On the bandwagon ::ba-dum-ching!::

[batskeets]

I'm home now. And I'm posting again. Yes, I'm a dork. :p

I was in the car earlier going to the bank, and I found myself listening to the radio for a few minutes and thinking: Does anyone *else* think that at least 50% of the lead singers in these new alternative/rock groups sound a bloody lot like Eddie Vedder and/or Scott Weiland circa 1993? I'm just sayin'.

I really, really hate the american music scene sometimes. When I was growing up, I knew and liked a lot of bands before the other kids did. I was a proud disciple of Smashing Pumpkins since their first album was released, the rest of the world discovered them after Siamese Dream. (which was *such* a second album, but I liked it, all the same) But the popular kids thought I was just being trendy, even though they were the ones who wouldn't know a Gish track if it clobbered them upside the head. I was the first kid in school with the Hole t-shirt that had the sparky silver heart on the front, and two years later when like 6 other chicks were wearing it around school on a weekly basis, some of them had the nerve to say that *I* hoarked the idea from *them*. Pshaw. Dumb bitches.

And now, fast forward to 2001, when "alternative" has long since stopped being alternative, and everyone's listening to it... but lord only knows why, because the vast majority of the new bands sure as hell don't bring anything new to the table. I can't even tell most of these groups apart anymore, because they all sound the same, and a lot of them sound exactly like stuff that I liked in *middle school*. Listening to these "NEW ROCK!" stations is kind of like the monotony of listening to a Candlebox CD, only applied to like 30 different bands.

I guess the difference between then and now is that back in the day, I knew a hell of a lot more than your average putz about music, and they just thought I was ignorant to it all. But nowadays, I really *am* ignorant to it all, because 95% of the popular radio play is boring crap, and I'm too apathetic towards it to actually find out what all those cookie-cutter bands are called. And that's okay by me... I'll just say "who's that?" and say it with PRIDE as I turn back to something like Bis or Portishead or Nerf Herder, or dance like a moron to cheesy 80's pop and/or hair metal, or retreat into the fun and yaoi-filled world of j-rock. At least then, I can be assured that I have a *good* reason for liking what I like.

And in closing: More LJ fiends! WILKOMMEN KYUUSUKE!!

Comments

Ahem :) *Steps up on soapbox*

[johntbrady.livejournal.com]

Me thinks that you are becoming a music snob in your old age. No worries it is inevitable. Everyone hates the next generations music, almost without fail. Pearl Jam was not exactly an original sound. Music evolves it doesn't normally make huge leaps in style, and when it does it usually isn't very well recieved. What happens is we stop making music a major focal point in our lives. If you had the energy to go out and find cutting edge music at 17 it was because it produced a tangible reward for you(cured the boredom), unlike now where it would be a waste of energy. I see people knocking groups like Nsync and the back door boys who used to have NKOTB posters on there wall. Now THAT is sad, if your tastes have evolved don't poke fun at those who haven't. We were all 13 once and we ALL had shit for taste :D We should all remember that Music and Art are aesthetics. They have a purpose and that is entertainment. Would you feel comfortable walking up to the Met and telling all the people looking at a Picaso that it looks like a 4 year old did that(And it does!). So we should just smile politely when some 13 year old punk tells us that Nsync is the greatest band ever and stares blankly when you mention the name "The Cure". I am gonna go back to downloading my 80's death metal(Ozzy Rules!)...
Feel free to flame me I put on my asbestos hat :P

Re: Ahem :) *Steps up on soapbox*

[skeets.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I probably do sound like a music snob, LOL ^_^ I just don't often think of myself as one, especially since there are so many different genres that I can enjoy.

And it's not as though I don't find things in modern music that I like... for instance, I just discovered Mary Prankster the other day and I totally enjoy her tracks. (Of course, right now there are probably very few people that know who the hell she even is, but that's beside the point ^^;)

I guess what I'm saying is, my post wasn't so much about my generation versus the next, as much as it was about popular music sucking, or latching onto a band during a period of relative mediocrity for said band. It seems that a lot of folks listen to certain groups because it's the In Thing, and that sucks. I'm going to like what I like regardless of whether or not the general populous loves it or hates it. It'd just be nice to see a bit more diversity, perhaps more exploration of a popular band's prior work, or more obscure groups. There's some hella cool stuff out there.

And I also gotta say: I *never* liked NKOTB, and that's the honest truth. :D

Re: Ahem :) *Steps up on soapbox*

[johntbrady.livejournal.com]

Have you listened to RHCP's old stuff before they got radio time :( The pepers kick ass now, not then. :) I do see your point and I agree, but Music is an Industry not a charity. They play what draws the crowds, for the ads. Obviously the right answer is to listen to what you like. You don't need anyone to tell you that. People are sheep and most generaly suck. If I could get away from humanity I would, but I can't so I have to be patient and accepting of peoples faults. Otherwise I would stress and end up in a bell tower :P

Re: Ahem :) *Steps up on soapbox*

[pyrobaby.livejournal.com]

so....you don't MIND every rock song on the radio being a Pearl Jam cover? must be nice! I have no idea what n sync has to do with Creed, 3 Doors Down, and all the other bands that sound exactly alike (I hate all them, but Britney Spears entertains me. go fig), but feel free to let me know. I didn't even see a mention of n sync or backstreet boys in sarah's post.. those pop bands don't bug me. sure, most of them are god-awful, but pop music is meant to be packaged. and this whole "people dislike the generation of music after them" stuff kinda gets thrown out the window when you have a 50-year-old mom that loves smashing pumpkins and all you listen to other than j-rock is 70s glam and 80s hair metal...and elvis.

the fact is that the "alternative rock" movement of the 90s was a time where music that was actually DIFFERENT got airplay. it was a happy time where i was 14 and i could buy a breeders shirt at the mall and feel SO fucking cool. then it all died down and suddenly there were nothing but pre-packaged grunge clones ("hey, if we start a band like pearl jam, maybe we'll get laid! RAWK!")left, and I had to delve into indie rock to satisfy myself. there was no generation gap. alternative was overmarketed because it was catching on, and the music industry pretty much killed it, IMO. and i still love smashing pumpkins. i can probably still play nirvana songs on my bass. does that mean i want to listen to creed? no, because they're a crap imitation. that has nothing to do with becoming snobby or evolving taste. it has to do with the way popular rock music is marketed. there's a japanese band, just broke up this year, by the name of Oblivion Dust. they sound a LOT like 90s alt-rock. but you can still feel the FEELING in there. you can tell they aren't just trying to sound like another band to make money. I loved them because they brought that feeling from when i was 14 back.

sadly, the idea of music NOT being a focal point in anyone's life disturbs me somehow. no, i'm not in high school, btw. and sorry for the rant, music is one of my passions, and after this weekend, i missed randomly bickering with total strangers. nice to meet ya! =D

oh, and Ozzy is cool and all, but I still prefer the Crue.

Your Kungfu is good....

[johntbrady.livejournal.com]

I was simply pointing out that it is common for people to evolve in there tastes. It is a general rule that each generation dislikes the next's music. Not everyone of course follows that trend, many stay current or skip around alot. I certainly was not condeming Sarahs post, I just pointed out that her irritation is felt by many and the partial reasoning why. Sarah grew up liking grunge music before grunge was POP! Great, now she rebels against the modern evolutions of that genre. The beatles may have started there sound but that doesn't make the monkies suck. I really like the monkies music even though it was described as teenie bopper Pop trash at it's emergence. The Who started metal but Led Zeplin did it better. Bands like No Doubt are trendy versions of Concrete blonde. Personaly I never really cared for Pearl Jam. They are what you get when you ask Bob Dylan to write lyrics for Alice in chains. I try and listen to every form of music, classical to house, techno to disco, 50's pop to 90's pop. Oh yes even country, classic and modern. I bought my britney spears album 10 min's after hearing her play on the radio. Yes BEFORE the video. She may be industry generated eye candy but she has vocal talent and a desire to succeed no matter what. Sound familiar? Madonna circa 1985. You can't condemn humanity for being sheep, it's biology. People like to fit in. Even the so called "Alternative" people. The first guy to wear a dress to school did it for psychological reasons, the second guy did it to impress his freinds. You don't have to have a mohawk to be an independant thinker, and you certainly don't have to listen to underground music. Lastly if you think Nirvana or Beck got into music to "Relay there message" to American youth well thats bull. People play, listen, and compose music because they enjoy it or the lifestyle. Sometimes we can pull meaning out of there personal angst because they are in the same boat as us. The three most commonly used themes in american Rock and Roll are, Sex, Drugs and Death.