#101 ·
boldscout72 said:I generally loathe serious debates on this forum, but you just refuse to cooperate. Fine. Let’s define "pop product." From my perspective, musically speaking, a "pop product" is Linkin Park. You’ve got five attractive guys and a producer. The guys possess a certain level of talent, know a handful of guitar chords, and sport tasteful tattoos in all the right places. The producer brings the capital and the vision. They slap the name Linkin Park on them, place them in every major US record store right behind Limp Bizkit—the reigning superheroes of the global charts—and the show can begin. On the flip side, you have four guys from Chicago who were bored and, after spinning everything from various genres to Talking Heads, decided to start a band. It's basically, "Let's have some fun," writing catchy lyrics and making music that makes people move. Soon enough, they're playing on every radio and TV station across America. Why? Because they're entertaining. I mean, brainless entertainment. It’s even similar to how Coen movies work. They are incredibly fun, yet it isn't just low-brow slapstick. We are discussing pop music here, not high art, jazz, or whatever else. Pop music doesn't push boundaries; it entertains people. Occasionally it does both, but usually, it doesn't. Why is Hot Hot Heat a better band than Franz Ferdinand? Perhaps they were christened by some cosmic force no one understands, despite playing similar music and maintaining a similar media persona. Popularity doesn't guarantee garbage, just as being obscure doesn't guarantee quality. Man, you remind me of those metalheads who think if you haven't mastered every single musical scale or swallowed every scrap of music theory in existence, you have no right to have an opinion. Music isn't an exclusive club; it's enjoyment. Whether I'm shouting along to Teenage Kicks at Spunk while covered in beer, or attempting to wrap my head around the sheer genius of Miles Davis, I am simply grateful to have ears—to feel the melody, to understand the story someone is telling, or to just uncontrollably move my limbs. What a miserable, stiff world it would be if every time we heard The Beatles, we had to stroke our chins and try to decipher what the songwriter meant by that specific tone, whether it was literal or metaphorical, where the answer to the meaning of life lies, or if there is a Bog. Dude, just take your girlfriend by the hand and lead her onto the dance floor. 🙂
love ya😍