Attitudes to Music (All About Music)

Member Name: davidso_99

Product:	All About Music
Date:	08/08/02 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: variety, emotive, easily accessible

Disadvantages: anti aminstream mentalities, closed minds

Hmmm. How shall I start? Its weird. Before I came to writing this op I had so much to write about regarding music in general. Now it all suddenly inconveniently escapes me. So I figure I'll keep blabbering until I get a foothold. Erm...How is everyone? Errr..The weather hasn't been so good has it?...Ok I'll get to it.

I have by far THE most diverse and eclectic taste in music. This is due to my whole open-minded, try-everything-once mentality. My theorem on music states that we must strive to appreciate different genres and styles for they all have something different to offer which of course means you are constantly gaining new, different and fascinating experiences that you would otherwise not have if you limited your taste to one single genre or style. And subsequently, with music being one of the main points of discussion in society, having experienced many variations in music means you can relate to and converse comfortably with different types of people, which can only be a good thing. It?s like travelling the world where you experience so many different things, different cultures, different ideas and what not.

My tastes in music range from Rock to Disco to Hip-Hop to Easy-Listening to Popular music to Latino to Indie to Nu-Metal to Punk and so on and so on. It really pains me to have to dissect music into such denominations. If something appeals to me, regardless of its genre I will consider it as an independent source without attaching a label to it. For it is here that we often deny ourselves the pleasures of music. We give too much consideration to the 'baggage' that the music carries with it - Rock music is for skateboarders, Hip Hop is for black people - and we thus often damn it by association. EG: 'I like this Black Sabbath song but they're Goths aren't they? So I mustn't listen to their stuff.' What the hell is that all about? Shall we not purchase a cd from Virgin because we don't like the
look of Richard's beard? Or shall we not eat Fruit Pastilles because the nasty next-door neighbour is surnamed Rowntree? I'm being silly aren't I? But so are people with this mindset.

Take a look at a snippet from my cd collection:

Limp Bizkit (Significant Other), DMX (Its Dark and Hell is Hot), The Rat Pack (E o 11), Michael Jackson (History), Ash (Free All Angels), Cypress Hill (One Black Sunday), Blur (The Best Of), Frank Sinatra (My Way) Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Californication)??...

Who knows? One day I probably will favour one genre above the rest. But for now I'm going to keep it as diverse as possible.Only when I have explored can I come to a valid conclusion. I have no right to say this style is better than that if I haven't sufficiently experienced both.

Now another thing, which I want to discuss, is what I like to call the 'anti mainstream mentalities' within the music industry. You know what I mean. The die-hard fans of particular genres of music that suddenly loose all respect for a band once everyone else starts to like them. These people are greedy. They want their favourite band for themselves and they don't want to share. It is in some ways understandable in that the elitist ego is dealt a big blow when their band gets big. The fan feels an immediate loss of credibility in that he/she feels less unique as now everyone else loves their 'ex' favourite band. When once they gained respect for saying 'I like Limp Bizkit,' at the time when the band were 'underground,' such a claim would now be insignificant and would be likely to receive a big 'So what?' or maybe even a 'Why?' from others with 'anti-mainstream mentalities.' They want to be maverick. They want to be different. And thus in an attempt not to forsake their being different from the mainstream their favourite band is sacrificed and even at times betrayed-'Limp Bizkit are now s
hite.'

I purposely chose Limp Bizkit as an example. I spend much of my dooyoo time reading music ops. This 'anti-mainstream mentality' is an all too common feature within the ops. Now ask anyone, I am a pretty cool-headed guy but never has a piece of writing angered me so much than when I read an op regarding Limp Bizkit's 'selling out.' The line of argument was that Limp Bizkit had forgotten their 'roots.' That they had betrayed their fans. 'I mean how dare they go to number 1 in the charts? That means they're popstars now and we're not allowed to like them anymore.' Not an exact quote, but this is what lay underneath the polite way of putting things. Such stupidity.

The op then goes on to talk about how they could gain the respect back from the fans by 'doing more metal.' Then they wouldn't be selling out. Then they would be keeping it real. But Limp Bizkit were never an out and out metal band. They are the pioneers of the recent 'rap-rock' style, which has always been the prime feature in their albums. So if they were to 'do more metal' then they wouldn't in fact be 'keeping it real' would they? It is due to this blurring of the boundaries that I hold much respect for the band. Their realisation that they don't have to limit themselves to one genre is utterly refreshing. And I say with immense pride 'I LOVE THE BIZKIT THAT'S LIMP.'

We need to change our attitudes to music before we can reap its full benefits.

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