I am a huge music snob

[DeathJag]

My name is Daniel, and I am a music snob. The biggest one I know actually. I prefer not to comment when people talk about music because I don’t want them to know about my condition.

The PRS thread had these great comments, and I hope I’m not breaking a rule by “cross-quoting!” I just liked what they said about this, and felt the topic deserves its own thread.

Music is obviously, very obviously subjective. When someone says something “sucks,” we all know they’re just saying that they think it sucks. That’s not what I’m talking about. I mean people with no taste, “radio” taste, “top 40” taste, “music for the masses” taste, “highly compressed” taste, “sounds like all the other shit” taste, and the incomprehensible “I don’t listen to music” taste.

It’s very simple to me - 99% of that shit sucks. Once in a while an artist will inexplicably rise with an original sound, which is inevitable derivative (that’s not at all necessarily a bad thing!), and spawn copycats that mostly suck.

There are many levels to enjoy, including the sonic qualities (also called production), to the lyrical content, the melodic emotional journeys, to the rhythm that moves your soul. But basically it comes down to three things, the sound, the songwriting (instrumentation / vocals), and whatever messages are in the lyrics. Any one of those three can kill a song for me, a good song must pass all three categories.

A very easy way to start conversations is by mentioning bands. For example, I can say The Trashwomen, Morrissey, The Queers, Striborg, Little Mack, Do Make Say Think, Fennesz, Mega Drive, or Dipset, and if the person’s eyes glaze over it’s curtains for that conversation. Probably for any potential friendship too!

The hardest part for me, is how to react to others who know I play music, talking to me about SHITTY music. I start by just smiling and nodding. Then if they seem to be expecting a reaction, I might say something about how we have different taste, and that I like either noise or beauty and nothing in between. Eventually, if forced, I’ll talk about how I’m not moved by it, or that it’s not my thing. Ultimately I’m trying to tell them that our tastes differ, and that mine are better and more refined than theirs ever will be. Sigh. Which is not a productive message.

There are three people who know my taste and that I trust when they give me recs. Other than them, certain sites have stuff and YouTube has been great like Pandora, some of those searches really bring up some weird stuff I never woulda heard.

Call me stupid, but I’ve only just recently realized there are almost definitely other forums I could find that discuss my kind of musics. I should really find those haha. Maybe a member lives in my town! (New Orleans.)

I make a point of checking out as much as possible and I've even taken note dof recommendations from 'civilians*' along the way. (*unnecessarily elitist term IMHO)

Wasn't intended to be 'elitist' merely realistic and pragmatic. Most every music related professional* and social interaction I've ever had with people who aren't music obsessives has been a waste of both our times and I generally prefer to talk about something else we both can enjoy. I dread being asked what music I like because I just get blank faces and find it hard to say anything nice back when someone tells me they love a right load of pish and to be honest I'm doing them a favour because once you wind me up on music I'll probably not shut up until everyone has to go home.

I also make a point of checking out a lot of music but I almost never talk to folk who can recommend something I've not heard or don't already own.

Yeah. I can relate to this for sure-- except that I don't talk about music in 'the real world' at all. It's not exactly mind-blowing, but there are so many tiers to how people appreciate things, and it's pretty easy to figure out where a person is on the scale. The deeper you go, the more you realize you can go. I can't talk to very many people about music, and I don't even think of myself as particularly knowledgeable-- just sort of off in a corner somewhere.

It's not being an elitist. I don't think of my tastes as particularly refined, but just a bit more esoteric. When I find people that give a shit about some of my favorite bands it's pretty exciting.

People who say some music or artist sucks are simply venting that it doesn't agree with their personal taste. It's more a poor reflection on themselves for not being able to discernably articulate why they have such a vilified loathing.
The 'agreeable median' between recognizing 'taste' is simply one of common interest. those outside the 'common interest' are deemed 'eclectic', or to have 'no taste'.

Sure... we all like to use the vernacular on occasion. Sometimes it is in jest - but to simply say a band or artist is shit or 'sucks' without example implies that they have no audible value. But to others.... maybe that isn't the case.

The only thing that really sucks, is a partial vacuum, in the presence of an atmosphere.
or a hooker with the hundred bucks you just gave her

[s_mcsleazy]

i dont call myself a music snob because it has negative connotations and i feel that calling yourself that is selling the bands you like and yourself short. at the end of the day, we like what we like, some people look to music for meaning and understanding, some people look to music as a distraction. if someone finds meaning in katy perry then good for them, if some find it in the feminist surf punk overtones of the trashwomen, that's cool too. there will always be music that annoys me. oasis, the eagles, ed sheeran, maroon 5, duran duran, nickleback ect. but with my friends who are into bands like that, we have a rule, i wont force you to listen to the black eyes if you dont force me to listen to any of those bands mentioned above..... unless im driving and you touch my cd player. there is pop music out there that has merit though. my favorite album of 2017 was melodrama - lorde (i want to live in lorde's hair)

just keep in mind holding a view like that for music can be just as bad for you as the people around you.

[panoramic]

cool story deathjag, you've arrived at a point on the vast expanse of the interweebz where you will find yourself amongst many music snobbing brethren. The worst part of that being even when you think you have it all sorted out someone here will be infinitely more in depth on it than you ever will.
My name is panoramic and I am also a music snob.
I dismiss all conversations IRL with pretty much everyone i know when it comes to music because i am a dick and i like to be one.
If you don't like sonic youth, you are a russian bot to me

[Jaguar018]

I used to be way more of a music snob... but what's the point? There are people with really bad taste and a lot of terrible bands out there, but these days I am more concerned about people just enjoying music. Sure, I will silently cringe if you like Avenged Sevenfold, Jimmy Buffet, or ten thousand other bands I don't care for, but you do you. The people who will argue that their favorite (less well-known) bands are THE best groups out there are also insufferable.

The music that I write and play is okay, but it's more for my own enjoyment. I've had those conversations with non-muso types who ask me about it, but it never really goes anywhere. Sometimes I feel constrained by the limits my 'talent' and free time. Honestly I'm not always sure that I'd even like my recordings as much if I heard them as just a listener. I'd probably think it was too basic or something. The people that think that their band is the best goddamned thing since sliced bread are usually blowhards.

I've had a few friends with very good taste that I admired, but for the most part I know people with some overlapping tastes here and there, and then a bunch of stuff that doesn't do it for me. Shadowplay is a great example of that for me. He has shed light on dozens and dozens of bands, mostly new, some old, that have blown me away. I can't ever thank him enough-- and there are a lot of other people here that feel the same way. BUT... he casts his musical net wide into places that I just can't quite embrace. Saccharine Bubblegum Disko, Moonscape Vampire Goth, Deep Olde Forrest Dewdrop Fairies, and about twenty other crazy genres I could make up. [I also happen to like a number of bands that the mere mentioning of the name causes his soul to die a little ]; it's all about the overlapping fun! I'm just glad there are some people out there that are still questing for new tunes. I don't care when or where it comes from as long as it gets to my ears.

I have discovered, by chance, ONE person who sort of likes a few of the bands I do where I work. It's like a secret language. It makes me happy. Sure he likes some shitty bands, and to him, I like some shitty bands, but it's SO MUCH MORE FUN to enjoy stuff.

[shadowplay]

I wouldn't all myself a music snob because I like what I like and don't give a shit if someone thinks it's cool or not and my taste is what it is and something I've built on my own. I do try to avoid talking about music with folk I work with or who I haven't met in a record shop. It's not snobbery, it's merely because I spend hours and hours a week looking for new records and have done since the late 70's, so not only do I care more than 99% of people I know so much that I'm a fucking crushing bore if you get me going (says Queen of the Shadowplays) and it's best for everyone that I just talk about association football or handbags and forget the music. I have also found that knowing a lot about anything often cause interpersonal strife with folk who 'think' they know a lot about something (when they really fucking don't).

My two main hobby interests are collecting records and buying old mainly Italian cars. I've record friends and car friends and there's not a lot of crossover, so I don't spend hours banging on about the records I've bought that week with my car mates and refrain from boring the record friends rigid with stream of consciousness rant about 50's and 60's Maserati's and Lancia's. However we often have folk over to the house (I always prefer to play at home) and then they see the record collection and hear stuff and if it's for them then great and I am 100% available to them but if not that's great too, so long as they don't want me to put on the pish they are into.*

I think you can see the fatuous nature of musical conversations in microcosm on OSG where conversations on new records largely go nowhere, even ones that are making waves and ones on ye olde reminiscences go far.

I also find a lot of folk care about context of music and this is something I don't give a shit about be it the singers hair or what guitar someone plays which tends to get a band traction on OSG.

Then you have the opposite of context...fucking Spotify and spotify playlist types and again I'd cross the fucking road to avoid talking playlists.

D

*
I once went to a work acquaintances home in London and they had Spotify up on their computer and were inviting folk to crowd collate the playlist for the night...let's just say we left very early. I've also got a lst of homes I will never visit to socialise in purely because the man of the house has shaved ape taste in music.

[panoramic]

SAVAGE, the party part. I've never been to a party like that but i'd imagine i wouldn't last longer than 20 minutes

[Jaguar018]

When I have guests over sometimes I make a playlist on iTunes.

Then I try to keep it at a low-enough volume that conversations can be easily had over the music or, if necessary, about the music. 99% of the time it's over. I have no problem with that.

[panoramic]

i'd like to have a party where everyone invited just wants to discuss the merits of Unwound leave turn inside you or Superchunk No Pocky for Kitty, anything besides politics. I feel like inevitably every conversation i have in 2018 winds up there but i'd like to start off with a topic that makes me happy before i go 100% aggro, the last 10 or so public outings i have gone on with friends have lead to the same dark cavern of hating trump, mind you i often find i hate him more than most people do but i get weary of hearing opinions on specific policies etc.

[TeenageShutdown!]

I’m a music snob. I’ll admit it. And what you said OP about the bulk of music I agree with.

My snootiness has caused some minor issues between my wife & I. She doesn’t go to see bands anymore that I like & vise versa. I remember dragging her to a Mummies show an hour & a half away while she pouted most of the drive. Ironically, she loved the show & couldn’t wait to see them again. This particular show was a double back to back show so I only got tickets for the 1st one cause I didn’t know how she would take it. Such is life.

One of her shows I went to see was Collective Soul, & I hate them. It was one of the worst shows I’ve been to, for both of us. Some drunk skank was showing her tits to the band & trying to pick a fight with my wife. From my experiences these mainstream artists concerts are plagued with drunk assholes.

I guess the root of my snootiness is that there’s just so much better stuff out there than what the radio is telling the masses what it is. Maybe ignorance is bliss. I always say I’ll turn on the radio when I want to hear bands not worthy of airplay. Not entirely true, but not far off either.

[panoramic]

who the fuck complains about seeing the mummies? that's crazy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmBJA74JLRo

[TeenageShutdown!]

Who knows these things.

I’ve seen that vid a few times. So awesome! I guess you either get what they are doing, or view them as absurd.

[panoramic]

but they are genius, they are the garage rock masters.

[TeenageShutdown!]

Right!

I do recall she enjoyed seeing King Khan & BBQ Show, aside from a dirty punk girl who kept getting her armpit near my wife’s face. And she did like a Flaming Lips show as well. Anyways, that was years ago...

[panoramic]

my band played a bunch of shows with bands I was into a few years back, my wife came to all of those shows and about a year ago she confessed to me that she just kinda disliked all of it in general and only liked my band because i was in it. sadness

[s_mcsleazy]

i'd like to have a party where everyone invited just wants to discuss the merits of Unwound leave turn inside you

perfect album. 10/10