My girlfriend and I were talking on the way in to work today about how there are just some people who don't like anything. Or rather, don't ADMIT to liking anything. It came about from me saying I was listening to Cobra Skulls and that I read a review of their new ep and how the dude just tore it apart (including the bad religion cover that he had no idea was a bad religion song) saying how it was not punk and how punk has fallen apart and he misses the old days and blah blah blah same shit everyone who is trying to sound cool says. This was a follow up conversation about a dude I saw on Friday who was very loudly bashing a game his friend and the guy at GameStop were saying was lots of fun.
My lady has a theory on these people, the ones that absolutely have to tear down everything. They are insecure. These people are afraid of saying they like something that someone else thinks is terrible and having to either defend themselves or look like a fool. I think she is on to something. The Gamestop shopper was obviously one of those guys that plays EVERYTHING that comes out and spends a lot of time sitting in front of a game screen. Hygiene seemed to be secondary. The guy who wrote the article had in his little bio that he "barely graduated high school and liked to occasionally write about music" and let me tell you, trying to be funny and ironic about what you do for a living/lack of taking care of yourself is not a statement on how alternative to the norm you can be but is more a statement of "i'm trying to make it look like I don't care what you think of me, but I really want you to know how cool/smart/funny I can be, please notice me." It's the same thing that I have talked about with hipsters in the past.
Here's the thing. Instead of saying how "childish" or "asinine" something is and comparing it to your favorite old bands. Take a look at it as a stand-alone piece of work. If someone said to me, "Man, i thought that game sucked because the controls were shitty" or "that album sucked, the guitar player needs to stop showing off." those are definitive statements. But, if you say "that band sucks because they do not sound like this" that is basically saying that because something does not sound like your favorite, popular friend approved, band, then they automatically suck.
You see this a lot where someone states that they "only like the older stuff" which is usually code for, "this band is popular now, but i need to prove my coolness by showing how i liked them before they were popular and now that they are popular, they suck." Look at a band like Against Me! "Vivida Vis" sounds like it was recorded in the middle of a high school gym with tom not having access to a PA so he had to shout everything and destroy his vocals. Alkaline Trio is another great example, some of those early recordings sound rough. Whether that is because of the recording or the talent, the result is the same. Don't get me wrong, there is a LOT of overproduced music out there, that is not what i am saying, I am saying that these people are saying that something is good simply because it meets a certain condition that they know to be accepted as cool with whatever group they want to be associated with.
Now, I have heard and bought a ton of shitty music at the word of people I know and things i read. But, on the flip side, I have found a ton of great music from the same places. Here's the thing, just because it is different that what YOU personally like, does not mean it is bad. There is music that I bought 4 years ago that I barely want to listen to now. We all change. People who sit and talk shit about everything, even if they secretly like it, are missing out. There is a lot of things out there worth experiencing and if you dismiss it simply because it does not meet your prerequisite ideal, then your attempt at showing how great you are only highlights what a complete loser you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment