Rick Beato

brianlux

Any Rick Beato fans here? 
I think he's great- just love seeing his interviews and podcasts.

A lot of people lately have slammed the guy, calling him "old guy yelling at clouds".  I just love his response to that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU96wCDHGKM

Glorified KC

I'm a subscriber of his YouTube channel, but I usually only watch his "What makes this song great" videos.

brianlux

Glorified KC said:

I'm a subscriber of his YouTube channel, but I usually only watch his "What makes this song great" videos.

Those are amazing.  I don't watch all of his interviews, but some have been excellent.  The one he did with REM's Mike Mills was superb!

CarryTheZero

I have just started watching. Brendan O’Brien and Mills are awesome! Seems like Beato is local to me. The O’Brien interview had all kinds local details I recognized.

Merkin Baller

I’ve watched a few of his interviews and like what I’ve seen. The interview subjects seem to like him too which almost always leads to a better discussion. 

I haven’t listened to his podcast, but will give it a listen soon. 

brianlux

Merkin Baller said:

I’ve watched a few of his interviews and like what I’ve seen. The interview subjects seem to like him too which almost always leads to a better discussion. 

I haven’t listened to his podcast, but will give it a listen soon. 

I probably should just have mentioned his YouTube videos.  I'm not sure he does an actual Podcast anymore.  I just watch his videos.

Beato is a bit of salesman, which I'm not much of a fan of.  But on the other hand, if I was serious about wanting to go into the business of making music, I would likely consider some of his teaching products.  At this point, for me, it would be a waste of money, lol, so I stick with the YouTube stuff.

brianlux

This one kind of blows my mind because Beato can play so many of these amazing solos quite well.  Whew!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV-y91BZonY

Gern Blansten

Yes, his What Makes This Song Great series is really good. Fun to binge watch those...a few PJ songs in there too.

He stopped doing them for some reason but there are quite a few episodes there.

Glorified KC

Gern Blansten said:

Yes, his What Makes This Song Great series is really good. Fun to binge watch those...a few PJ songs in there too.

He stopped doing them for some reason but there are quite a few episodes there.

I think my favorite so far of those is him looking into Losing My Religion.  Very interesting chord progression.

Tim Simmons

He's got big, 'I came to a conclusion and therefore its the only answer' energy. 

Also, he comes across as a massive rockist so its no surprise peoples simplistic takeaway is Old Man Yells At Cloud. 

tempo_n_groove

Im surprised on how big he's become actually.  I think it's great though. He is a fan of music and it shows.

His interview w Danny Carrey gave me more insight to the band than any Rogan interview has w Maynerd.

People are genuinely glad to talk to him.  Now he may be throwing softball questions but I'm not there to listen to the dirt.

tempo_n_groove

I'd add something to his video.  Time.  If it takes too much time then people won't want to do it.

HenriettaLowell

He‘s also had Matt on!

Although the old man yells at cloud thing is not unfounded, I do find him pretty liakable and he‘s certainly passionate about what he likes and does. He‘s simply of a generation of rockists that tend to be rather close-minded when it comes to pop music. That‘s okay, I know lots of people that fall into this category

tempo_n_groove

HenriettaLowell said:

He‘s also had Matt on!

Although the old man yells at cloud thing is not unfounded, I do find him pretty liakable and he‘s certainly passionate about what he likes and does. He‘s simply of a generation of rockists that tend to be rather close-minded when it comes to pop music. That‘s okay, I know lots of people that fall into this category

I was listening to someones youtube gaming channel and the music that they played was interesting.  The first five songs talked about getting beat and hurt.  That EMO to the 10th power!

brianlux

HenriettaLowell said:

He‘s also had Matt on!

Although the old man yells at cloud thing is not unfounded, I do find him pretty liakable and he‘s certainly passionate about what he likes and does. He‘s simply of a generation of rockists that tend to be rather close-minded when it comes to pop music. That‘s okay, I know lots of people that fall into this category

Really?  I thought he dispelled that quite well in the "old man yelling at clouds" video posted above. 

Of The Aggie

I really like his videos. He seems like a cool guy who is not just a fan but is a musician, teacher, and producer. He had the credentials to back up a lot of what he says. Yes he is of a rock generation but that's fine with me because I too think the pop music of today is terrible.

He sometimes goes too far into the technical weeds for me since I don't have much of a musical background and don't play guitar or piano but I can skip over those videos in favor of the song breakdowns or interviews.

brianlux

Of The Aggie said:

I really like his videos. He seems like a cool guy who is not just a fan but is a musician, teacher, and producer. He had the credentials to back up a lot of what he says. Yes he is of a rock generation but that's fine with me because I too think the pop music of today is terrible.

He sometimes goes too far into the technical weeds for me since I don't have much of a musical background and don't play guitar or piano but I can skip over those videos in favor of the song breakdowns or interviews.

Good points.

I'm the same way about most modern pop.  There's just not much our there I care for at all.  You know, it's funny because a lot of people (not meaning you) seem to think Beato hates modern pop but, to be honest, he is more open to it than I am.  Despite airing some strong criticism, he's also said great things about a number of modern pop artists, more that I would have come up with.  I think some people hear something they don't like and then close up and don't hear beyond that.  Beato is actually more than fair in his assessments, but not everyone listens long or often enough to get that.

I agree that he gets a bit technical for many folks.  I know enough about music theory to have a fairly good notion of what he's talking about, yet still find myself out of that league at times.  That actually increases my respect for the guy because he's the quintessential "musician's musician", yet can appeal to a general audience as well.  That's being well rounded!

HenriettaLowell

brianlux said:

HenriettaLowell said:

He‘s also had Matt on!

Although the old man yells at cloud thing is not unfounded, I do find him pretty liakable and he‘s certainly passionate about what he likes and does. He‘s simply of a generation of rockists that tend to be rather close-minded when it comes to pop music. That‘s okay, I know lots of people that fall into this category

Really?  I thought he dispelled that quite well in the "old man yelling at clouds" video posted above. 

Mmm, in my book, not really. He definitely has his quite specific sensibilities, the current artists he’s showcasing on his channel and mentioned in the video fit that bill as well. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having specific aesthetic preferences when it comes to art, the lack of these preferences in the current zeitgeist shouldn‘t lead to the claim that music overall is going downhill. There are different ways of expressing yourself other than what Beato enjoys, not everything has to be about virtuosity or conventional song structures.

And there are certainly lots of talented people around in mainstream pop music, they‘re not all obscure like he says in the video (Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, just off the top of my head). 

Edit: typo

Tim Simmons

It doesn't help when he says "I like current music" ::proceeds to show 4 artists who aren't very well known, and who just seem to be playing alot of notes:: Thats not what people are talking about. Like, great you love technical proficiency, but that doesn't make great music. In his mind, sure. He's entitled to feel that way. There isn't good or bad music. Theres just music and peoples subjective tastes. 

brianlux

The thing to remember is, it's easy to be and armchair critic like most of us are.  I think Beato's presentations are great, others don't care for him.  You can't please everyone, and I get that.  There is another guy who does similar videos to what Beato does but I don't care for his stuff, but I respect the work.  It takes a lot of effort to put out those shows.  I couldn't do it, so I wrote a "worst seller" music book instead, lol.

It's like how some people like Henry Rollins' music show, some don't, or some like what Jello Biafro talks about (I do), and some don't.  There's something for everyone out there.

Of The Aggie

brianlux said:

Of The Aggie said:

I really like his videos. He seems like a cool guy who is not just a fan but is a musician, teacher, and producer. He had the credentials to back up a lot of what he says. Yes he is of a rock generation but that's fine with me because I too think the pop music of today is terrible.

He sometimes goes too far into the technical weeds for me since I don't have much of a musical background and don't play guitar or piano but I can skip over those videos in favor of the song breakdowns or interviews.

Good points.

I'm the same way about most modern pop.  There's just not much our there I care for at all.  You know, it's funny because a lot of people (not meaning you) seem to think Beato hates modern pop but, to be honest, he is more open to it than I am.  Despite airing some strong criticism, he's also said great things about a number of modern pop artists, more that I would have come up with.  I think some people hear something they don't like and then close up and don't hear beyond that.  Beato is actually more than fair in his assessments, but not everyone listens long or often enough to get that.

I agree that he gets a bit technical for many folks.  I know enough about music theory to have a fairly good notion of what he's talking about, yet still find myself out of that league at times.  That actually increases my respect for the guy because he's the quintessential "musician's musician", yet can appeal to a general audience as well.  That's being well rounded!

You are right. He does seem to like modern music more than most people his age. He does always try to find positives in the songs he is talking about even when he doesn't like them at all. 

Tim Simmons

brianlux said:

The thing to remember is, it's easy to be and armchair critic like most of us are.

And this is probably my own personal jumping off point for my position. Over the past few years, I got tired of criticizing or noting what I didn't like and now I just say, 'eh, its not for me'. The reasons why are never important. If someone was bold enough to expose their art to the world and if it finds an audience of 1 or 1,000,000,000, thats awesome and I have no grounds to shit on it or dismiss it. It just doesn't land for me. 

brianlux

Tim Simmons said:

brianlux said:

The thing to remember is, it's easy to be and armchair critic like most of us are.

And this is probably my own personal jumping off point for my position. Over the past few years, I got tired of criticizing or noting what I didn't like and now I just say, 'eh, its not for me'. The reasons why are never important. If someone was bold enough to expose their art to the world and if it finds an audience of 1 or 1,000,000,000, thats awesome and I have no grounds to shit on it or dismiss it. It just doesn't land for me. 

I so totally agree, Tim.  Well said! 

Edved82

I like Rick. I strongly disagree with his comments on Neil Young's guitar abilities but I really like his interviewing style. His interview with Mike Mills from REM recently was excellent.

brianlux

Edved82 said:

I like Rick. I strongly disagree with his comments on Neil Young's guitar abilities but I really like his interviewing style. His interview with Mike Mills from REM recently was excellent.

Beato is a big fan of virtuoso musicianship, especially regarding guitar players.  I respect that, and I enjoy listening to him explain the nuances of such playing and all that, and I like a lot of the music itself.  But it could probably be seen as a bit ironic that I am a Beato fan.  It's not really, because my tastes in music run from the rather refined to the rather crude.  I think of someone like Pat Metheny as an amazing highly accomplished player and like his music, but on the other end of the spectrum I'm a big fan of Dead Moon and Fred Cole's very primitive guitar style.  And Neil Young is one of my very favorite guitar players.  For my tastes, what Neil lacks in refined chops, he more than makes up for in the emotion, soul, energy, melodic qualities, vibe, and the tone of his playing.  For my ears, guitar playing seldom gets better than Neil's best work.

marjen

seen seen a few videos of his, not a big fan. When he did the Taylor swift video and tried to insinuate she has nothing to do with writing her own songs and only writes over click tracks I was like wow, do your research man. He is not all that older than me, but he can’t seem to find much good to say about newer music. 

Edved82

brianlux said:

Edved82 said:

I like Rick. I strongly disagree with his comments on Neil Young's guitar abilities but I really like his interviewing style. His interview with Mike Mills from REM recently was excellent.

Beato is a big fan of virtuoso musicianship, especially regarding guitar players.  I respect that, and I enjoy listening to him explain the nuances of such playing and all that, and I like a lot of the music itself.  But it could probably be seen as a bit ironic that I am a Beato fan.  It's not really, because my tastes in music run from the rather refined to the rather crude.  I think of someone like Pat Metheny as an amazing highly accomplished player and like his music, but on the other end of the spectrum I'm a big fan of Dead Moon and Fred Cole's very primitive guitar style.  And Neil Young is one of my very favorite guitar players.  For my tastes, what Neil lacks in refined chops, he more than makes up for in the emotion, soul, energy, melodic qualities, vibe, and the tone of his playing.  For my ears, guitar playing seldom gets better than Neil's best work.

Yeah I admire virtuoso guitar players but emotionally they do nothing for me. The rawness of Neil's guitar playing is more than deserving of a place on greatest guitarist lists. Not everyone has to play like Yngwie Malmsteen - David Gilmour is another example of a guy that doesn't need speed or technical chops to be an awesome guitarist.

GB281198

I like the interviews he does but haven't watched much of the list type videos. The biggest problem with online content is it's viewer or click driven. The more views the more money they make. His Mike Mills interview has roughly 500k views and the Wtf Happened to music video has 2.3 million. Sensational or hot takes makes more money unfortunately.

Tim Simmons

You just described 95% of modern media.

tempo_n_groove

marjen said:

seen seen a few videos of his, not a big fan. When he did the Taylor swift video and tried to insinuate she has nothing to do with writing her own songs and only writes over click tracks I was like wow, do your research man. He is not all that older than me, but he can’t seem to find much good to say about newer music. 

Did he really?  Interesting.

ZoSoTim

The Robert DeLeo interview was fantastic. Brendan O’Brien was really good but long AF. At times he gets way too technical for non-musicians and the first video I ever saw of his he was kind of downplaying John Bonham, which absolutely rubbed me the wrong way.