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19 July 2002 (Friday): soapbox: on music
This seems like the sort of thing the metameat/caterina crowd would be into. Très avant-garde, oui. I'm particularly entertained by the calculator one.
I hope always to keep my taste in music innocent. By that I don't mean confining myself to squeaky-clean fun, with no exploration of dark themes. Heavens no. I mean always being confident enough to like what I like, without worrying about whether it's cool to do so. Sure, I'm a Radiohead fan and I collect albums by indie bands you've never heard of, and I can find nothing redeeming in most of mainstream radio. But I also cannot fathom Apples In Stereo or Belle & Sebastian, Coltrane is still beyond me, and there's this godawfully New Country ballad called "Austin" that brings tears to my eyes every time.
Conceded: to a certain extent, music is fashion. What you listen to is analogous to what you wear: people will classify you, judge you, based on the choices you make, not in small part because you do have a choice in these things. Categorization is inevitable and necessary in human societies. But music should run so much deeper than acceptance into some clique; it should be about giving a voice to all the different corners of your psyche, opening up worlds that aren't accessible by everyday existence. The sheer diversity of music out there is a testament to the diversity of human spirit. And I think that's just fucking beautiful.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to light some scented candles and put on some angst-ridden singer-songwriter and croon "ohh Sarah, I love you! You understand me!" Sometimes, baby, I am my demographic.
posted by enjelani @ 02:59 PM PST
Replies: 5 comments
I just like what I like. If it pleases me, whether fashionable or not, I shall listen to it.
My only problem is getting exposure to new music. Inevitably, there are songs out there that COMPLETELY move me. Knowing that there are probably a ton of those songs in existance that i'll never have the pleasure of listening to is a bit disheartening... But, such is life ;) There will always be things I won't get a chance to experience.
Anyway, I always get razzed about certain music I listen to, but I don't mind.. Boy bands make me giddy :)
posted by syndromes @ 19 07 2002 05:25 PM PST
Music is a conduit, a channel, a means, a vehicle, a way to take flight. It's not a thing itself. At least not to me.
On the one hand, some of it requires education and a certain perspective. I needed someone to educate me on Coltrane before the day I finally went OH MY GOD, I get it now! And it had nothing to do with the hipness that surrounds him.
On the other hand, you channel what you feel, naturally. Your appreciation of music is a reflection of everything you've been through from birth to July 19, 2002. And it keeps going, keeps changing. The more you experience in life, the more you'll feel the variety that's out there. Music is inextricable from the experience of the culture that surrounds it. I truly believe this.
It's also a willingness to be open, to tilt your head in a certain angle and pay attention in differnt ways. To let your brain, your spirit, take a chance. You have to want to accept different things, because there are rare moments when it pays off. I've had to do this many times. Sometimes I say "nah, I don't hear it, sorry." At other times, it's led to some of the most profound moments in my life. I hardly see it as a chore, more of a feeling of "bring it on!"
What a beautiful thing. I can't think of anything else in life that comes close to the kind of joy it gives.
posted by soren @ 19 07 2002 06:36 PM PST
hey! kraftwerk was one of the first albums i bought from that bmg 10-cds-for-one deal back in high school. they were pioneers of industrial! yay.
i find that i don't have the energy or money to keep digging up new bands. i used to read rec.music.industrial and stuff, but now newsgroups are probably littered with junk. and the thing is, i don't like 90% of the stuff out there, so i wind up wasting a lot of money.
posted by dardi! @ 20 07 2002 06:23 PM PST
Trane is beyond you?
Hmm. I may have to loan you a couple of CD's. I get chills every time I listen to him play "My Favorite Things". The tone of that sax, boy...
posted by Gaudior @ 21 07 2002 05:19 AM PST
Music has been the one thing in my life that I can depend on, and the one thing I have had since childhood that can make me cry the tears of one who has experienced beauty in its purest form.
posted by Moonpuddle @ 21 07 2002 10:13 AM PST