Progressive Boink

[Alex]

When someone doesn't like your favorite band, do you take it personally? If so, why?

aw shit I had a more lengthy approach to this but I am fucking late to work. I'll edit it in later, but basically I'm wondering if you think less of someone because they don't love the same shit you do

[Rusty Cooledge v2]

Not at all. I'm well aware Bayside can be misconstrued by most as a typical self pitying emo rock band and am also well aware they are not the best band in the world, whatever that may consist of.

Subjectively they are what I really enjoy from a band.

[Duzzy Funlop]

I hate talking about music with people who don't know me, cause then it always becomes "oh you listen to this one band I also listen to, we're so alike!" and that's never true. Well sometimes it is. My point is that, I guess with the internet and all, music has become a lot easier to discover, and you have assloads of people who are into things like the Decemberists and Sufjan, who think that these bands aren't as popular as they are cause they're not on MTV etc, and they'll find out I like them too and think we're quite a pair.

Well that's all besides the point anyway. I don't think there's anything special about listening to similar music or having similar taste in movies or anything-- that only gives you stuff to talk about. Doesn't make two people compatible. This is corny, but I've found that it's not what you listen to, but how and why you listen to music and what it means to you that makes people similar. The only exception I make is if you're a Springsteen fan, I'll probably just like you on principle.

Besides I try to avoid music conversation with people who seem musically inclined cause it just becomes the only damn thing you talk about all night.

[Rusty Cooledge v2]

Yeah, I don't fit in the stereotypical fan of any band I listen to so liking the same band rarely means jack shit for me and someone else.

[James]

sometimes i feel ashamed for liking the music i like but then it's like "but i like it, why should i be ashamed"

"fury of the storm" is a great song and that's that

[webber]

Here's what I think:
"I think this song is the best" = "I like this song the most"
"What I like best" = "What is my favourite" [by definition]
"Best" = "Favourite" [logically]

There are no objective standards to music that everyone can agree with (not everyone will agree that Imagine by John Lennon is a better or worse song than La La by Ashlee Simpson for example, which by definition means that their quality cannot be objectively ranked, only their popularity can be). If there are no objective indicators for quality, there are only preferences. So then if you think song x is better than song y, more precisely you prefer song x over song y. It must necessarily follow that "best" contains the same meaning as "favourite".

This is why no one should take me telling them that they listen to bad music badly, because "that's a bad song" is the same as "I think that's a bad song", which is the same as "I personally do not like that song". Obviously if they like it they will think the song is good. Both of these statements are true and valid, but only one of them is true to me.

Edit: Well, "(James thinks) Slayer or some dumb shit is the best" is still true for me, but if you take out the parentheses it is not true for me (but is for him!)

[James]

i think "best" implies an objective judgment (which is why i avoid using it)

[webber]

Well yeah it does, but if objective judgements do not exist, you can take "best" as a shorthand for "favourite". I say things like "Billie Jean is good" simply because I think the more technically correct way of saying the same thing (for example by prefacing everything I say with "I think") sounds awkward and takes longer.

[Wat, But A Girl]

"fury of the storm" is a great song and that's that

yessssss

[James]

exploding high five

[Wez]

I wasn't pleased when Justin and Dave were saying how lame Primus is during the meetup, but whatevs bros.

[emily]

I thought all bassists loved Primus.

[withpeninhand]

What I meant to say is I think Primus is lame.

[James]

I think the only actual objective scale for anything that's interpreted is how many people like it versus how many people disliked it. I know, I know, this runs contrary to the reigning dislike of popular media, but that's about as close as we can get.