# Musicians you want to like but just don't... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932 "2006-12-20T16:43:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/1 "2006-12-20T16:43:45Z")
A friend loaned me some Neko Case CDs. I like a bunch of alt country. There’s some New Pornographers stuff I like. I love me the redheads. All the music critics and cool people love her. And I like to think I have good taste in music. But… Meh. It just isn’t doing it for me. Do you have anyone like that? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/2 "2006-12-20T16:46:21Z")
Leonard Cohen. Even moreso than Bob Dylan, everything he writes is amazing and the covers of his stuff are great but I just can’t get into his singing. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/3 "2006-12-20T16:54:55Z")
I know, as a music critic and musical omnivore, that I’m supposed to like Captain Beefheart, but it just sounds \retarded\ to me. And this is coming from a guy who counts Pere Ubu as one of his favorite bands (shrug). ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/4 "2006-12-20T16:56:26Z")
_retarded_ This isn’t livejournal, now is it? ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/5 "2006-12-20T16:58:37Z")
**Jonanna Newsom**. She’s much adored by many of the folks who like the same strange folk music I like. Hey, I _like_ weird music, probably more than the average bear, but man oh man, every time she opens her mouth I hear the Wicked Witch of the West doing an impression of Jerry Lewis screaming “HEY LADY!” …er, [Cite.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npvSMfhjt4A) (YouTube) ---
**Author:** ![Marathon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Marathon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marathon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/6 "2006-12-20T17:05:59Z")
[QUOTE=koeeoaddi] **Joanna Newsom**. [/QUOTE] Oh man. I go back and forth about her, but when I say that I mean I _really_ go back and forth. For a while I thought that her harp playing was amazing and her voice was cute and that the songs were very well-written. When I’ve heard her recently, I’ve said “I absolutely can’t stand this.” Can’t figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/7 "2006-12-20T17:39:06Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] I know, as a music critic and musical omnivore, that I’m supposed to like Captain Beefheart, but it just sounds \retarded\ to me. [/QUOTE] I agree that most CB is… well I won’t say retarded, but awfully difficult to appreciate. That said, _Safe as Milk_ has some great stuff. The first song, _Sure 'nuff & Yes I Do_ is one of my all time favorite songs, and his cover of _I’ve Grown So Ugly_ is excellent. It is a much more linear album than anything else I’ve heard from him. I have a lot of musicians that fall into this category: Nomeansno, Radiohead, most of Rush, Tool, Cat Power, Liz Phair, Stone Roses, Elliot Smith… All pretty much universally adored but just missing something for me. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/8 "2006-12-20T17:46:38Z")
[QUOTE=Hey you!] A friend loaned me some Neko Case CDs. I like a bunch of alt country. There’s some New Pornographers stuff I like. I love me the redheads. All the music critics and cool people love her. And I like to think I have good taste in music. But… Meh. It just isn’t doing it for me. [/QUOTE] Exact same story here with Neko. Also, early Blur. I love Britpop and psychedelia, and the Kinks are my favorite band. It’s like Blur’s first few albums were formulated precisely to appeal to my tastes… yet _13_ and _Think Tank_, the albums they made after ditching those influences, are the only ones I like. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/9 "2006-12-20T17:58:51Z")
I agree about Joanna Newsom. I wanted to like her, but her voice _hurts_ me. I’m supposed to like Neutral Milk Hotel because I like the Decemberists, but I can’t get past the crap recording quality to listen to them long enough to make an actual judgment, and also they have the worst band name ever. I don’t like Sufjan Stevens as much as I wish I did. If we count classical composers, I keep trying and failing to like Aaron Copland. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/10 "2006-12-20T19:07:33Z")
Radiohead. I like a song or two, but they just don’t connect with me. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/11 "2006-12-20T19:31:13Z")
[QUOTE=koeeoaddi] **Jonanna Newsom**. She’s much adored by many of the folks who like the same strange folk music I like. Hey, I _like_ weird music, probably more than the average bear, but man oh man, every time she opens her mouth I hear the Wicked Witch of the West doing an impression of Jerry Lewis screaming “HEY LADY!” …er, [Cite.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npvSMfhjt4A) (YouTube) [/QUOTE] My EARS! Ze goggles, zey do nothing! That is just painful. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/12 "2006-12-20T19:46:28Z")
[QUOTE=HoboStew] I have a lot of musicians that fall into this category: […] Cat Power [/QUOTE] Likewise. I have three or four Cat Power songs on my MP3 player and always wind up skipping past them. I think I’m _supposed_ to like her given my other tastes but she just does nothing for me. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/13 "2006-12-20T19:58:43Z")
[QUOTE=koeeoaddi] **Jonanna Newsom**. She’s much adored by many of the folks who like the same strange folk music I like. Hey, I _like_ weird music, probably more than the average bear, but man oh man, every time she opens her mouth I hear the Wicked Witch of the West doing an impression of Jerry Lewis screaming “HEY LADY!” …er, [Cite.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npvSMfhjt4A) (YouTube) [/QUOTE] She was talking and I was thinking “She doesn’t sound too bad…” then she started singing. When she’s soft it’s not too bad, but then she gets loud and it gets all icepick-to-my-eardrums. Wow. I want to like the Magnetic Fields. I do like a few of their songs, but most of them leave me unmoved. I did find it interesting that Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) plays music with Stephin Merritt and together they put out The Gothic Archies (music on the audiobooks). ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/14 "2006-12-20T20:03:28Z")
_sigh_ together they put out **The Tragic Treasury** (music **from** the audiobooks). ---
**Author:** ![zelie\_zelerton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/15 "2006-12-20T20:03:53Z")
\ The Beatles. \ It’s not that I _dis_like them. They are OK. Just…OK, you know? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/16 "2006-12-20T20:35:11Z")
[QUOTE=zelie zelerton] \ The Beatles. \ It’s not that I _dis_like them. They are OK. Just…OK, you know? [/QUOTE] You know this is going to turn into one long discussion about the Fab Four, now, right? (psst, you know they loved Hitler? And Lennon read a book on Marx? And boy was Marx sore!) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/17 "2006-12-20T20:51:01Z")
Tom Waits. I _get_ Tom Waits. A few things that he’s done, I liked. But on the whole…I can’t get in to Tom Waits. It makes me feel very … stupid. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/18 "2006-12-20T20:56:00Z")
I’ve tried numerous times over the years to get into these artists, but failed to grasp the greatness beyond a handful of songs: Bob Dylan The Grateful Dead Janis Joplin The Allman Brothers Band Lynyrd Skynyrd J. Geils Band Jefferson Airplane Santana Genesis Journey REO Speedwagon Van Hagar Black Sabbath Ozzy The Sex Pistols …I could go on, but I’ll quit there. All of those people are very famous and well-regarded by lots of folks, but I’m not getting it, or hearing it. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/19 "2006-12-20T21:29:48Z")
Oddly enough, the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the thread title, before even reading it, was that while I love Neko Case’s solo efforts, and generally love power pop unconditionally, I simply can’t get into the first New Pornographers release. I keep putting into the middle of the pack in the 6-disc changer in the car and trying it at different times in different moods, but it just hasn’t grabbed me. I don’t dislike it, but I’ve reached the conclusion that it’s just something I’m not going to get. The reviews I’ve read of the two newer releases make them sound appealing (as did the reviews of the first one), but I haven’t been sufficiently inspired to try out either of them. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932/20 "2006-12-20T21:47:31Z")
When I was about 8 years old my cousin introduced me to his KISS albums/posters. They sure looked cool. Monster make-up, pyrotechnics, coooool! Then he played me some of they’re music. Even at 8 years old I guess I was expecting something… heavier? The music just sounded way too wussy for a band that looked that cool. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-you-want-to-like-but-just-dont/384932.md?page=2)