What are you listening to?

ironfalcon18 said:Traditional folk music, often dismissed by some as being nothing more than low-brow kitsch, really feels like some of the most uninspired garbage ever produced; I honestly find myself wondering how anyone can actually sit there and listen to it? 🙄
Is this just a blatant display of pure primitivism? 🙂 And then you hear someone claim that punks and heavy metal fans are nothing but trash. 😲

It isn't that heavy metal fans or punks are the problem, but rather the posers and those who just pretend to support them. Or is it?

Let people listen to whatever they want. Are we living in a democracy or not? Well, if you ask me...

sims said:I listen to Heavy metal!! 😈

Is that really something to brag about? 🙄 😁

ironfalcon18, wouldn't you actually prefer it if folk music was considered "primitive"? You know, all that raw energy, pagan religions, Vikings, swords and sorcery, that whole vibe... 😁

like Buzzcocks - Don't Know What to Do with My Life

ironfalcon18 said:Country music fans are the absolute worst thing to ever happen to music. I honestly don't get how anyone can listen to that garbage.🙄
A textbook display of primitivism. 🙂 And then people have the nerve to call punks and heavy metal fans the trash. 😲

I guess I’d love to see an actual, reasoned argument for why country music is considered primitive. Assuming we're talking about that modern pop-country stuff, what's the issue? Is it because the artists are from certain parts of the South? The instruments? The singing style? Or maybe just how people act at the shows? As far as I can tell, when people listen to country, they just end up in a good mood. They aren't out there picking fights. Maybe it's the dancing? If that's the case, then punks throwing themselves around is a much bigger sign of primitivism. 🙂 Not to mention those political rallies where everyone gets drunk, starts swinging their arms around, and dances with lit cigarettes while watching some guy spin a cigarette like a pro. 😵 If we're going by that logic, I suppose we're all pretty primitive. 🙂

If a genre doesn't suit our taste, I don't think that makes it primitive. In my opinion, someone making that claim just because they dislike a certain sound might actually be the one showing primitivism. 🙂 I mean, thank God the world works such that there's something for everyone. We all find our own niche. It's just easier to say, "those people are idiots." And when you ask why, it turns into, "because they're from the South"... 🙄

Later.

placidotter15, you absolutely kill it.

So, where are you from?

crimsonjackal8 said:sliders, whiskey, and Bon Jovi 😲 😲

Trust me, you really don't want to know.

Gothic said:I honestly don't get why people listen to that. I guess they're just primitive.

Well, then I guess I'm totally primitive.😁 😁 😁:

placidotter15 said:I’d love to see an actual, reasoned argument for why country music is considered primitive. I'm assuming we're talking about that trashy pop-country stuff. So, what's the issue? Is it because the artists are from certain parts of the South? Is it the instruments? The singing style? Or just how people act when they listen to it? As far as I can tell, when people listen to this stuff, they’re just happy. They aren't out there fighting or whatever. Is the dancing primitive? If that's the case, then punks are way more primitive when they're moshing and throwing 🙂. Not to mention those political rallies where everyone gets high on whatever they're smoking, lost in their own world, waving hands and dancing with lit cigarettes while watching some guy spin a cigarette 😵. If we're judging by that standard, then we're all primitive. 🙂

If a musical genre doesn't suit our taste, that shouldn't make it "primitive." Honestly, anyone who claims something is primitive just because they don't like it is actually showing their own lack of sophistication. 🙂 Thank God the world works such that there's something for everyone. We all find ourselves in different things. It's just easier to say, "those people are idiots." And when forced to explain why, it becomes, "because they're Southerners"... 🙄

Later.

The problem isn't the people; the problem is that the music is so shallow and mind-numbing that it only works alongside greasy burgers and fries—like some weird ritual to reclaim your old-school roots.

For the millionth time, the issue is that for some people, music is supposed to be more than just background noise for a party. Country music has no place in that category. In fact, its sheer stupidity insults any serious musicians out there.

Kevin Chavez3
ironfalcon18, wouldn't you actually prefer it if folk music was considered "primitive"? You know, all that stuff about being primal, pagan religions, Vikings, swords and magic, all that... 😁

like Buzzcocks - Don't Know What to Do with My Life

I wasn't talking about primitivity, I meant tradition. You totally misread me.

placidotter15 said:I’d love to see a real, reasoned argument explaining why folk music is considered primitive. I’m assuming we’re talking about turbo-folk here. So, what’s the actual issue? Is it because the artists are, say, from Mexico? Is it the instruments? The singing style? Or maybe how people act while listening to it? As far as I can tell, when people listen to folk, it just puts them in a great mood and makes them happy. They aren't starting fights or anything. Or is the dancing considered primitive? If that's the case, then I think punks are even more primitive when they're slamming around and throwing 🙂. Not to mention those political activists who get rowdy at rallies, everyone lost in their own world, waving hands and dancing with lit cigarettes—watching some guy spin a cigarette 😵. If that’s our metric, then we’re all incredibly primitive. 🙂

If a certain genre doesn't suit us, I don't believe that's a valid reason to call it primitive. In my view, someone making such a claim simply because they dislike something actually shows their own lack of sophistication 🙂. Thank goodness the world is built so there's something for everyone. We all find ourselves in different things. It's just easier to say, "they're idiots." And when forced to explain why, it becomes "because they're Mexican"... 🙄

Later.

hollowseal33 basically answered you; I'll add one fact—it doesn't matter where the artists are from, bad music is just bad music. 😁 Shallow tracks like "Case, I'm breaking my hands, they're bleeding" 🙂
With music like that, we'll never make it in Europe. 😂
Turbo-folk is bottom-of-the-barrel.

I honestly doubt music had anything to do with us joining Europe. 🙂 BTW, folk music could definitely help us out rather than hurt us, if you think about it. As for that trashy pop stuff, I don't really have an opinion. 😁

So you're saying it's primitive because of the lyrics? It didn't occur to you that they aren't all the same? FYI, there are some beautiful love songs in folk music. Every genre has its garbage and its gems. For instance, I could argue grunge is primitive by pointing to when Kurt Cobain wrote lyrics like: "rape me, rape me, rape me my friend"... or take techno, which doesn't even have words—you just know how the music goes, and anyone can whip that up in software like Reason. 🙂 It's the same with rap; people easily bash it by using some random MTV rapper as an example. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper. But as a trend, it’s easy to say folk is crap; you hear one ridiculous lyric and that's it. I respect everyone's opinion and I'm not trying to force my view on anyone, but I think it's stupid to approach things so superficially and build prejudices. And not every folk song is just meant for dancing... UNLIKE TECHNO, for example. 😁 Ah... anyway, what's the problem if it is used for dancing? At least people aren't getting kicked like punks do when they dance; they're just having a good time.

People should listen to whatever makes them happy. Why do people listen to that trashy pop? Because they like it. Just like someone else might like techno or rap or whatever. I guess that should be obvious to any adult, instead of just looking for reasons to spit on someone else. 👋

placidotter15 is actually onto something here. Honestly, folk music makes me physically ill, but I can’t deny it has certain elements that some of my favorite bands actually tap into. Once I met a group of people who listen to everything from punk and jazz to the most obscure avant-garde stuff and even folk—people who are incredibly sharp and highly educated—it pretty much killed my last remaining argument against the genre. Let them have it, as long as I don't have to listen to it myself...

e.g. Pere Ubu - 49 Guitars & One Girl

The issue is that everyone feels ashamed for listening to country music—not for what they watch, I don't know, Buffy. To me, it’s all equally shallow and pointless, but country singers get stigmatized for all sorts of historical reasons. Like I said before, I can tolerate just about any kind of person—except one type: the righteous. Screw the righteous.

It’s honestly not that deep who listens to what...

I'm big into heavy metal, sure—but I also vibe with stuff that has zero connection to it, like Red Hot Chili Peppers, for example.

As for folk, dance, techno, or whatever else isn't my thing? People can listen to whatever they want! Just please, don't nag me about it—it's not like I'm going to start lecturing them about heavy metal.

placidotter15 said:Besides, what's the issue if people dance to it? At least they aren't kicking each other like punks do when they dance. They're just having a good time and staying positive.

😕 Punks kick each other when they're having fun, too. Plus, broken glass isn't exactly safe. 😁

But for the most part:

Look, personally, MTV rap and techno (if we're generalizing here, let's not get bogged down in exceptions) aren't any better than country music. They both totally fit that "mind-numbing" description. And Bon Jovi, obviously. 😁 but thats my opinion. and don't try to drag punk dancing into this. thats smart music 😂

Of course, everyone should listen to whatever they want. I’m all for it. I know plenty of legendary people who hang out at local dive bars in Philly and then I see them at a Violent Femmes show or something. I'm not judging country music—when you're drunk, mindless tunes are a blast—but I was trying to explain why the majority might see country as primitive. Though, honestly, I have no idea.

Kevin Chavez3 said:Honestly, placidotter15 makes a solid point. Personally, listening to mainstream country music makes me want to lose my lunch—but I can’t really argue against the technicality of it when you realize some of my favorite bands pull from those same roots. And once I met a few folks who jump between punk, jazz, all sorts of avant-garde stuff and standard country, and happen to be incredibly sharp, well-educated people... it pretty much killed my last argument against the genre. Whatever. As long as I don't have to listen to it myself, they can enjoy it.

Glad we're on the same page—I'm the second one here, crimsonjackal8 😎

(Aside from all that avant-garde stuff 🙄 )

Take Tom Jones, for example—"What You Gotta Do When Love Requires a Goodbye" 🙂

hollowseal33 said:The issue isn't actually the people—it's that the music itself is so shallow and mind-numbing that it only really works when you're pairing it with cheap bourbon and greasy burgers, like some sort of ritualistic attempt to reconnect with your most primal, unrefined roots.

For the millionth time, the real problem is that for some people, music actually represents something more than just background noise for a dance floor. And frankly, that kind of pop-country trash has no place there. In fact, it’s almost insulting to anyone with actual taste because of how mindless it is.

Since when did bourbon and burgers become "mind-numbing"?😕

Humans have been drumming and rhyming since we crawled out of caves. Why on earth should we limit ourselves to modern productions coming out of English-speaking countries? You've got folk groups, Mexico, Spaniards, Southern Italy, Ohio, Jamaica, India, cowboys, Canada, Mexico, Albania...🙂

I don't know, maybe the problem is just that I'm starting to get annoyed by things everyone else thinks are cool. And "reconnecting with your roots" doesn't have to mean regressing into stupidity or bitterness. For me, Louis Armstrong hits right in the soul—and damn it, if you don't like it, that's your business.🙂

Do you guys actually know what "shund" is?
Well, I don't listen to that kind of junk.
As for why some people actually enjoy it... I guess they just can't hear!

Tupac Shakur said:Since when did fruit and burgers become brain-dead? 😕

People have been drumming and writing lyrics since they crawled out of caves. Why limit ourselves to modern hits from the US? We've got vocal groups, Mexico, The Spaniard, southern Italy, Ohio, Jamaica, India, cowboys, Canada, Mexico, Albania... 🙂

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but lately, even the "cool" stuff is starting to grate on my nerves. And embracing your roots doesn't have to mean embracing hate and stupidity. Louis Armstrong moves me to my core, and honestly, so be it. 🙂

I never said fruit, burgers, or returning to your roots was brain-dead. I specifically meant (newly composed) TURBO-FOLK. So, you can go ahead and scrap everything else you said about vocal groups, Louis Armstrong, and Mexico.