.

    David R. Ellis: We salute you too.

    Samuel L. Jackson: We motherfucking salute you as well.

    And last, but by no means l33tâ?¦ uh, I mean, leastâ?¦ fellow nerds, geeks and general web-hounds, plus the occasional normal person that somehow slipped through the cracks: We salute you too.

  3. Cobra Starship - Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)

  4. It's a rare thing when - and I use this term lightly - genius collides in such a fashion. Upon hearing of Snakes on a Plane, Gabe Saporta (formerly of Midtown), and a few more of his Fueled by Ramen chums somehow managed to finagle their way onto the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack. And I don't care how many virgins they had to sacrifice to do it, because I'll be fucked if this isn't one of the songs of the year. As cheesy and ridiculously over the top as the movie, this dangerously likeable pop-soul-dance-rock masterpiece, resplendent with Sam Jackson samples, hasn't left the little space it carved in my head since the day I heard it. Coupled with a fantastic video with a cameo from the great Mr. Jackson himself, and you have yourself an unstoppable, serpentine beast. And no, I don't mean that big, fuck-off snake from the movie.

  5. Nintendo Wii

  6. Okay, I'll admit that the closest I've gotten to actually playing with a Wii is uhâ?¦ well, my younger brother has a DS. I've played that a bit. It has a touch screen, you know!

    But 2006 has undoubtedly been the year of the Wii. Fat nerds everywhere rejoiced when they heard that, not only could they enjoy playing innovative new games that don't involve a silent protagonist, a first person viewpoint and the inevitably over-powered rocket launcher, but that they could actually get some exercise while doing so! Couple this with the fact that more accessible games means that more girls are likely to take up gaming as a hobby - well, I'll let the millions of pairs of soiled briefs speak for themselves. And that's before you get to the retro-emulation of Nintendo's previous consoles. No more worries about having to blow dust out of your old Super Mario World cartridge!

    Although, please - for the love of all that is sweet and good, make sure that the Wiimote is attached firmly to your wrist at all times. Innocent TVs and other breakables should not have to suffer for retarded gamers' mistakes.

  7. Snakes on a Plane: The Hype

  8. Aha! Intrigue! It made it onto both lists!? "Madness!" I hear you cry. Well, maybe it is. But it isn't without its merit, for without the hype, it's unlikely that Snakes on a Plane would have morphed into what it finally became. We'd have certainly been a few "I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!"s short of a bushel, that's for sure. Not to mention the copious amounts of hilarious spoof sequels and trailers.

  9. The Deaths of Augusto Pinochet and Pauline Fowler

  10. Ok, I'm not really one to rejoice over people dying. Shit's not cool. But I doubt that there are too many people around the world shedding tears for this guy. Unless you happen to be one of his supporters, or Margaret Thatcher. Again, without wishing to sound too callous, I was a bit miffed when rumors of Maggie being consumed by her own venomous stomach acid turned out to be false. Oh well.

    As for Pauline Fowler? Non-UK readers without a penchant for terrible soaps may not understand, but for those who will, I'm certainly not sorry to see that leather-faced old prune vacate the Eastenders set, permanently. Although, I was disappointed when the much hyped hip-hop rendition of "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead", as performed by Sonia Jackson, never materialized. If ever there was a way to ensure the Christmas Day TV ratings, it'd be that. Shame on you, Eastenders script writers. Shame on you.

(Marc)

— words by the SPB team

Related features

GØKHA

One Question Interviews • October 21, 2026

GØKHA SPB: The entire new record is solo. How did you decide to self record and self release? GØKHA: I’ve been writing music since I was 16. I’m 36 now, so that’s 20 years of dealing with the same problem: finding people to play with. And not just any musicians, … Read more

School Drugs

One Question Interviews • October 20, 2026

Josh Jurk (School Drugs) SPB: What do you remember of your first show with School Drugs? Jurk: We opened our set with the intro to “Crazy Train.” I don't really know why, seemed like a good idea at the time. We'll reprise it at our last show when we're all … Read more

Little A

One Question Interviews • October 19, 2026

Little A SPB: Is there an album or concert that inspired you to start to playing your own music? Bryan – drums: It may be a standard answer for folks my age, but Nirvana's Nevermind album changed everything. The rawness and energy made me want to be in a band, … Read more

Fest 24: Artist Interviews

Interviews / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

It's almost FEST time, and you know what that means: SPB has dived in to speak to a bunch of bands and artists playing this year's event. Some are FEST veterans with tips and highlights for newcomers, and others are FEST newbies with their own plans for the week. Read … Read more

FEST LIBS 24 & Fest Survey Findings

Music / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, FL, we’ve got some Fest games for you to play, including a few samples from this year’s performers. Click here to play FEST LIBS -- like a fill-in-the-blanks word game … Read more

More from this section

FEST LIBS 24 & Fest Survey Findings

Music / Fest 24 • October 16, 2026

Are you ready for The Fest!? While we’re pretty sure you’re already counting down days until your trek to Gainesville, FL, we’ve got some Fest games for you to play, including a few samples from this year’s performers. Click here to play FEST LIBS -- like a fill-in-the-blanks word game … Read more

Demos You Want To Check #5

Music / New Kids On The Block • October 13, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and die out and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, it never hurts to help! So here we are, your humble … Read more

Anathema Editions

Music / History 101 • August 11, 2026

Did you know it’s been 10 years since Anathema Editions put out its first release? To make the moment, we reached out to founder Terence Hannum to share some label history. In keeping with our “History 101” concept, SPB asked for anecdotes about 4 of the label’s releases and then … Read more