Being one who tends to do all of my walking on the other side of the road, I love Brian. Seriously. Not romantically of course but as a member of this forum.
Granted, I rarely agree with a lot of what he says but that's all besides the point. Sometimes I actually agree with him regarding some things that everyone else disagrees with him about. Thing is, for me, it's not at all about what he likes and dislikes. It's all about his delivery. He writes well and he often makes me laugh. Added bonus, he's good at calling bullshit on others... even though, again, I 'may' not agree with him. Then again, occasionally, he's right on the mark! He's got balls. Strange ones, but he's got 'em.
Reading Brian's posts are a whole lot like how it use to be for me when I would bother with the NME, especially about 10 years or so ago. They could tear the living shit out of my favorite band but they always did it in a way that left me laughing my ass off. Ultimately, both Brian and the NME are great well written musical comedy with a punch.