Kudzu Guillotine wrote:Here's a link to the accompanying article.

Some slippery character at NPR wrote:The least-loved records among those who took our poll are mostly R&B, hip-hop and rap, which probably says more about our personal tastes than the music itself.

Tonto A Arkansawyer wrote:What you mean "our" personal tastes, white man?

Or maybe it says something about the demographics of NPR's audience, as does this:

Some slippery character at NPR wrote:1. 1950s and 1960s tied for most-loved at 80 percent
2. 1970s (66 percent)
3. 1980s (58 percent)
4. 1990s (56 percent)
5. 2000s (59 percent)
6. 2010s (57 percent)

I'm going to take a wild stab here and say that NPR listeners are mostly old dead white people.

John A Arkansawyer wrote:I'm going to take a wild stab here and say that NPR listeners are mostly old dead white people.

Someone made the exact same observation on FB but they applied it to the poll results. Not sure how they managed to overlook Miles Davis, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye (not to mention Dylan, McCartney and Ringo) other than they commented without actually looking at the list. I know much has been made about just how safe NPR is and I don't disagree but I've heard lots of music on there that gets talked about on here including DBT's, Neko Case and Vic Chesnutt. I also occasionally make new music discoveries via NPR such as Valerie June. Yes, she fits the demographic to a t but I'm still a fan. I'm definitely not going to hear her or similar artists on mainstream radio, at least not in my area. Thankfully, we have a pretty rich selection of college radio stations around here that more than make up for the shit on the rest of the dial.

Re-reading through this thread, and had another thought.

There's the music we like (for whatever reason), and the music we don't.

Then there's the music that other people like who share mutual interests, but we just can't get into. Bands like Lucero, The National and (recently) Jake Bugg come up. It's fairly easily explained away, as you could draw Venn Diagrams of all our musical likes/dislikes, and we shouldn't expect that the circles will overlap all the time.

But then I was giving a record a listen the other day (one I'd consider to be a "3DD favorite") and I wasn't getting into it. On an intellectual level, I thought, "I get why folks here like this. It ticks off all the requirements, it pushes all the buttons. I don't question for a second why anyone here would enjoy this." But with all that said, I was completely unmoved by the record.

That, to me, is more confounding than the myriad of bands/records that dance around the fringe of our collective musical tastes

Zip City wrote:That, to me, is more confounding than the myriad of bands/records that dance around the fringe of our collective musical tastes

This puzzled me and puzzles me to this day:

Way back in 2009, when my wife and I discussed my plans to stretch a trip for a technical conference to cover two nights of the Rock And Roll Means Well tour, she told me she understood why I liked the Hold Steady but didn't "get the appeal" of the Drive-By Truckers.

I'd think it was just the opposite.

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:

someone once said:

It's not what you listen to, it's what you look like you listen to.

Hilarious. The writer nailed it. I saw myself in several of those.

Hey if you can't laugh at yourself every now and then...

Cole Younger wrote:Hilarious. The writer nailed it. I saw myself in several of those.

Hey if you can't laugh at yourself every now and then...

I talk so much shit about modern country that it was inevitable that someday the tables would be turned.

mansons songs (at least the ones before the murders) were mostly pleasant, inoffensive folky numbers, so nothing about them popping up on a bon iver station surprises me at all

Been thinking bout this lately. One thing I've noticed is that I don't hate some of the stuff that is generally universally hated on here, and I think part of that is because of the age bracket I fall in (mid 30s). Two things that are treated with abject hatred on here are hair metal and Garth Brooks, but I still enjoy both from time to time. Part of that is because when I started buying records of my own in the late 80s and early 90s, those were the two dominant forces in popular music. The reason I say it's an age thing is that I've seen other musicians on Twitter that are Garth Brooks fans, such as John Moreland, Amanda Shires and Brian Venable (Lucero), and they are all around my age.

As I stated earlier, I don't listen to hair metal much at all, but I don't loathe it like many on here. Certain songs take me back to specific places and times in my youth, and to be honest, sometimes I want to put music on and not have to think about it. Kinda like following up 6 seasons of Breaking Bad, the most intense viewing experience imaginable, to now watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which I can basically put on TV and not have to really keep up with it or think about it while watching.

rlipps wrote:Been thinking bout this lately. One thing I've noticed is that I don't hate some of the stuff that is generally universally hated on here

On my way to pick up the daughter today, I was scanning the radio stations and hit some god-awful modern country song about how some girl is going to miss various times in her past were difficult. Awful song, sentimental and cliched and all that. Made me cry like a baby.

rlipps wrote:Been thinking bout this lately. One thing I've noticed is that I don't hate some of the stuff that is generally universally hated on here, and I think part of that is because of the age bracket I fall in (mid 30s).

I think there's validity to that, I also have noticed that folks of your age bracket never seemed to have gone through a "hate" phase at all. Big selling records in your time frame seem to be more nostalgia oriented than cringe inducing. I think part of it might be that people in my age range, say 45-53, went through the whole punk thing where you were supposed to hate everything that had gone before at one time or another. When you go down that range and below it people seem to have less disdain for the mega sellers and bands like Styx, Journey and the like.

I have a confession to make, I like hair metal. I don't listen to it much anymore. But now and then I give it a spin.

I totally get that it's ridiculous. But there's a place for it. For me everything doesn't have to be all serious. Not all music has to be deep. And it dang sure doesn't all have to be life changing.

Now we part company on Garth Brooks. Just awful, awful stuff to me.

I saw Garth on the "Fresh Horses" tour. Granted I was underage and went with my parents.
"Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" is a great song.

Tequila Cowboy wrote:

rlipps wrote:Been thinking bout this lately. One thing I've noticed is that I don't hate some of the stuff that is generally universally hated on here, and I think part of that is because of the age bracket I fall in (mid 30s).

I think there's validity to that, I also have noticed that folks of your age bracket never seemed to have gone through a "hate" phase at all. Big selling records in your time frame seem to be more nostalgia oriented than cringe inducing. I think part of it might be that people in my age range, say 45-53, went through the whole punk thing where you were supposed to hate everything that had gone before at one time or another. When you go down that range and below it people seem to have less disdain for the mega sellers and bands like Styx, Journey and the like.

It's not that there's something particular to that age group, it's that your age group came of age when that music was popular. You can look it up: Virtually everyone has a place in their heart for the music of their teens, and the music they associate w/ particular times (generally good, sometimes bad, usually young). 20 or 30 years later you might argue that it was legitimately great or you might settle for labeling them "guilty pleasures" but that stuff resonates the way nothing else can. It's like how the scientists are always telling us that our sense of smell is the most powerful and that we can identify memories w/ it that we can't recall any other way. It's not the identical process w/ music/hearing, but it's similar and it's identical in its power and in the emotional connections it stirs.

beantownbubba wrote:

Tequila Cowboy wrote:

rlipps wrote:Been thinking bout this lately. One thing I've noticed is that I don't hate some of the stuff that is generally universally hated on here, and I think part of that is because of the age bracket I fall in (mid 30s).

I think there's validity to that, I also have noticed that folks of your age bracket never seemed to have gone through a "hate" phase at all. Big selling records in your time frame seem to be more nostalgia oriented than cringe inducing. I think part of it might be that people in my age range, say 45-53, went through the whole punk thing where you were supposed to hate everything that had gone before at one time or another. When you go down that range and below it people seem to have less disdain for the mega sellers and bands like Styx, Journey and the like.

It's not that there's something particular to that age group, it's that your age group came of age when that music was popular. You can look it up: Virtually everyone has a place in their heart for the music of their teens, and the music they associate w/ particular times (generally good, sometimes bad, usually young). 20 or 30 years later you might argue that it was legitimately great or you might settle for labeling them "guilty pleasures" but that stuff resonates the way nothing else can. It's like how the scientists are always telling us that our sense of smell is the most powerful and that we can identify memories w/ it that we can't recall any other way. It's not the identical process w/ music/hearing, but it's similar and it's identical in its power and in the emotional connections it stirs.

Oh definitely, I didn't mean to imply that that particular phenomenon was relegated to my age group. I was just using a couple examples that I've noticed on here that were extremely popular during my formative years. I do think there's some validity to what TC said about going through the punk phase and being expected to hate everything, even though I hadn't really thought about it before he mentioned it.

I guess I've just always listened to what I liked and never really thought about whether it fit with something else I liked. I remember listening to George Strait, Alabama and Reba McEntire albums on my babysitter's turntable when I was very, very young, so since that was my introduction to popular music, I kinda gravitated towards country growing up. Then, when Guns n Roses hit, I began to explore them, and when they talked about their influences being Aerosmith, the Stones, etc, I began to seek out those bands and pretty soon I'd left country on the backburner for a while, save for a few artists.

I loved Kiss as a kid and into my teens. I can only guess that if the hair metal craze had been popular then (roughly 73-79) then I might have liked it. Instead, it came along during a time when my musical tastes were maturing in the 80's so I was never really into it. I can't say that I "hate" it but it just never really caught on with me, at least not in a really big way. By the time the 90's rolled around, I'm thinking it had more than run it's course with me and I was more interested in bands like the Black Crowes. Retro as they may have seemed at the time, they were more about some meat and potatoes rock n' roll rather than the glammed out, power ballad stuff that seemed to be all over MTV at the time.

As for Garth, I was working in country radio when he became popular so it was disappointing to see artists such as Lone Justice, Foster & Lloyd, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, etc. pushed aside in favor of Diamond Rio, Restless Heart, Sawyer Brown and Clint Black, Randy Travis and Garth even though they were being heralded as the new traditionalists. Though I was never really a fan of his music, I didn't think it was that bad. It was his over the top performances that had more to do with arena rock than country that I found a bit off putting. Also, years later he seemed to be more interested in the bottom line via making royalties off of CD's sold in pawnshops and the Walmart exclusive deals that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. On top of that, through no fault of his own, for a number of years he was everywhere you turned on TV, magazine covers and the radio. At the time, a friend of mine likened him to the being "the Hootie of country music" which pretty much hit the nail on the head in terms of how popular he was with everyone from little kids to grandmas and nearly everyone in between. Then, there was the whole Chris Gaines thing...

Smitty wrote:I saw Garth on the "Fresh Horses" tour. Granted I was underage and went with my parents.
"Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" is a great song.

I hear ya. I think there are a bunch of people that won't own up to liking him at one time or another. I did too when I was arou d 13 or so. He lost me, even at that age, when Ropin The Wind came out. Shameless was the first thing I heard and it was and is nearly embarrassing its so silly.

There were some songs on the first two that I still think are good when I can fool myself into forgetting that its Garth Brooks singing them. Much Too Young isn't bad. There was another one on that record called Cowboy Bill that I remember kind of liking. Another one called Alabama Clay. I went back and listened to it last night. There some good moments in that song and cringe worthy ones too.

To me his best song is one from No Fences called New Way To Fly. That is a really good country song.

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:I loved Kiss as a kid and into my teens. I can only guess that if the hair metal craze had been popular then (roughly 73-79) then I might have liked it. Instead, it came along during a time when my musical tastes were maturing in the 80's so I was never really into it. I can't say that I "hate" it but it just never really caught on with me, at least not in a really big way. By the time the 90's rolled around, I'm thinking it had more than run it's course with me and I was more interested in bands like the Black Crowes. Retro as they may have seemed at the time, they were more about some meat and potatoes rock n' roll rather than the glammed out, power ballad stuff that seemed to be all over MTV at the time.

As for Garth, I was working in country radio when he became popular so it was disappointing to see artists such as Lone Justice, Foster & Lloyd, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, etc. pushed aside in favor of Diamond Rio, Restless Heart, Sawyer Brown and Clint Black, Randy Travis and Garth even though they were being heralded as the new traditionalists. Though I was never really a fan of his music, I didn't think it was that bad. It was his over the top performances that had more to do with arena rock than country that I found a bit off putting. Also, years later he seemed to be more interested in the bottom line via making royalties off of CD's sold in pawnshops and the Walmart exclusive deals that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. On top of that, through no fault of his own, for a number of years he was everywhere you turned on TV, magazine covers and the radio. At the time, a friend of mine likened him to the being "the Hootie of country music" which pretty much hit the nail on the head in terms of how popular he was with everyone from little kids to grandmas and nearly everyone in between. Then, there was the whole Chris Gaines thing...

Whoa. Come on man. Don't lump Randy Travis in there with Diamond Rio and Sawyer Brown. He had some questionable moments but to me he has made some really good music that isn't cheesy like that other stuff.

Cole Younger wrote:

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:I loved Kiss as a kid and into my teens. I can only guess that if the hair metal craze had been popular then (roughly 73-79) then I might have liked it. Instead, it came along during a time when my musical tastes were maturing in the 80's so I was never really into it. I can't say that I "hate" it but it just never really caught on with me, at least not in a really big way. By the time the 90's rolled around, I'm thinking it had more than run it's course with me and I was more interested in bands like the Black Crowes. Retro as they may have seemed at the time, they were more about some meat and potatoes rock n' roll rather than the glammed out, power ballad stuff that seemed to be all over MTV at the time.

As for Garth, I was working in country radio when he became popular so it was disappointing to see artists such as Lone Justice, Foster & Lloyd, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, etc. pushed aside in favor of Diamond Rio, Restless Heart, Sawyer Brown and Clint Black, Randy Travis and Garth even though they were being heralded as the new traditionalists. Though I was never really a fan of his music, I didn't think it was that bad. It was his over the top performances that had more to do with arena rock than country that I found a bit off putting. Also, years later he seemed to be more interested in the bottom line via making royalties off of CD's sold in pawnshops and the Walmart exclusive deals that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. On top of that, through no fault of his own, for a number of years he was everywhere you turned on TV, magazine covers and the radio. At the time, a friend of mine likened him to the being "the Hootie of country music" which pretty much hit the nail on the head in terms of how popular he was with everyone from little kids to grandmas and nearly everyone in between. Then, there was the whole Chris Gaines thing...

Whoa. Come on man. Don't lump Randy Travis in there with Diamond Rio and Sawyer Brown. He had some questionable moments but to me he has made some really good music that isn't cheesy like that other stuff.

Maybe I didn't make it clear but I put Randy Travis in there with Clint Black and Garth Brooks, who were referred to as "new traditionalists" at the time. And, while I realize you didn't mention Restless Heart, it was recently brought to my attention that Verlon Thompson was once a member. Isbell also helped to remind me that Mac McAnally (probably best known as a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band these days) was also responsible for writing a hit or two for Sawyer Brown. However, none of that changes my opinion of how I felt about those bands at the time. I've always likened some of those bands to being the country music equivalent of hair metal and/or arena rock. Garth had a great deal to do with that as well. I'm guessing he was the first to bring those sort of theatrics and pyrotechnics to the country music stage. I think it's cool that he grew up on Kiss and Rush but something about merging the two just didn't mix. Next thing you know, someone's going to have tightrope walkers and trapeze artists on stage.

i love styx/renegade.

To me Garth Brooks started the slide into what Nashville has embraced. I think Isbell referred to it as arena country and that's a good description.

Somebody, it may have been you, once made the observation that in the 90s Nashville stopped marketing music to rural working folks and started targeting soccer moms and house wives. Whoever said that it seems apt. Garth may very well have grown up on KISS etc. like he said. But to me all of the theatrics seemed forced. He seemed far less rock and roll and way more mom rock. It didn't seem edgy but rather just kind of embarrassing. But obviously a bunch of people loved it. I just never bought his whole crossover thing. Honestly, he just never seemed cool enough for that and came across as being way too much of a dork.

Cole Younger wrote:
Somebody, it may have been you, once made the observation that in the 90s Nashville stopped marketing music to rural working folks and started targeting soccer moms and house wives. Whoever said that it seems apt.

Yep. There's no Taylor Swift without Shania Twain

its fun to participate on a message board again

i do not like nerds

i like finding out about music

i also love my girlfriends thighs

Mr. Boh wrote:i also love my girlfriends thighs

pics or GTFO

Zip City wrote:

Mr. Boh wrote:i also love my girlfriends thighs

pics or GTFO

LOL

Mr. Boh wrote:its fun to participate on a message board again

i do not like nerds

i like finding out about music

The duality of the 3DD thing.