Artists you love but hate to admit :D

marjen

So as Taylor Swift just released her new version of red and I really want to talk about it to anyone who will listen, which is pretty much no one in my life I figured it was time for this thread 

There has to be an artist or two that you just dont like to admit to your friends, family, strangers etc that you actually like. COme on we all have been there. I mean Pearl Jam is my favorite group, Gaslight Anthem/ Brian Fallon is my 1b and White Stripes/ Jack White is probably my 2. But when it comes right down to it I probably listen to Taylor Swift as much or more than any of them and I just refuse to admit that to most people, lol.  Its just not cool for a 49 year old dude to love Taylor Swifts music. For what ever reason I just LOVE her song writing, I dont really like her over all, I think she is a bit fame obsessed and loves the audience approval but at the end of the day her songs are amazing. 

So come on this is a safe place. Who do you love to listen to but refuse to admit to your buddies for fear of ridicule!

marjen

Case in point. First PJ song was 16. 

brianlux

Great thread idea, marjen!

I'm not at all embarrassed to mention any band or artist I'm a fan of.  Not a one!  But here are some that some people might turn their noses up at:

Neil Diamond.  True, his bulky middle career was often weak at best, but his early stuff was great (check out his Classics, The Early Years album) and his later work with Rick Rubin is excellent.

Ernest Tubb.  Yep, the dude with the big belt buckle and the slightly off key voice.  But listen to Tubb late at night on a lonely road sometime and I swear you will be right there with him!

Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, and Barry McGuire.  That's right, Jesus rockers.  Yes, some of each of their stuff is awfully Christian-emo, but each of them did some work that was very cool.  And Larry was the quintessential Jesus freak!

Albert Ayler.  Denigrated by many, worshiped by many.  I am of the latter mind.  Albert was one of the godfathers of free jazz and had an amazing soul and spirit. And same with Sun Ra, of course.

The New York Dolls.  I don't imagine many here would dis the Dolls but I know many people do, claiming it was all about the girls clothes and make-up and saying that they couldn't play.  Well, I agree with David Johansen, "Kiss this!"

Pearl Jam.  Why do I mention PJ?  Obviously we are fans, but there are a lot of people out there who believe they are hipper than thou and will tell you they suck.  I tell them, "Go see them live and then tell me that."  But we know, right?!

biz999

Good rainy Saturday morning post!

Like Brian, I'm not embarrassed, but a lot of my friends might be surprised. Music is art, and art is subjective! Listen to what you love...

Anvil: Amazing Canadian Metal band that is often clowned. All 18 (yes, 18) albums are killer!

Lil Wayne: For me, his writing and flow is unmatched

Marilyn Manson

Ghost 

Tragically Hip: Before they were universally celebrated in Canada, there was a great divide and they were often labelled as jock/bro rock. You either loved them or hated them, there was no middle ground.

and maybe my most surprising? DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince I loved and still love those first 3 albums.

brianlux

biz999 said:

Good rainy Saturday morning post!

Like Brian, I'm not embarrassed, but a lot of my friends might be surprised. Music is art, and art is subjective! Listen to what you love...

Anvil: Amazing Canadian Metal band that is often clowned. All 18 (yes, 18) albums are killer!

Lil Wayne: For me, his writing and flow is unmatched

Marilyn Manson

Ghost 

Tragically Hip: Before they were universally celebrated in Canada, there was a great divide and they were often labelled as jock/bro rock. You either loved them or hated them, there was no middle ground.

and maybe my most surprising? DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince I loved and still love those first 3 albums.

I can't imagine anyone hating Tragically Hip.  Seems off that anyone would dis them but I guess it takes all types.  They're great!

2-feign-reluctance

Hootie’s first record. Only that one though. 

musicismylife78

2-feign-reluctance said:

Hootie’s first record. Only that one though. 

I remember your crazy remarks
We'd get drunk and go out after dark
Searching for someone we could take home

musicismylife78

There are no guilty pleasures.  

2-feign-reluctance

One step….

1ThoughtKnown

Digital Underground - can sing the Humpty Dance without the song playing. In fact, I’m singing it right now. Was always a hit at karaoke. Doowutchyalike is also great: Sex Packets is just a solid album

Dexy’s Midnight Runners Come on Eileen is my favourite party song of all time. How can you not have fun drunk dancing to that song? 

REO Speedwagon saw them at a Super Bowl in Arizona party. They rocked the place. I was very surprised how good they were. 

Men Without Hats - Safety Dance is an all-time favourite that everyone knows. I even love “Pop goes the world”

Tears for Fears - Great band

cblock4life

marjen said:

So as Taylor Swift just released her new version of red and I really want to talk about it to anyone who will listen, which is pretty much no one in my life I figured it was time for this thread 

There has to be an artist or two that you just dont like to admit to your friends, family, strangers etc that you actually like. COme on we all have been there. I mean Pearl Jam is my favorite group, Gaslight Anthem/ Brian Fallon is my 1b and White Stripes/ Jack White is probably my 2. But when it comes right down to it I probably listen to Taylor Swift as much or more than any of them and I just refuse to admit that to most people, lol.  Its just not cool for a 49 year old straight dude to love Taylor Swifts music. For what ever reason I just LOVE her song writing, I dont really like her over all, I think she is a bit fame obsessed and loves the audience approval but at the end of the day her songs are amazing. 

So come on this is a safe place. Who do you love to listen to but refuse to admit to your buddies for fear of ridicule!

Love Taylor Swift and Adele too!  Talent is talent and if the music makes you feel better (or move your body) you should never be ashamed of admitting it……good for you!  And who determines cool and should it matter? NO! 
Women love men who are funny, not afraid to cry, love going shopping (groceries, clothes, whatever) and sharing the same tastes (TS, PJ). I think a guy who thinks he’s cool are the last ones women choose. 

brianlux

Can I turn this question on it's head?

Is anyone really embarrassed by or hate to admit they are fans of a certain musician or band?

Not to dismiss the OP's question- it's been asked elsewhere plenty of time- but when I hear or read that question, I always wonder about my flipped question. 

musicismylife78

2-feign-reluctance said:

One step….

❤️

1ThoughtKnown

brianlux said:

Can I turn this question on it's head?

Is anyone really embarrassed by or hate to admit they are fans of a certain musician or band?

Not to dismiss the OP's question- it's been asked elsewhere plenty of time- but when I hear or read that question, I always wonder about my flipped question. 

I think of it more as a guilty pleasure. Depending on the people you grew up with, etc.  More in your developmental years through young adult. 

Now in my late 40s, I hardly care what anyone else thinks, so I guess the answer is no, I am not embarrassed (as part of life’s maturation process) to be fans of a band or artist. 😎

tempo_n_groove

brianlux said:

Can I turn this question on it's head?

Is anyone really embarrassed by or hate to admit they are fans of a certain musician or band?

Not to dismiss the OP's question- it's been asked elsewhere plenty of time- but when I hear or read that question, I always wonder about my flipped question. 

Not a one Brian.

My friends make fun of me and my love for Matt&Kim though.  One of my buddies calls it Romper Room music, lol.  My GF can't stand when I listen to modern hiphop.  She despises Drake...

brianlux

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

Can I turn this question on it's head?

Is anyone really embarrassed by or hate to admit they are fans of a certain musician or band?

Not to dismiss the OP's question- it's been asked elsewhere plenty of time- but when I hear or read that question, I always wonder about my flipped question. 

Not a one Brian.

My friends make fun of me and my love for Matt&Kim though.  One of my buddies calls it Romper Room music, lol.  My GF can't stand when I listen to modern hiphop.  She despises Drake...

"Romper Room music"!  Funny!  And, amazing anyone still know Romper Room!  But why not- kids music can be cool- even songs sung by commie socialist birds!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTvhKZHAP8U

tempo_n_groove

brianlux said:

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

Can I turn this question on it's head?

Is anyone really embarrassed by or hate to admit they are fans of a certain musician or band?

Not to dismiss the OP's question- it's been asked elsewhere plenty of time- but when I hear or read that question, I always wonder about my flipped question. 

Not a one Brian.

My friends make fun of me and my love for Matt&Kim though.  One of my buddies calls it Romper Room music, lol.  My GF can't stand when I listen to modern hiphop.  She despises Drake...

"Romper Room music"!  Funny!  And, amazing anyone still know Romper Room!  But why not- kids music can be cool- even songs sung by commie socialist birds!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTvhKZHAP8U

Hahahahahahahah!!!!

Johnny Abruzzo

Big fan of John Legend and Alicia Keys, and descending into the Taylor Swift craziness...

Tim Simmons

2-feign-reluctance said:

Hootie’s first record. Only that one though. 

Fairweather Johnson bangs. Its their Reckoning. Tuckers Town is their best song.

Tim Simmons

brianlux said:

Can I turn this question on it's head?

Is anyone really embarrassed by or hate to admit they are fans of a certain musician or band?

Nah. I'll stand up for what I enjoy. 



Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone and her album Breakaway changed my perspective on all of this. 

elvistheking44

Will Smith. Dude doesn’t make any bad songs.

tempo_n_groove

elvistheking44 said:

Will Smith. Dude doesn’t make any bad songs.

"Will Smith doesn't have to curse in his raps to sell records, well I do, so fuck him and fuck u too!"

I always laughed at that one from eminem.

2-feign-reluctance

Tim Simmons said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Hootie’s first record. Only that one though. 

Fairweather Johnson bands. Its their Reckoning. Tuckers Town is their best song.

I'll give it a go. I was working in a record store when they blew up, I don't remember that follow up very fondly for some reason, but hey, that was a long ass time ago! 

musicismylife78

Ed too has gone through this.  Back on the 90s he was slagging off the pop music of the day saying it was trash and meaningless.  Nowadays pop music and hip hop specifically is what rock was in the 60s.  It’s what the youth of today listen to and IS pop music now.  Now you have Ed and Dave Grohl giving props to Ed Sheehan, Niall and Billie Eilish.  And no doubt his kids are listening to that music as well.  At a certain point you get over that elitist attitude and just like what you like.  If someone gives you crap about listening to Taylor or Kelly Clarkson it’s their own loss, that’s some good music.  I think the 90s were harmful in that respect.  Amazing music, amazing to be a kid during it, but the whole “you suck as a musician and are a traitor and failure as a human if you work with corporations at all”, seeped into all our bloodstream and ultimately that’s harmful.  Pop music isn’t some evil entity, and indie music isn’t perfect either.  I think that whole black and white thinking is basic and boring, personally.  I’d rather live in the grey.  That whole us versus them idea is harmful.  If you can’t enjoy Taylor because it’s not deemed “cool”, that says more about the crowd you hang with, than it does the music 

tempo_n_groove

musicismylife78 said:

Ed too has gone through this.  Back on the 90s he was slagging off the pop music of the day saying it was trash and meaningless.  Nowadays pop music and hip hop specifically is what rock was in the 60s.  It’s what the youth of today listen to and IS pop music now.  Now you have Ed and Dave Grohl giving props to Ed Sheehan, Niall and Billie Eilish.  And no doubt his kids are listening to that music as well.  At a certain point you get over that elitist attitude and just like what you like.  If someone gives you crap about listening to Taylor or Kelly Clarkson it’s their own loss, that’s some good music.  I think the 90s were harmful in that respect.  Amazing music, amazing to be a kid during it, but the whole “you suck as a musician and are a traitor and failure as a human if you work with corporations at all”, seeped into all our bloodstream and ultimately that’s harmful.  Pop music isn’t some evil entity, and indie music isn’t perfect either.  I think that whole black and white thinking is basic and boring, personally.  I’d rather live in the grey.  That whole us versus them idea is harmful.  If you can’t enjoy Taylor because it’s not deemed “cool”, that says more about the crowd you hang with, than it does the music 

Those artists you listed aren't manufactured bubble gum pop music though.  There is plenty of that on Z100 still is most likely what they meant.

I'm still not sure what to think of Doja Cat, lol.

musicismylife78

tempo_n_groove said:

musicismylife78 said:

Ed too has gone through this.  Back on the 90s he was slagging off the pop music of the day saying it was trash and meaningless.  Nowadays pop music and hip hop specifically is what rock was in the 60s.  It’s what the youth of today listen to and IS pop music now.  Now you have Ed and Dave Grohl giving props to Ed Sheehan, Niall and Billie Eilish.  And no doubt his kids are listening to that music as well.  At a certain point you get over that elitist attitude and just like what you like.  If someone gives you crap about listening to Taylor or Kelly Clarkson it’s their own loss, that’s some good music.  I think the 90s were harmful in that respect.  Amazing music, amazing to be a kid during it, but the whole “you suck as a musician and are a traitor and failure as a human if you work with corporations at all”, seeped into all our bloodstream and ultimately that’s harmful.  Pop music isn’t some evil entity, and indie music isn’t perfect either.  I think that whole black and white thinking is basic and boring, personally.  I’d rather live in the grey.  That whole us versus them idea is harmful.  If you can’t enjoy Taylor because it’s not deemed “cool”, that says more about the crowd you hang with, than it does the music 

Those artists you listed aren't manufactured bubble gum pop music though.  There is plenty of that on Z100 still is most likely what they meant.

I'm still not sure what to think of Doja Cat, lol.

But is manufactured bubble gum pop inherently bad?  I think it takes way more talent to write a pop hit that goes to number one and is catchy, than writing some obscure tune only 5 people know about, to be honest.  

And people back in the 90's were saying the same thing.  You had, while the grunge thing and 'real rock" was going on, you had pop music, alot of which is now considered classic, and pop music fans back then were saying, "check it out, dude".  

Im sort of over it, personally.  I went through that phase, and I pointed out Ed did too.  But ultimately if you are an artist you want your music heard or seen by as many people as possible.  OP is correct, Taylor is a legend, but the idea she is obsessed with fame and celebrity is absurd.  To my eyes, seems like she'd rather spend time alone with her boyfriend and cats than deal with fame.  Did you check out Miss Americana her Netflix doc from a few years back.  The idea she's some dumb as rocks fame obsessed idiot is pretty silly.    Look at how the narrative of Britney has morphed.  In 1999, every rock fan hated her and said her music and her style of music was the downfall of Western Culture and "real art".  Now she's seen as a feminist icon, and someone way more complex than we all gave her credit for.  You dont think the same is also true for alot of bubblegum pop artists?  Its elitist to think only indie music is sacred.  We all went through that phase.  Glad to see theres a thread about how we have moved beyond that.  

Doja has a few good songs, I dont understand the whole Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B scene myself, so I get it.  But this whole idea that we were fed in the 90's was crap, honestly.  And it stunted my music appreciation in a way.  I could have been enjoying lots of amazing music back then, not solely grunge bands on obscure labels with 2 fans total.  Sub Pop is great and legendary, but Warner Bros and major labels put out quality stuff too.  

And I beg to differ everyone I named, has been slagged off on this board and in wider culture as being vapid silly teeny popper crap, Taylor, Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson, Niall (he was part of One Direction for gods sake!) etc...  Those arent small time artists, folks.  Those are the top .1 percent of artists Id say.  Ed Sheeran and Taylor ALONE are the music industry, frankly.  

I dont know I just sort of grew out of the "hey, she's signed to Universal Records so she's crap and I only listen to 7 inch vinyl prints of bands signed to some micro label in god knows where".  Thats stuff we said in middle school, and as teens.  I left that behind decades ago.  

musicismylife78

We were fed a line of bologna in the 90's that in order to even listen to something it had to not be a major label production, had to be "pure" whatever that meant.  Its just not the case.  Grunge was and is amazing.  But to sit there and tell me, pop stars are vapid and devoid of talent is the height of snobbishness.

musicismylife78

Check out the media just this week about Britney.  And specifically "Im a slave 4 U", which caused all us rockers to roll our eyes and gag, and caused society at large to meltdown about her image, the message she was sending kids and young girls.  Now 20 years later, the song is being looked at again and in a new context.  So who was right and who was wrong back in 1999 about Britney?  Was it us, the rockers who looked down our nose at those teenyboppers listening to that when they should have been listening to underground rock?  Or was it the bubblegum pop fans who enjoyed the hell out of the music back then and continue to?  At some point you gotta evolve, dude.  

musicismylife78

And its precisely the main point.  Taylor is making more interesting, relevant, career defining and culture defining music than anyone in rock.  Whats the last big rock band to influence the world and culture?  I cant come up with one.  Yet whatever you think of Taylor, Ed, or even Doja, theres no question THEY move culture.  Theres no debate at all.  Thats why kids today listen to it.  Rock got stale and boring, which is a shame as its an amazing genre with rich history.  But if I want experimental, interesting, out there music, i'd go check out whats happening in hiphop and pop, sooner than rock.  Taylor changes image and sound up every single album.  Rock to my ears in the last 20 years, where's the innovation?  Its the same album, cycle after cycle.  Change it up a little, maybe!  Name an artists in ANY medium in the last 20 years who has changed culture more than Taylor.  She is it, literally.  I love me some grunge, but if I want stuff thats "of the moment and state of the art", id sooner play her music than turn on some bland rock music station playing "modern rock".  Its boring.  

Tim Simmons

2-feign-reluctance said:

Tim Simmons said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

Hootie’s first record. Only that one though. 

Fairweather Johnson bands. Its their Reckoning. Tuckers Town is their best song.

I'll give it a go. I was working in a record store when they blew up, I don't remember that follow up very fondly for some reason, but hey, that was a long ass time ago! 

That was the problem with its rollout. CRV was still massive and all the singles were all over the radio. FJ doesn't sound dramatically different and they just rolled into that. 

cblock4life

My son put us on his unlimited iTunes downloads that he pays for (wasn’t even Christmas or birthday) and it’s the perfect gift.  

Started listening to more stuff by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga….if you have a young daughter make sure you read the lyrics cause these girls can be filthy (slight innuendo throughout some songs).  And some excellent lyrics about accepting and loving yourself.
I’m good with it but don’t have a daughter.  Everyone labels everyone and everything so bubble gum music, I don’t care cause these women can sing their asses off. Im agreeing with musicismylife and a lot of other postings above.