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Know_your_weed

To expand on your thoughts TSP I think that whenever money becomes a higher priority than the music itself you have a problem. For example britney spears boy bands etc heh im sure you know what i mean 'pop'

 

SouthernSmoker

Totally agree with you Know_your_weed, boy bands, rappers, Britney Spears, and all the commercialism (sp) are sucking the art right out of music, or whats left of it after that crazy disco experiment !

deadhed

I've posted on this before, but here is the deadhed Theory of Music, Life, and Anything:

The point of music is to convey an emotion to you. Music is entertainment first, art second. People that worry about whether a band sells out or not, whether they really know what "punk" is, etc... are just as artificial as the people that listen to pop music, even moreso because at least people that listen to pop music like it b/c it sounds good to them in a very shallow way, whereas "hardcore" people are much more concerned about image. These people are to be avoided when engaging in discussion of music at all cost. Not to say that you can't make a point with your music... A good example of an artist that conveys his personal beliefs while not overly-"imaging" his music is Neil Young. He has deep philosophical beliefs, but he's not screaming into the mic "Kill the President, Social Revolution is Important, Viva la Proletaria" Instead, he makes allegorical songs that are much more moving and let the listener think much more for themselves than bands that dictate to people what to think.

Pop music is not necessarily evil. RHCP is "pop" because (IMO) they are good and many people genuinely dig their music. The list of great pop msuicians is very long: Pink Floyd, ABB, Beatles (later stuff, at least), Bob Dylan, the Doors, Led Zeppelin...the list goes on. Sure, some pop music is worse than some. I'm not taking up for Britney Spears. But, some non-pop bands stay that way because they suck, not because the Man wants to control what we listen to.

If you skipped over all my rambling, read this line to get the gist of what I want to say:
Music is about a feeling, not an image. Don't let your taste in music become "academic" as HappyMan said. If you are passionate about music, your musical tastes will eventually lead you away from the whole "pop" scene, but keep and open mind and don't discount music just because it's labeled "pop."


Keep Giving Up The Funk,

deadhed

O.B.421

I love music. Without it, I would be one depressed biatch. It lifts my spirits, it makes my adrenaline rush...
Pink Floyd, Steve Miller Band, Doors, Tom Petty, etc...just makes me smile!
I've been listening to bad religion since I was 11 years old. I finally got to meet the band and I don't know if i've ever gotten that feeling - I almost passed out. I probably sounded like a bumbling fool, but wow, I'll never forget it. Their music makes me "think"...hard to find these days.

TheCleric

That was beautiful deadhed and i agree with you a lot.

A lot of my friends like one particular type of music. I have friends who consider themselves to be punk, i have friends who consider themselves to be hardcore, metal, emo etc etc.

They go to all the shows of their favorite bands, they constantly search for a way to express their love for their music. They dress a certain way so that they can be easily labeled by the masses, ohh hey look at that punk, hey look over there at that metal head and so on and so on.

And i cannot say that there is anything wrong with that. It makes them happy, it gives them something to beleive in, a purpose i guess. It just makes me sad.

These kids will listen to something in their particular genre and say its the greatest thing in the world, and if you disagree then they will challenege you. They will say things like "well this is what the real <insert label here>'s listen to" or "well its better than what you listen to" and to me thats defeating the whole point of music.

Music is something that touchs your soul, it reaches in you and tickles the fabric of your very being, it communicates with you, it makes you feel happy, calms you down when your upset, it makes you want to dance or just sets the mood of whereever you are.

Music should not be a contest. It should not be an attempt to out do anyone else that listens to the same type of music. I see people look for bands no one has heard of just so they can say that they are different, when in fact they arent any different than anyone else who is just trying so damn hard to fit in.

No one will ever be punk enough, they will never be the most hardcore or metal kid in the pit, they will never be the ultimate hippy, dreadie, or phish head, they will never be the raver that is beyond all ravers, and they certainly will not be the most poppy kid on the block, because in order to become these things we would have to capture the very essence of the music itself, and that is impossible.

Dont fret though because i know a trick that will have all the kids ooing and aaahing at you during the next show you attend, be yourself and let them label you whatever they want to.

Personally i think i have a good grasp on musical concept, music to me is very much like art because both of them are unattainable by myself, im not a musician, i have tried to make music, and it didnt work, i also am not an artist, and i would like to think its my own impotence in these things that makes me truly appreciate them.

I enjoy a lot of all kinds of music, Rock, Pop, Reggae, Skunk, Ska, Punk,Funk, Techno, Jam, Noise, Emo, Indy,Latina and so on and so on.

Could you imagine what i would look like if i let my musical taste dictate my way of dress or my demeanor, i would be a living collage!

So in closing of this extra long extra sober rambling i have this to say.

Enjoy whatever makes you happy, and dont try to be anything but what you are, and leave the labeling to those who need to easily categorize society in order to simplify things for themselves.

Cleric

 

PsYcHoLoGiCaL

Ok, heres how I see it. Basically alot of people think just because a certain artist sells X amount of copys and they get lots of air play ect that they are lame because they are "sellouts." What dose the billboard charts have to do with music? How exactly dose those numbers effect how you feel about the music? It has nothing to do with it at all, it all its all about what type of mind set you like to be in while you listen you your music. Take me for example, I listen to rap, both underground and mainstream people call the mainstream rappers all sellouts and what not, ever think its because they are good, Ive been thinking that for a while a I thought this thread would be a good one to voice it ? Just a thought. But hey each to his own

psychological

deadhed

Yah...I used to dress not-too-but-recognizably-hippiesh, but then I realized that it was pretty superficial. I got to a point where my relationship with the music I liked was enough that I didn't need to show it in any other way. Now, I wear sweatpants half the time b/c they're so comfortable

This might sound corny, but I just feel so passionately about music that I don't feel like I need to show my love of music. I don't even like listening to music with friends because they are generally distractions. Maybe I'm boxing myself in my own little world, but If I could be locked in the world's biggest record library for the rest of my life with no contact with the outside world, I would be happy.
The last two concerts I've been to, I haven't even used drugs, because they are (very pleasent, but still) distractions. (I use drugs all the time when listening to taped music, but the live experience has become something almost mystical for me) Listening to a great band I get this general euphoria that hits me like a brick and keeps me feeling great for long after the music has ended. It's a euphoria that i enjoy more than drugs because I know it's all me. It's not anything I took that gave me it, it's just me having an intense personal connection with the music.

Does anyone else have a connection like this? Do I even make sense to anybody? I hope everybody can feel like I do towards music, because it is the best feeling in the world.

Bailey1138

Perfect sense brother, perfect sense. I haven't heard anyone talk that clearly in a long time. That's why I love bands like Hookah. The entire experience seems to open me up so I feel like I'm one with not only those dancing around me, but everyone in the place, the musicians on the stage, at times nearly everything and everyone that exists. That's why I have to keep going to shows. I try to see something every weekend, and I often travel to get there. That's why I'm going on Phil tour next summer.

For me, marijuana and other things aid that, but I have enjoyed several shows sober and have had just as great a time. Marijuana I think is just another vehicle to that state of mind. Other forms include meditation, dancing (which is normally what I'm doing at a show anyway), drumming (you'll usually find me somewhere around a drum circle late nights at hookahville), and other things of such natures.

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deadhed

I don't think that it's bad to use drugs at shows, I just personally can't get to the place I want to be with them. I know tons of people that do get to that place with drugs, however, and I think that its great that they can get to that point through any means. Whatever gets you "On the bus" (a...cliche) is great.

Tarzan

I like listening to music when high, but not if it's the Backstreet Boys or NSYNC....

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