No Subject

[ide!lofdahl@Sun.COM (Corey Lofdahl)]

One concept that needs to be discussed regarding the 
latest commercialism/integrity discussion is the idea
of enjoying an artist regardless of what one's
peer group thinks.  Now that I'm thinking about it, that's
what I like about this newsgroup in general, and KB fans
in particular: they have enough self-confidence
(or general disdain for top-40) to like what they damn well
please.  Outside of LHs, I know only about three 
or four other people who like KB.  All of my former college
roommates disliked her, some intensely so.  Of course,
I didn't like most of their Led Zepplin or Molly Hatchet,
so it evened out.  But I'm intrigued by the herd instinct
of commercial music.  I've heard many songs that I liked 
on first hearing, and sometimes they become "popular" some
months later.  Manic Monday by the Bangles, Hungry like 
the Wolf by Duran Duran, and Heart of Glass by Blondie
were out for months before they got picked up
by the hated hit radio stations (I'm dating myself).  
And we've all had our experiences with bands that we liked 
before they made it big, U2 and Genesis are my examples.  
However, it seems some people can't like a piece of music 
without some level of peer support.  I've played obscure 
pieces of music for my friends, such as Mike Oldfield's
"To France", hoping that they will expand their 
musical horizons and enjoy something new, only
to discover that they don't know what to think.
They neither like nor dislike the music, they're
simply confused.  They haven't been "told" yet if it's 
OK to like this kind of music.  After all, what would happen
if you liked the song and the artist turned out to be 
too commercial (like Phil Collins), or too obscure 
(like Kate Bush), or too Republican (like Oingo Boingo)?
Some people simply can't live with this type of 
pressure.  If you'll allow me to digress still further, 
the process is probably akin to the way people choose beer.
If given a glass of Bud and a glass of Coors, most people
are unable to distinguish between the two.  Nevertheless,
most people, especially guys, have strong opinions 
as to which beer they prefer.  Therefore, their
opinions must be based on factors other than
the beer's taste, probably the advertising.  
Where is this argument going?
The analogy is, many people seem to base their
musical preference on factors other than
the way it sounds, because they like the group's 
image or because their friends like it, which to me
doesn't make any sense at all.

        --Corey--