yup, exactly what the title says, it's being hosted on altpress.com
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Gaslight Anthem live in Chicago, 7.27.10
Anyone who knows me or has read this blog knows what an amazing band I think The Gaslight Anthem are. Well, last night I got to see them at the House of Blues in Chicago.
The show, to sum it up, was amazing. As my lady says, "they actually outdid themselves." Which is 100% spot on. Hands down, one of the best shows I have ever seen. Everyone was spot on. Gaslight was tight, they hit everything. There was plenty of improvising, going off on side tracks and bringing it all back in. There are not too many bands that do that anymore. Even fewer that do it that well. They played an outstanding mix of old and new. I love watching the crowd get confused by older songs, "Sink or Swim" era stuff. Every track from "senor & the queen" was played. It was perfect.
However, for the hour and a half plus they played, the best part about the whole thing was that they were having fun. You can tell. Here are 4 guys doing what they love and having as much fun if not more than the audience. That is the best part of the whole thing for me. They had huge smiles on their face the entire time. As did most of the crowd.
Maybe not the absolute high point of the night, but one of the most amazing things I have ever seen was during the encore, they played a cover of Lucero's "the War," with Tim Barry coming out and sharing vocal duties with Brian.
Below is a video of the song, not from last night, but from an earlier stop on the tour. It is absolutely awesome. I will say, last night there was a little solo Brian did in the middle that was so freaking bluesy, it have everyone feeling the mood of the whole song.
Absolutely amazing.
you can get "the war" from Lucero below. I recommend you get the whole damn album because it is my personal favorite album from Lucero.
check out all of the albums from The Gaslight Anthem while you are at it
![American Slang [+Digital Booklet]](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003PWH4JA&tag=thetimeisneve-20)
![Señor And The Queen [Ep]](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0013H1OE0&tag=thetimeisneve-20)
"The War" Lyrics
I got drafted at 19
Me and a bunch of boys from home
January ’43, drove out to Pine Bluff and signed on
Went to basic south of Birmingham
Put me on west coast bound train
Spent three days out in San Diego
And they shipped me back east again
Left a port out of New York
Slept for months in British rain
Tore it up down in London town
And they shipped me back out again
The preacher said “Boys he who is killed tonight will dine with the Lord in Paradise”
One boy spoke up, said “preacher come on, eat your supper with us
Never talk about those first days
Lots of friends left behind
But I made it all the way across France
And I fought at the Maginot line
Road a tank into Belgium
Like them better than the French
Like my daddy, thirty years before
I did my time in a trench
Lots of days there’s no water
But the liquor kept me warm
The cellars were stocked to the ceiling with booze
So I carried a bottle with my gun
The preacher said “Boys he who is killed tonight will dine with the Lord in Paradise”
One boy spoke up, said “preacher come on, eat your supper with us”
Three times I made sergeant
I’m not that kind of man
And pretty much just as quick as I could
I get busted back to private again
Cause taken’ orders never suited me
Giving them out was much worse
I could not stand to get my friends killed
So I took care of myself first
Now I know that don’t sound right
Don’t think too bad of me
Now it keeps me up nights
What I could have done differently
The preacher said “Boys he who is killed tonight will dine with the Lord in Paradise.”
One boy spoke up, said “preacher come on, eat your supper with us”
I’d be no guest at the table of the Lord
His food was not to be mine
‘Cause I cursed His name every chance that I could
And I recon that’s why I’m still alive
The show, to sum it up, was amazing. As my lady says, "they actually outdid themselves." Which is 100% spot on. Hands down, one of the best shows I have ever seen. Everyone was spot on. Gaslight was tight, they hit everything. There was plenty of improvising, going off on side tracks and bringing it all back in. There are not too many bands that do that anymore. Even fewer that do it that well. They played an outstanding mix of old and new. I love watching the crowd get confused by older songs, "Sink or Swim" era stuff. Every track from "senor & the queen" was played. It was perfect.
However, for the hour and a half plus they played, the best part about the whole thing was that they were having fun. You can tell. Here are 4 guys doing what they love and having as much fun if not more than the audience. That is the best part of the whole thing for me. They had huge smiles on their face the entire time. As did most of the crowd.
Maybe not the absolute high point of the night, but one of the most amazing things I have ever seen was during the encore, they played a cover of Lucero's "the War," with Tim Barry coming out and sharing vocal duties with Brian.
Below is a video of the song, not from last night, but from an earlier stop on the tour. It is absolutely awesome. I will say, last night there was a little solo Brian did in the middle that was so freaking bluesy, it have everyone feeling the mood of the whole song.
Absolutely amazing.
you can get "the war" from Lucero below. I recommend you get the whole damn album because it is my personal favorite album from Lucero.
check out all of the albums from The Gaslight Anthem while you are at it
"The War" Lyrics
I got drafted at 19
Me and a bunch of boys from home
January ’43, drove out to Pine Bluff and signed on
Went to basic south of Birmingham
Put me on west coast bound train
Spent three days out in San Diego
And they shipped me back east again
Left a port out of New York
Slept for months in British rain
Tore it up down in London town
And they shipped me back out again
The preacher said “Boys he who is killed tonight will dine with the Lord in Paradise”
One boy spoke up, said “preacher come on, eat your supper with us
Never talk about those first days
Lots of friends left behind
But I made it all the way across France
And I fought at the Maginot line
Road a tank into Belgium
Like them better than the French
Like my daddy, thirty years before
I did my time in a trench
Lots of days there’s no water
But the liquor kept me warm
The cellars were stocked to the ceiling with booze
So I carried a bottle with my gun
The preacher said “Boys he who is killed tonight will dine with the Lord in Paradise”
One boy spoke up, said “preacher come on, eat your supper with us”
Three times I made sergeant
I’m not that kind of man
And pretty much just as quick as I could
I get busted back to private again
Cause taken’ orders never suited me
Giving them out was much worse
I could not stand to get my friends killed
So I took care of myself first
Now I know that don’t sound right
Don’t think too bad of me
Now it keeps me up nights
What I could have done differently
The preacher said “Boys he who is killed tonight will dine with the Lord in Paradise.”
One boy spoke up, said “preacher come on, eat your supper with us”
I’d be no guest at the table of the Lord
His food was not to be mine
‘Cause I cursed His name every chance that I could
And I recon that’s why I’m still alive
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Live Gaslight
so NPR is going to do some live broadcasts of The Gaslight Anthem, you can learn more here from the side one dummy site
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Patrick Stump actually is an adult
The AV Club continues its weekly series of cover songs this week with Patrick Stump (formally of FALL OUT BOY) covering The Wedding Present's "My Favorite Dress" and takes a good stab at it.
Patrick Stump covers The Wedding Present
Here is the thing, I had to do a double take on who this guy was sitting in the chair there. Where are the glasses? The stupidly cocked sideways hat? Where are the too big side-burns? This kind of confirms one thing to me, image was a big part of Fall Out Boy. Pete Wentz's image. I always kind of figured Patrick Stump wore a hat because he was balding or had thinning hair, and i still think he is getting a little thin up top. But really, based on how he looks in this video, that other Stump was not who he was. He looks much more comfortable and at ease than he ever looked on anything I have seen of him.
I am all for people re-inventing themselves. But, I don't think this was the case. This looks like someone who has been wearing a costume because that is what you are "supposed" to do to play whatever kind of music they want to play. And now, they have taken it off and we can see what is really under it all. This trend is far too prominent in music. There are styles and trends that people automatically think have to go together. Look at all of the nu-metal bullshit like creed and nickleback and and and i can't think of any others, but look at them. All of their logos kind of looks the same. There is that same kind of "tribal tattoo" feel to all of it and EVERY band in that genre did that at the same time. Anyone remember 80's hair-metal? Do you see what I am talking about?
This is even more prominent in today's music. Look at all of these stupid "dance-punk" bands. Hair in their face, weird colors, easily mistaken for girls, make-up, neon colors...holy fuck, it is the 80's all over again.
You do not need to look a certain way in order to sound a certain way. Music should be an expression of who and what you are. Not what will work to make you popular. If Johnny Cash was still around, I do not think he would be putting some skinny dude with makeup and colored hair in front of a synth tweedling along to his songs. It just does not work. Good music is good no matter what you look like.
Patrick Stump covers The Wedding Present
Here is the thing, I had to do a double take on who this guy was sitting in the chair there. Where are the glasses? The stupidly cocked sideways hat? Where are the too big side-burns? This kind of confirms one thing to me, image was a big part of Fall Out Boy. Pete Wentz's image. I always kind of figured Patrick Stump wore a hat because he was balding or had thinning hair, and i still think he is getting a little thin up top. But really, based on how he looks in this video, that other Stump was not who he was. He looks much more comfortable and at ease than he ever looked on anything I have seen of him.
I am all for people re-inventing themselves. But, I don't think this was the case. This looks like someone who has been wearing a costume because that is what you are "supposed" to do to play whatever kind of music they want to play. And now, they have taken it off and we can see what is really under it all. This trend is far too prominent in music. There are styles and trends that people automatically think have to go together. Look at all of the nu-metal bullshit like creed and nickleback and and and i can't think of any others, but look at them. All of their logos kind of looks the same. There is that same kind of "tribal tattoo" feel to all of it and EVERY band in that genre did that at the same time. Anyone remember 80's hair-metal? Do you see what I am talking about?
This is even more prominent in today's music. Look at all of these stupid "dance-punk" bands. Hair in their face, weird colors, easily mistaken for girls, make-up, neon colors...holy fuck, it is the 80's all over again.
You do not need to look a certain way in order to sound a certain way. Music should be an expression of who and what you are. Not what will work to make you popular. If Johnny Cash was still around, I do not think he would be putting some skinny dude with makeup and colored hair in front of a synth tweedling along to his songs. It just does not work. Good music is good no matter what you look like.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
finally someone created exactly how i feel about 3OH3!
there is a stupid trend right now in "punk" music (I am not going to go into sub-genres) where people think that it is "Cool" to put out these jokey, fucking dumb rap rock albums that talk about getting wasted or how much partying they can do. I hate it. I hope it dies a very rapid death, because honestly, I do not even want to hear it's last dying breath.
Current.tv is pretty much known for weirdo hipster indie clips that are created by viewers or just for people with short attention spans. I watch it occasionally and sometimes there are some legitimate things on there. I think it is a cool concept that has kind of gotten distorted about 60% of the time thanks to people constantly thinking they are cooler and more "independent" than the rest of us.
Ok, so now that you have read 2 things that make almost no sense, check out the below video as 3OH3!, one of the worst (best?) examples of this retarded rap-punk trend and its stupid clothes etc, getting a musical intervention. I hope they see it and take note.
Current.tv is pretty much known for weirdo hipster indie clips that are created by viewers or just for people with short attention spans. I watch it occasionally and sometimes there are some legitimate things on there. I think it is a cool concept that has kind of gotten distorted about 60% of the time thanks to people constantly thinking they are cooler and more "independent" than the rest of us.
Ok, so now that you have read 2 things that make almost no sense, check out the below video as 3OH3!, one of the worst (best?) examples of this retarded rap-punk trend and its stupid clothes etc, getting a musical intervention. I hope they see it and take note.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Action Design make me wanna dance
Desperation by The Action Design
The above song is from a 7-inch that The Action Design will have available while they are on tour with Social Distortion.
The Action Design have been around for a little while. But, for those of you that don't know of them, they are 1 of the 2 bands that came from the ska punk band Tsunami Bomb. When singer "Agent M" started a family, Tsunami Bomb called it quits. A bunch of the guys were still itching to play, so Nothington was created. They are an awesome punk band that, like a fine whiskey, just seem to get better with age.
Well, It looks like Agent M just could not keep her beautiful voice locked down. SO, the result is The Action Design. Honestly, just a fun band. Agent M's real name is Emily Whitehurst and the few times I could see them play, it has been a blast.
I got a chance to catch Tsunami Bomb opening up for Rise Against, when Tsunami Bomb was on their last tour. Anytime a female fronted band can hold it's own against a band like Rise Against or a singer like Tim McIlrath, you know there is something special going on.
I hope by putting the track at the top, you have been listening to it while reading this. If you have gotten this far and your foot has not starting tapping, there is something wrong.
When you are done, check out the albums from Nothington and The Action Design, or take it way back to Tsunami Bomb.
The above song is from a 7-inch that The Action Design will have available while they are on tour with Social Distortion.
The Action Design have been around for a little while. But, for those of you that don't know of them, they are 1 of the 2 bands that came from the ska punk band Tsunami Bomb. When singer "Agent M" started a family, Tsunami Bomb called it quits. A bunch of the guys were still itching to play, so Nothington was created. They are an awesome punk band that, like a fine whiskey, just seem to get better with age.
Well, It looks like Agent M just could not keep her beautiful voice locked down. SO, the result is The Action Design. Honestly, just a fun band. Agent M's real name is Emily Whitehurst and the few times I could see them play, it has been a blast.
I got a chance to catch Tsunami Bomb opening up for Rise Against, when Tsunami Bomb was on their last tour. Anytime a female fronted band can hold it's own against a band like Rise Against or a singer like Tim McIlrath, you know there is something special going on.
I hope by putting the track at the top, you have been listening to it while reading this. If you have gotten this far and your foot has not starting tapping, there is something wrong.
When you are done, check out the albums from Nothington and The Action Design, or take it way back to Tsunami Bomb.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Chuck Ragan interview
Chuck Ragan talks about a lot of things in this new audio interview i did not get the chance to steal enough work time to listen to it all, but I definitlely liked hearing that Chuck is working on a split album with Brian Fallon which should be awesome.
Get a free sundowner song from spinner
click this link here and grab a copy of "In the Flicker" from Sundowner's upcoming album "We Chase The Waves"
So far, from what i have heard, the new album is a little more mellow than the previous record, but that is not a bad thing in any way. I love this and Chris' lawrence arms output so I can not wait for my preorder to get here from asian man records.
Listen and Enjoy
So far, from what i have heard, the new album is a little more mellow than the previous record, but that is not a bad thing in any way. I love this and Chris' lawrence arms output so I can not wait for my preorder to get here from asian man records.
Listen and Enjoy
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I used to love this band
The Onion continues their AV Undercover series this week with Coheed and Cambria covering The Smiths "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours." Quite excellently, might I add.
Coheed And Cambria covers The Smiths
I'll be honest, I was a huge Coheed fan when "The second stage turbine blade" came out. Each subsequent album has kind of pushed me further and further from that same feeling of amazement. I know that Claudio has an overreaching idea for the whole series of albums, and they definitely had strong similar themes. But, I think it was those themes that killed it for me. In the end, everything kind of sounded the same. If you are going to buy a Coheed album, I vote for the one below.
Now, don't get me wrong, live Coheed shows were/are amazing. They really are some of the strongest musicians out there. What makes the live show more interesting than listening to all of the albums, to me, is due to the fact that the storytelling aspect of the albums is adjusted or almost forgotten in place of creating a great show. Concepts and storytelling do have their place in music. The thing is, it can overtake the quality of the album and create a pretentious piece of work that almost loses the fun aspect of it.
Look at Tom DeLonge and Angels and Airwaves. Their pretentiousness has pretty much ruined the combined output of their band. They have a few great songs, but the whole image and life they are trying to promote detracts from the overall quality.
But, I have digressed, I need to get back on track. I have not listened to the last 2 Coheed and Cambria albums. Maybe I should, maybe I let things I was not completely in line with ruin my chance at hearing something great.
I will state, while I do enjoy this version of The Smiths song, Broadway Calls did a cover that was just as impressive on their second album.
![Broadway Calls [Explicit]](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0013AZM4U&tag=thetimeisneve-20)
Coheed And Cambria covers The Smiths
I'll be honest, I was a huge Coheed fan when "The second stage turbine blade" came out. Each subsequent album has kind of pushed me further and further from that same feeling of amazement. I know that Claudio has an overreaching idea for the whole series of albums, and they definitely had strong similar themes. But, I think it was those themes that killed it for me. In the end, everything kind of sounded the same. If you are going to buy a Coheed album, I vote for the one below.
Now, don't get me wrong, live Coheed shows were/are amazing. They really are some of the strongest musicians out there. What makes the live show more interesting than listening to all of the albums, to me, is due to the fact that the storytelling aspect of the albums is adjusted or almost forgotten in place of creating a great show. Concepts and storytelling do have their place in music. The thing is, it can overtake the quality of the album and create a pretentious piece of work that almost loses the fun aspect of it.
Look at Tom DeLonge and Angels and Airwaves. Their pretentiousness has pretty much ruined the combined output of their band. They have a few great songs, but the whole image and life they are trying to promote detracts from the overall quality.
But, I have digressed, I need to get back on track. I have not listened to the last 2 Coheed and Cambria albums. Maybe I should, maybe I let things I was not completely in line with ruin my chance at hearing something great.
I will state, while I do enjoy this version of The Smiths song, Broadway Calls did a cover that was just as impressive on their second album.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
This is a great live video
I love it when bands mix it up a little when they play acoustic stuff. Check out this great video of Bridge and Tunnel playing "Wartime Souvenirs"
great band, you should check out and get their newest album below
great band, you should check out and get their newest album below
Pretty cool live video of Dustin Kensrue from Thrice
the picture quality is shitty, but the sound quality is great
you can pick up Dustin Kensrue's solo album here
you can pick up Dustin Kensrue's solo album here
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
New stuff for your ears and your eyes
I am just going to do this in one shot:
Iron Chic, a band I love and think are awesome, ever since I got their burned demo cd in the mail, have a new album coming out. You can click here to listen to "every Song Has An Elm Stree" off their new, and first full-length album, on their label's website.
If you have ever looked at anything on my bloggy blog here, you know I have a love for The Gaslight Anthem. Check out their new video for "American Slang" at the sideonedummy site
Iron Chic, a band I love and think are awesome, ever since I got their burned demo cd in the mail, have a new album coming out. You can click here to listen to "every Song Has An Elm Stree" off their new, and first full-length album, on their label's website.
If you have ever looked at anything on my bloggy blog here, you know I have a love for The Gaslight Anthem. Check out their new video for "American Slang" at the sideonedummy site
Interesting Alternative Press article on album lengths
I am not yet quite sure if this article from Alternative Press is strengthening why albums are getting shorter or if it is making excuses for it.
Personally, I think the "more killer, no filler" is kind of a b.s. answer, but I need some more time to really wrap my head around what I think this all means.
We live in a disposable world. Everything is thrown out and replaced. We have been trained to do this. Basically, I think this article is saying that bands can leave off the "filler" songs and just focus on the "good" stuff. But, to me, this makes the whole concept of what makes an album an album, and not just a single or ep, and turns the whole thing into something disposable.
I guess I did not need to wait to make sense of it. But I would rather wait a little longer and get a bunch of songs that are all great as opposed to singles and eps that typically cost a little more per song if you think about it.
Personally, I think the "more killer, no filler" is kind of a b.s. answer, but I need some more time to really wrap my head around what I think this all means.
We live in a disposable world. Everything is thrown out and replaced. We have been trained to do this. Basically, I think this article is saying that bands can leave off the "filler" songs and just focus on the "good" stuff. But, to me, this makes the whole concept of what makes an album an album, and not just a single or ep, and turns the whole thing into something disposable.
I guess I did not need to wait to make sense of it. But I would rather wait a little longer and get a bunch of songs that are all great as opposed to singles and eps that typically cost a little more per song if you think about it.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
check it out, another Hot Water Music live in chicago album
After releasing the first "Live in Chicago" as a record store day exclusive, you can now order another one from Hot Water Music from no idea records
I was at this show and it was a great time.
I was at this show and it was a great time.
The Gaslight Anthem are doing something cool to get a free track
so you can go to this link and upload a pic to get a free Gaslight song of "Boxer" acoustic
I am pretty happy with how mine turned out.
I am pretty happy with how mine turned out.
Friday, July 2, 2010
live video of Hot Water Music in paris
check this out. Love this band. I am super excited to hear they are getting ready to record new things. The bass is mixed pretty prominently and is bad ass.
(there are some ads in the middle)
(there are some ads in the middle)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
strange how we remember things
I was out walking my dog today and I started thinking about something. Have you ever known someone that memorizes ridiculous facts about something they like? My initial thought came from this strange re-obsession I have been having with the original Star Wars trilogy. I know this has nothing to do with music right now, but I am getting to that. What got me thinking was that I love the old vehicles and toys and what not and I remember being in either middle school or maybe a freshman in high school and there were a couple of guys talking about Star Wars. Thing is, there was 3 of them and they were all ripping on one of the guys, they were all friends, well they were all ripping on one of the guys because he could not tell them the engine type that the tie bombers used in Star Wars.
They were saying he was not a real fan because a real fan would know that stuff. Now the thing is, as a fellow nerd, I have no idea what the answer to that is. But, the thing is, people do things like this with anything they are interested in. Sports is the most obvious, people spend tons of time memorizing stats and records and give others shit for not knowing it. I can like something without not knowing every single detail. It does not make me any less of a fan.
The issue that seems to me that most people have is that they feel like they need prove that they like something by learning everything they can about it and then showing others that they are the superior fan.
I find out everything I can about bands and music and what not, not because I want to prove what my level of fandom is, but because I am interested. I want to know where a band came from, who their influences are, what other bands there are out there. Maybe they were all in bands before that I will love. Who knows? But I am not going to think someone is dumb for not knowing that. Honestly, I like sharing information about bands with other people. I think it is fun.
The Star Wars memory, about that guy getting shit on for not knowing some obscure fact, brought back a memory of a guy I work with. This guy gets really into music out of no where and then stops caring about it just as fast. The thing is, he likes to prove he is a "better" fan of a band by throwing random quotes out in a way that makes it almost impossible for anyone else to even figure out what he is saying. He likes to take the last work or 2 from one line and then the first word or 2 from the next. Typically from a verse and then a chorus. What it makes for is an extremely confusing word usage and changes the meaning of the song.
For example, I am going to use "bohemian rhapsody" by Queen, since everyone knows the words. Out of no where, he would probably say something like "a man put a gun" and send it in an instant message. The proceed to make fun of you for not knowing what song it is right off. But really, the line goes "mama, just killed a man, put a gun against his head..." which is a completely different meaning than what the lines he gave you were. Regardless of it being the same exact thing.
This is not only fucking irritating to someone that loves music, but it is just a petty, arrogant way of trying to show everyone how fucking smart you are. At the end of the day, it is the elitist assholes that go to shows and ruin things for everyone. They want to make sure that everyone knows how "into" a band they are that they cannot even enjoy a show or a good conversation about something because they are too busy trying to prove how much they know about a certain thing. They stand there and bitch about how a band plays a song live differently than they do on the album. These are the people that know the names of the wives of the band members, but they have never seen them live.
When it comes down to it, enjoying something has nothing to do with how much you know about it. My mom likes The Gaslight Anthem, but she knows nothing about them. Being about to appreciate something is not exclusive to having a fucking historical reference for it in your mind. It is people like this that deny themselves the fun of hearing something new because it does not fit into what they think they know and need to know in order to be a "fan." I have another friend that likes music as much as anyone I know. But he builds these frame of reference lists that he seems to think he needs to in order to prove how on top of things he is. On more than one occasion, we have talked about bands and I have given him a few I think he should check out. When he finally gets around to it, weeks later, he comes back to me and tells me he found these great bands I should check out. Now, sometimes I forget that someone else told me something. I admit it. But this seems almost like that same thing. That he is trying to prove something. Trying to prove he knows more than the next person.
You do not need to know every detail about something to enjoy it. How about you just go out and have fun. If knowing the stats and history is fun for you, hell yea for you. But, if you do, don't be a dick about it. You don't have anything to prove other than you are an asshole.
They were saying he was not a real fan because a real fan would know that stuff. Now the thing is, as a fellow nerd, I have no idea what the answer to that is. But, the thing is, people do things like this with anything they are interested in. Sports is the most obvious, people spend tons of time memorizing stats and records and give others shit for not knowing it. I can like something without not knowing every single detail. It does not make me any less of a fan.
The issue that seems to me that most people have is that they feel like they need prove that they like something by learning everything they can about it and then showing others that they are the superior fan.
I find out everything I can about bands and music and what not, not because I want to prove what my level of fandom is, but because I am interested. I want to know where a band came from, who their influences are, what other bands there are out there. Maybe they were all in bands before that I will love. Who knows? But I am not going to think someone is dumb for not knowing that. Honestly, I like sharing information about bands with other people. I think it is fun.
The Star Wars memory, about that guy getting shit on for not knowing some obscure fact, brought back a memory of a guy I work with. This guy gets really into music out of no where and then stops caring about it just as fast. The thing is, he likes to prove he is a "better" fan of a band by throwing random quotes out in a way that makes it almost impossible for anyone else to even figure out what he is saying. He likes to take the last work or 2 from one line and then the first word or 2 from the next. Typically from a verse and then a chorus. What it makes for is an extremely confusing word usage and changes the meaning of the song.
For example, I am going to use "bohemian rhapsody" by Queen, since everyone knows the words. Out of no where, he would probably say something like "a man put a gun" and send it in an instant message. The proceed to make fun of you for not knowing what song it is right off. But really, the line goes "mama, just killed a man, put a gun against his head..." which is a completely different meaning than what the lines he gave you were. Regardless of it being the same exact thing.
This is not only fucking irritating to someone that loves music, but it is just a petty, arrogant way of trying to show everyone how fucking smart you are. At the end of the day, it is the elitist assholes that go to shows and ruin things for everyone. They want to make sure that everyone knows how "into" a band they are that they cannot even enjoy a show or a good conversation about something because they are too busy trying to prove how much they know about a certain thing. They stand there and bitch about how a band plays a song live differently than they do on the album. These are the people that know the names of the wives of the band members, but they have never seen them live.
When it comes down to it, enjoying something has nothing to do with how much you know about it. My mom likes The Gaslight Anthem, but she knows nothing about them. Being about to appreciate something is not exclusive to having a fucking historical reference for it in your mind. It is people like this that deny themselves the fun of hearing something new because it does not fit into what they think they know and need to know in order to be a "fan." I have another friend that likes music as much as anyone I know. But he builds these frame of reference lists that he seems to think he needs to in order to prove how on top of things he is. On more than one occasion, we have talked about bands and I have given him a few I think he should check out. When he finally gets around to it, weeks later, he comes back to me and tells me he found these great bands I should check out. Now, sometimes I forget that someone else told me something. I admit it. But this seems almost like that same thing. That he is trying to prove something. Trying to prove he knows more than the next person.
You do not need to know every detail about something to enjoy it. How about you just go out and have fun. If knowing the stats and history is fun for you, hell yea for you. But, if you do, don't be a dick about it. You don't have anything to prove other than you are an asshole.
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