Over the past week, I’ve heard the newest singles from Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, two artists I normally exult in hating but I’ve found myself not only liking their newest songs but turning up the radio when they happen to come on. I want to hate these songs too but can’t seem to make myself. Almost of their own will, my hand will go to the volume control and raise it higher and my head’ll start bobbing along with its catchy poppishness.
What the hell is wrong with me? Am I contagious? Should I quarantined?! I need answers!
True Story:
I was done with a hard week at school and work. I was laying down watching TV and turned it to The Box music network. I was watching some random video (people call in and order to see a video and the station plays it) and fell asleep.
(The world pauses and gasps as the Spice Girls break up.)
I wake ten hours later and notice I’m watching a Spice Girls’ video. I reach for my cigarettes and mindlessly start signing along with the song. I stop. I knew the words and worst yet… I liked it!
The horror!!!
I later said screw it, comforted myself by saying they were hot chicks with English accents, and bought their CD (used of course).
Come to find out, the teenie boppers had been ordering their videos all night when the band split up soon after I fell asleep.
Anything by Disturbed. David Dramen ruins a decent metal band with his metal-savior posturing, but I really like some of the main riffs in alot of thier songs.
I was going to start a thread about “Artists you can’t bring yourself to hate” and Eminem was going to be my choice.
I should normally loathe his music and despise his personality, and yet… I find both strangely entertaining.
What is even stranger is that he has some sort of a feud with Moby. Normally, I should like Moby, and yet he bores me to tears. Go figure, I’m rooting for Eminem on that one.
I also get into Justin Timberlake’s recent solo songs. To me, they’ve been catchy throwback-style R&B … nicely tinged with 80s dance. He’s gone leaps and bounds over the N’Sync stuff.
All rap music. I hate that stuff but if exposed against my will I can find the beat and a groove. I guess sort of like relaxing and enjoying it. Hip hop is ok, I’m talking about rap. Ditto, modern country music. It’s not wunnerful, please turn that shit off (!) but I can endure if I steel myself against the notion of filthy rich people singing country music. The whole country music business nauseates me and no, I’m not jealous. The kicker for me though is black gospel music. God love 'em but that stuff makes me want to start jumping the pews (looking for a way out!).
I did see Joe Jackson on Conan last night, though (look for replay on CC) and he’s still credible.
For me it’s Tool. I’m a devout Christian and can’t stand their fixation with Aleister Crowley nonsense, but Tool is one of the most talented groups around today. Especially after their transition to a more prog-rock sound. It’s for me hard to listen to them though, because I can’t really legitimize enjoying the work of a drummer who claims Luciferian possession as his inspiration.
Is he being serious? I thought the whole “and thank you to our lord Satan!” thing was sarcastic. Not that it matters to me. I can deal with bands who are obsessed with that Bible “nonsense,” so I don’t have a problem with Tool’s particular fixation.
Anyways, I don’t really mind listening to most of the faster boy-band pop type crap. An occasional song on the radio or listening to my sister’s cds when in the car with her–I can deal with that. I can’t stand the ballads, but pop is designed to be fun to listen to and unobjectionable to absolutely everybody in the world. With the help of twenty writers and more money and studio time than you can shake a stick at, how can they fail? I wouldn’t want to listen to their music for any length of time, mind you–I like a bit of cotton candy, but I’d quickly go insane if I was forced to survive on it.
There. It’s out. I admit it. So what? “Friends in Low Places” was my platoon song back when I was in the best military unit ever, and it makes me nostalgic. And even thought I hate the rodeo, I think “Rodeo” is a good song, too. And “The Thunder Rolls” gives me shivers. So what. I’ve still listened to more metal than anybody else I know. I’m still the most uncountrified person ever. And I’ll listen to any damn thing I want. I’m not ashamed. What’s the big deal anyway? You’re the one who listens to funny musi–
Huh? Oh. Sorry.
I’m really not much of a country person. I also like a couple rap songs. I used to fight it when I liked something that kind of went “against my nature,” but not anymore. If I like it, I like it, and I’ll be honest with myself about it. Which doesn’t mean I’ll always be open about it to other people . . . especially if it’s “cool and commercial Top 40 stuff.” But I’m getting better. Hey, I can even admit that I had a sexual fantasy about Britney Spears(though I still hate most of her music).
Huh. I love Tool… it’s my favorite band but I don’t tend to go much into the people’s personal lives unless it’s all over the airwaves a la Lopez. I’m agnostic or atheist depending on the color of my socks and the time of day you ask me but can you post further or show me to a site where I can read more? I’m morbidly intrigued.
I’ll also say Eminem. When I heard the song that would win him an Academy Award (the main song from “8 Mile”) I thought, “Oh no. I like this song!” when I’ve always disliked him.
Well, to be fair, they say a LOT of crazy stuff. Reading interviews that they’ve given over the years, each of them has given multiple different versions of thier “life story”. I think that for them it’s more of a matter of mystery - if you don’t know anything about the people in the band, the only thing you can really focus on is the music and the message lying therein.