Monday 21 March 2011

Music

In my last post I mistakenly said it was day 16...nope, indeed today is 16, and the task for today is my views on mainstream music.

I think I've written before about how I used to be quite "elitist" as a teen when it came to my music, and I think an awful lot of young folk can follow this pattern. It used to be that one of the first things I'd ask someone I first met; what kind of music are you into?

It made a certain kind of sense. My friends and I all shared similar taste in music so when I met new people I'd use this as a kind of litmus test. It did mean that I shunned some people or even made fun of them for liking this music group or that who happened to be "mainstream". I think my views really began to change though after our sixth form college's "battle of the bands".

About a month later, one of the guys who'd been fronting a POD tribute missed his bus and ended up on ours. I was telling him I'd enjoyed his contribution, and thought it was a shame they missed out on the first place (which had been won by someone doing a very loud but pretty mediocre Slipknot tribute...indeed I think all of the finalists were tributes) as they'd played well, and with passion. He then unleashed a huge tirade about the criticism some of the audience had given him later...how POD were too "mainstream" and if they'd not chosen something so "popular" they'd probably have won.

I often wondered at that. Every man and his dog would wander around college wearing Slipknot hoodies back in the day. I suspect some still do now. You didn't get much POD merchendise floating around, but I guess it's the sound of the band which, to many, dictates how popular or in the mainstream they are percieved. As it goes, yes, I suppose when you think about it POD's "Alive" appeals to many where Slipknot would scare. Screaming angry music about hate and depression and all those other wonderful things that Slipknot make music about aren't to everyone's taste. They scratch a specific itch. An itch I'll fully admit I like to be scratched, but not one that everyone can stomach for one reason or another. Either way, perhaps it was just POD's relatively easy, commercial feel that made "Alive" a relative success and a likeable tune. And the lovely, elitist teens that we were back in the day felt this commercial likability made it somehow the lesser tune, and placed the crowning title upon someone who was arguably less talented because of our prejudice.

Well, the benefit of hindsight makes me look at it that way. At the time I was just gutted for the poor guy, and a little self concious. I liked POD, I loved their sound and they were on pretty much all my playlists at the time. Was I too mainstream? Kinda sad that I was thinking this, I know. I tried not to think much on it. There was a very strong "alternative" culture in our college (another college around the corner called us "the goth college" which was flattering to some and shameful to others) and despite some of the claims that this was a more all embracing way of life which would include anyone and everyone and not judge them, actually we were probably the most judgmental pricks on the face of the earth, especially when it came to each other.

These days I think if it's popular, it's popular for a reason. Back in those days I would have happily taken the piss out of Lady Gaga's desperate pleas for attention, or throttled myself to admit I would ever have someone like Taylor Swift on my playlist. Florence and the Machine would have just been "too pop for me!".

I'm glad I've grown up and out of this mentality. It really was very immature. I still love my metal and my rock, then my not so rock, a bit of pop, 80's cheese, and even my hippy pan pipe music (well, I always like that, I just hid it!). I love a whole load of things, and I feel that being open to anything makes for a more rounded person all in all. There's honestly nothing wrong with the mainstream. If I like it, I embrace it, and if I don't then I leave it be.

1 comment:

  1. I used to be just the same - if everyone else liked it - I didn't! Now I just like what I like and enjoy it!

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