Music Based Musings
I came across an interesting list of Daily Dirt questions by way of a woman called mishie (her site is often unreachable, but definitely worth reading).
1. What genre(s) of music do you like?
Hmm. I've never been good at keeping up with the genre names. I suppose I like most types of rock (hard rock, garage rock, indie rock, punk, ska, ska-core, classic rock, folk rock, heavy metal, industrial, a little rap-rock, etc, etc, etc), some jazz, a lot of blues, 60's soul/r&b, and I'm working on becoming a knowledgable hip-hop fan.
2. How do you determine if a person has a 'good taste' in music?
Generally, if someone likes the music I like, I'll describe their taste as being good, although I don't expect (or often encounter) people that like everything that I do. Generally, I can respect anyone's taste in music as long as they meet a couple of key conditions:
1) They appreciate more than one genre (and no, not just country AND western).
2) They don't predominantly listen to one of the dreaded genres: Country, Christian rock, or bubblegum pop. I can forgive someone for listening to a little bit from those genres, but too much and I would suggest getting their hearing checked.
3. Do you let others influence what music you like and don't like?
(the question originally said: Do you base other people's liking in music, upon your own likings? which I think makes no sense)
I've never let anyone turn me off a band I had previously liked. However, I do have certain friends whose taste I respect and will readily check out any music that they suggest. For instance, my friend Jay is directly responsible for me getting into Weezer, Thanks to Gravity, Dave Matthews Band, Sublime, and G. Love and Special Sauce, just to name a few. Since I can't stand the radio and don't watch Mtv, my friends tend to be my best source for finding new music.
4. What is one of the most important things about music to you?
Hmm. It's important that the music produces some emotional response from me. If I don't feel any connection with the music, then it's useless to me. It's also important for music to be a natural and genuine expression of the artist. Anything that feels too contrived will immediately lose me.
5. Do you believe the media has changed music (ie: showing skin, lyrics, etc)? Why or why not?
In the last 50 years, the media has played a huge part in music's development (although, it's tough to say exactly what is included when talking about "the media"). The media, in a very general sense, has helped determine who gets exposure to the masses which influences the legions of imitators as well as fueling the backlash. The media has contributed directly and indirectly in shaping most of the trends in music.
So, I kind of dig music. Currently, I'm working on becoming a little more well versed in some previously unexplored areas; mainly the hip hop, reggae and African genres. This past week, especially, has been all about hip hop, as I've picked up albums by the Black Eyed Peas, The Roots, and De La Soul to add to the Outkast disc I got last fall. I plan on picking up some Tribe Called Quest and some Wu-Tang Clan stuff in the near future. If any of my lovely readers have suggestions for this hip hop newbie, please mail them. Thank you much.
Posted by Mr. Eff on 06/06/2004 || link
