obscure music?

it was a murder/suicide thing IIRC.

and as irritatingly snobbish as hstencil could be about music, he was still right 95% of the time.

He's a LOCAL BLOGGER now

Either way not liking Pearl Jam /= fetishing obscure music. It just means you don't like Pearl Jam.

i like the weird pearl jam songs, like BUGS.

does this make me an obscurantist?

maybe, maybe not

He could have disagreeing with the sentimental statement and not reflecting on Pearl Jam.

Well, what it meant was that he was the kind of guy who was comfortable making absolute statements of taste with people he barely knew, which I guess rubbed me the wrong way. (I mean, what if I was a big Pearl Jam fan?) But that's probably for another thread.

yeah there's no right or wrong, sure, nabisco, whatever you say. everything's "all good in the hood," yo.

-- hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, August 11, 2005 2:58 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Link

It sounds like this issue is mainly a problem at parties. The solution, therefor, would either be to not go to them or get so trashed that you're already more obnoxious than the obscurist. And, you know, everyone else...

Good tip.

the people who the most attitude are the ones who think that if it isn't well known or they haven't heard it before, there must be a reason for that and that reason must be is the music is lame.

-- omar little, Friday, April 11, 2008 8:34 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i really don't know about this

-- Surmounter, Friday, April 11, 2008 1:41 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

this type exists

This thread makes me smile.

I know a fair amount of people who think this is how I approach music, valuing the obscurity, but the real problem isn't that I like things that are obscure, it's that I'm cheap. When you hear me talking about that awesome Horslips album that I picked up (apparently not obscure in Ireland, but whatever), it's because it's two bucks. The reason that I look blankly when you're describing the latest Wilco album? The damn thing's at least $12 new. I only pay that much when I've seen a live band.

Also, something I like when talking about music is talking about it with people who are already familiar with it. I feel like obscurity often works against that, aside from specialized forums, since I feel like there's only so much you can say to someone who hasn't heard something before their eyes glaze over.

im pretty sure i can get u that new wilco for free if yr interested

Also, something I like when talking about music is talking about it with people who are already familiar with it. I feel like obscurity often works against that, aside from specialized forums, since I feel like there's only so much you can say to someone who hasn't heard something before their eyes glaze over.

This was a nice by-product of starting to listen to the radio again, five years ago, after ignoring it for so long: I could have conversations with co-workers or friends about Jay-Z or whatever.

"(I mean, what if I was a big Pearl Jam fan?)"

Uh so what?

pearl jam sux dreamboat gorilla ftw

(I mean, what if I was a big Pearl Jam fan?)

slap with glove + pistols at dawn

I mean should he have spared your feelings by pretending that you were right and there was something great about nostalgically wallowing in the wonder of Pearl Jam? Yay for communication!

No, he shouldn't have pretended I was right, of course not -- it's more about being tactful. I mean, you say "Yay for communication," and that's kind of my point: what bothers me about people who are constantly making dismissive comments is that they effectively shut down good conversation. The problem wasn't that he disagreed with me, it was the way in which he did so. Plus, it was such a trivial, off-handed comment for me to have made in the first place that his retort smacked of "I want to make sure you know that I don't listen to shit like that." Fine, who cares?

B-b-but your question was so leading??! What else could he or should he have said? "No there isn't and here is why. . . " following by a twenty minute pedantic lecture about a comment that was a throw off for you anyway. In person his response might have been nastier/more brusque, but written it out it seems fine to me.

the only thing that i remember about hstencil is that he got all butthurt because he thought i had a bad attitude about playing free jazz.

Alex, I don't really remember the conversation that well, so I don't remember what exactly I said. I do know that I wasn't addressing him specifically -- there were a few of us standing around, and I was talking to no one in particular, and my comment was more or less rhetorical, but he felt the need to chime in. Later, our mutual friend apologized and said "J. is kind of a dick sometimes."

Anyway, I already regret dredging up a 6-year-old party conversation, since it's not like it still bothers me or anything; I just thought it was kind of funny and played off Hstencil's online persona well (this, a year before I even discovered ILX).

i don't know, i'm the kind of person that i think about the other person a LOT during conversation. like if i know they like something, even if i don't, i really try to say something positive about it. sometimes it's weird cuz i'll be hating on something but then they say they love it and i have to like concoct this favorable take on it...

six finger satellite was great.

I saw them on severe exposure tour @ black cat. it was great

am now trying to convince as many friends as I can to buy early janet jackson records tho

Control, early Wax Trax, what's the difference

i have to like concoct this favorable take on it...

So you're insecure in your own opinions?

I know what you mean, Surmounter, although I don't know that I try to say something positive as much as I try to couch my dismissal in gentle terms, like saying, "Oh, I guess I wasn't really into that one so much" instead of "OMG I can't believe you liked that, it sucked." That's just with people I don't know that well, though; if I'm with friends, then I can be a total asshole sometimes, haha.

maybe not so much that as i tend to want to agree with people a lot. i'm like afraid of hurting people's feelings. i have this one friend who makes it a BIG POINT to tell you EXACTLY how she feels about something, even if she knows your opinion is completely different. which is something i can't do

i don't know, i'm the kind of person that i think about the other person a LOT during conversation. like if i know they like something, even if i don't, i really try to say something positive about it. sometimes it's weird cuz i'll be hating on something but then they say they love it and i have to like concoct this favorable take on it...

there's something about clinging to other people's opinions on music that turns me off.

compare and contrast

right ;-) with my boyfriend i can be a total asshole which is refreshing

i was really interested in this thread two hours ago and then ilx happened

it's more a conversational thing, shakey -- it's a matter of manners, to acquiesce to the other person's viewpoint somewhat, even if you don't totally share it

did ILX used to be less.. what it is now? I seem to remember it being friendlier in the greenspun days

btw this thread inspired me to listen to some Sleepytime Gorilla Museum at work today. it was OK.

xxp Yeah, that just seems polite.

I dunno I guess I do it too to some extent - altho I'm more inclined to try shift the conversation and find common ground about a particular subject than to express an opinion I don't really share. If someone tells me they like something I hate I'm liable to just keep my mouth shut. unless they're being really obnoxious about it.

did ILX used to be less.. what it is now? I seem to remember it being friendlier in the greenspun days

Haha, what prompted that, Daria?

btw this thread inspired me to listen to some Sleepytime Gorilla Museum at work today. it was OK.

I walked out of a show of theirs once. I, uh, couldn't take it.

Re: Wilco
No, not really. It's just going to be something else that goes in the "to listen" pile, and I still owe reviews on enough crap that I don't need more. I was just using them as a general "new release"-ish thing, even though it's a year old. It was something that my girlfriend's sister just couldn't believe I hadn't heard when it came out, and I kinda felt like I wasn't willing to spend the money and effort to listen to something that I'd probably like incrementally less than all the previous Wilco albums.

This was a nice by-product of starting to listen to the radio again, five years ago, after ignoring it for so long: I could have conversations with co-workers or friends about Jay-Z or whatever.

Yeah, I feel like a lot of people who complain about folks only liking "obscure" stuff have a really warped view of what's obscure and what's mainstream. Like, my blindspot tends to be the big "indie" like Arcade Fire or Belle and Sebastian or Spoon (anymore). So it's like, y'know, I was excited about the new Janet Jackson or Rihanna or whatever, even though I probably won't buy 'em, I'm at least radio familar and enjoy 'em. But that mid-tempo rock? I'm just never anywhere that I hear it, and I don't really feel like seeking it out just so I can have conversations about it.

I think this kind of douchebagery is a symptom of youth. Once you get past a certain age, people aren't really like this anymore. Because eventually they realize that they would rather have friends and that they are going to die someday.

Haha, what prompted that, Daria?

Most threads I've posted on aside from rolling 2008 ringtone?

surmounter, i've found that lots of people who don't have patience for artistic appreciation suck as people. they tend to be douchebags into self-promotion, who can't be bothered with shit that doesn't directly advance their douchebag selves. (i guess there's an argument to be made that demonstrating your obscure knowledge is self-promotion, albeit demented and sad; either way, i'll take that over dudes discussing how awesome they are at golf and getting laid or whatever.) conversely, like catsup, i've found that a taste for obscurity is a good sign someone doesn't suck as a person. but hey, we all run in different circles

hmm... i mean, i think it seems like i don't appreciate a taste for the obscure. i certainly do -- i mean, in certain circles, some of what i listen to is obscure, and it's always disappointing when people can't relate to it. yup just wanted to clear that up.

it's strange how even Kate Bush is so obscure to a lot of people i interact with... that's always such a let-down.

who the fuck is kate bush

"I only listen to top 40 and Sublime Frequencies"

--Steven Q. Shasta, Wakeboard Extraordinaire

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is one of my favorite bands, not because they are obscure, but because they are AWESOME.

your results may vary, of course

SGM put on one of the worst shows I've ever seen at the Elbow Room. Later, I noticed that they didn't look anything like their photos, or sound anything like their clips. I never bothered to figure out what happened, but SGM was on the bill, and the band claimed to be SGM. Is it possible there are two?

was there a botoh dancer at the show you're thinking of? They did a tour a few years ago that was 100% improvised with a dude in a cage.

these days i mostly rely on metacritc and the quarterly "waht is best" roundups in the various rolling threads. try to hear the stuff everybody in respective threads agrees upon, hasn't steered me wrong yet.