Musical Snobbery

     There is an interesting phenomena that occurs in the Shimer community, they all seem to know these obscure bands I've never heard before. Since the beginning of the school year, I've been introduced to singers and bands like Joanna Newsom, Melt Banana, and The Books. While I love Newsom now, I'm not so sure about these hundreds of other bands that have somehow escaped my attention.
     Ok, to be honest, I do not have great taste in music. In fact, almost everyone here feels pained listening to my playlists. That does raise the question my roommate asked though, how do you decide what bad music is? Well, I'll tell you how I know that my listening tastes are lacking; no one else lets me pick the music. I continue to listen to my melodies on iTunes and hope one day to be blessed with a musical ear like others, but honestly I don't understand the problem with my music.
I mean, I listen to what has been big on my radio stations back home for a while now. My favorite bands have been Cake and Metallica for as long as I can remember. I'm just a product of my environment. So, do I need to break out of this? Do I need to acquire what my classmates call "taste"? I just don't know.
     My roommate does play a good amount of music I've never heard before, and I do enjoy most of it, so maybe it is time I put away the bands I've liked since middle school (but not all of them and Cake is definitely staying or the deal's off) and pick up some of this other music.
     I don't think I'm ever going to be a connoisseur like many Shimerians, but maybe I'll at least be able to follow along when they start discussing music.

Comments

[Shimer College]

I have a friend from college who saw Cake before they were all that well known. I believe she was still in high school at the time. She remembers this particularly vividly because her boyfriend, who was dancing up near the stage, was told by a member of the bank that his hair smelled good. Also, seven years ago, Cake was one of the things that people were telling each other to listen to. Um. Still instead of Metallica, but, yeah. --Cassie

[Adrian Nelson]

Don't feel too bad about it. I too lack all taste in music, although I like whatever I'm played; I'm just bad at picking stuff. There aren't a lot of Indigo Girls fans out there.

[Howard Ruan]

I listen to obscure things, but I'm also a sucker for some of today's popular music (and I possess a guilty pleasure of the '80s). It did surprise me, however, that Shimerians have such a wide range of musical interests - no doubt reflective of the all-encompassing, far-reaching interests that Shimerians tote.