This is somewhat in reference to the article written by Bob Ignizio
entitled "Reagan Era Rock: One
Fan Looks Back". I've been a friend of Bob's for a while so, lucky
me, I made his web page (that's right folks, he's biased. Don't let
him tell you any different). I can vouch that he's much more into
underground music (and movies) than I am. I simply don't have the
motivation to search for it like he does. I usually sort through the
crap that he or my other geek friends have already dug up. If this
means I'm a slacker, then well... whatever. I'm not gonna argue.
Anyway, his article gives a good example of how us underground music geeks
get into stuff we think is awesome, and others think is crap. It
basically stems from the idea that many of us find most of commercial radio
way too tame and un-exciting, and quickly get sick of it. However, we do
understand there's a viable place for mainstream music. It's not ALL
bad, just the majority of it. Thus comes the frequent discussion,
debate, argument, or whatever it escalates to, over WHY one listens to crap.
Be it mainstream, underground, loud, soft, hard, mellow, cool, or lame.
I try to remember that all of these terms are relative.
Something I've discovered over the years is that music is vastly different
for everyone. We all listen from a different point of view. We
each pay closer attention to different aspects of music. We all have
different ears, which allow each of us to enjoy certain sounds or
frequencies. Our elders have chosen the styles of music (and other
media) that we've been brought up with and, whether we admit it or
not, we each listen to music that helps create the image we hope to project
to others. Our appreciation for music is as different as our DNA.
In fact, we don't even use the same criteria to define one style from
another. What's your definition of punk, metal, thrash, etc.?
Many of you believe it's logical to respect the preferences of others.
Some of you might even think it's common knowledge in the new millennium.
If it isn't, certainly it should be. But I find myself involved in the
"why do you listen to that crap" discussion as frequently as ever, so I know
someone could use this information. After all, religious and racial
persecution has survived, although I think we've gotten a lot better.
So who's to say musical persecution hasn't been thriving?
I often enjoy listening to other people's favorite music and asking them WHY
they like it so much. The most common and frustrating answer I get is
"I dunno". I have to admit, this can be a tricky question to ask.
People often feel like their musical beliefs are about to be persecuted and
quickly become defensive. The truth is that I'm really trying to find
out what they love about it. Who knows, maybe I'll love it too.
Maybe I won't, and a debate will ensue. Either way I learn something.
For example: My friend Chris is a huge fan of Pantera, especially Phil
Anselmo. His reasons for this usually vary from, "They're the coolest
band on the planet" to, "Phil is THE shit!" (he has quite a way with words).
His best answer thus far has been, "Phil's vocals are perfect for their
sound". I myself am not a fan of death-growling vocalists, but even I
have to admit that the span of his voice does lay quite nicely between
Vinnie and Darrell. And judging from other music he likes, I'm
convinced his ears are suited for a thicker, more bass rich tone than my own
brighter, mid-range preference.
His brother Steve and I recently had a discussion in which he proclaimed
Dave Mustaine to be the ultimate heavy metal musician. While many of
you probably disagree, keep in mind that this is not only his opinion,
but his opinion was also well thought out. He cited his judgment
criteria to be that Mustaine wrote, sang, played, and projected his favorite
image of what metal is all about. When someone mentions heavy metal,
he immediately thinks Dave Mustaine.
On the other side there's my girlfriend Ashley. She's mostly into
mainstream stuff, but even she agrees that the best music isn't on the
radio. Whenever we listen to some of her more unorthodox music, I
always ask her what she likes about it. She never knows. She's
lucky if she knows the artist. I don't think she cares much about the
details. While some people are perfectly content to enjoy a song for
no apparent reason, I feel a constant need to analyze why. It's a
curse I suppose, but it's part of why I enjoy music.
Not that I'm much of an authority on this subject, but I've given my two
cents thus far, so I might as well go ahead and offer some advice to those
of you who care and say: If you ever wonder why people listen to crap.. keep
wondering. And if you're not sure why you like certain kinds of
music.. keep asking yourself. In some cases, the honest answer might
still be, "I dunno", but I bet you'll be surprised at what else you
discover.
