And YOU seem to have a problem with Jeff Foxworthy. What of it?
I don’t say the OP is based on a “stupid” question, just that the question is IMPOSSIBLE to answer in any meaningful way. In all likelihood, NOBODY in ANY field of endeavor is “universally admired” or “universally” liked by his peers. Can you think of anybody at YOUR workplace who’s admired and like by EVERYBODY? I doubt it. Now, multiply the number of people at your workplace by several thousand, and tell me the likelihood that ANYBODY is loved and admired by a bare majority of music insiders, let along the VAST majority? In any case, has anyone her taken a survey of music insiders? Or are we just engaging in show biz gossip? (“I hear EVERYBODY loves the Ramones.” “Oh yeah? I hear real punks think the Ramones were sellouts!”)
Hey, I enjoy juicy show biz gossip as much as the next guy, but let’s not pretend this thread is providing anything more than that.
It has nothing to do with that at all and everything to do with the fact that I doubt many people would imagine that a gangsta rapper like Tupac would enjoy the music of someone like Sarah Maclachlan
That’s why he was worth making a movie about. As a general rule, I’ve found most musicians have wider ranging tastes than most of their fans. I have no doubt Sarah MacLachlan enjoys some gangsta rap. I know for a fact that Kate Bush has wide and varied tastes.
Yes, I’m sure that’s true. Tupac did come off as a rather intelligent, well-read individual and I’m sure he was interested in plenty of music outside of his own genre. It’s not so much unbelievable as it is surprising. I mean, could you imagine Tupac and Suge Knight smoking a blunt and singing along to “Building a Mystery?” Or Sarah herself wrapping a doo-rag around her head and singing along to “Hit 'Em Up?” It certainly isn’t beyond the realm of possibility, but just odd to think about.
Watch the clip. Tupac’s favorite Kate Bush song was her beloved but deeply eccentric hit “Wuthering Heights”.
As for Sarah, I saw her first American tour (she played Chicago’s tiny Schuba’s - a 100 seat venue) and she started out a lot more interesting and varied than she ended up.
That not only would have been surprising, it would have been unbelievable, considering that Tupac was killed in 1996, and Surfacing, the “Building A Mystery” album, came out in 1997.
Sarah’s interesting period, IMO, came between 1988 and 1993, with the albums Touch, Solace (especially Solace, a downright bizarre album) and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Not that she wasn’t still pretty wonderful after FTE, but she sort of settled down into more normalcy and didn’t seem to experiment so much anymore. I might have missed something somewhere along the way because I went from being a HUGE HUGE fan from 1988 (I think I was the first person to play Sarah on American radio) to only casually following her after Surfacing, so I don’t claim expertise post-FTE. In any case, from what I gather, Tupac liked Sarah’s 1988-1993 output, which is understandable. I really do not like gangsta rap, but I tip my hat to Tupac’s fine taste in other music.
Pete Seeger is respected by many as a political activist. I don’t know many who think he’s a great musician. His half-brother Mike has contributed much more musically than Pete has.
I have a friend who hates The Replacements. I don’t know why. And Steve Albini certainly wasn’t a fan. I could be wrong but I think Husker Du is generally more respected and liked.
What about Kirsty Maccoll? I’ve heard nothing but respect for her.
Yep, the Talking Heads are another “musician’s band” but they (in addition to being universally respected by other performers) also had a bit of well deserved mainstream success as well…
Re: The OP - Joni Mitchell? Don’t know much about her personality, but she seems damn near worshipped by enormous variety of folks. Royalty in an Aretha Franklin sort of way.
I care because I find it sort of interesting. Not earth-shaking, but interesting. One sometimes gets a “vibe” about an entertainer based on a connection to their work and I always find it interesting when it is confirmed or denied. I figure both happen with about equal frequency - someone’s work turns out to be a poor indicator of character, really. Which is no great revelation, but I find it interesting since it is human to relate emotionally to great art.
As a trenchant example, I was really quite interested in the recent Joe Strummer documentary. Turns out he was intermittently a huge prick. He could also be generous and kind, rather a complex person all in all. But much more of a selfish and at times rather shallow, image-conscious jerk than I would have expected.
Change my opinion of his music? No, not really. Change my opinion of his person? Obviously, yes. Is that important? No, not really. But it is interesting IMHO.
I know some folks that are well-acquainted with Watt, including one who grew up with those guys and remains friends with him. By all accounts he is a good guy, but can be rather high maintenance and difficult at times. The fact that D. Boon and Watt were extremely tight, yet by all accounts fought like cats and dogs might speak to that. Both very intense guys it seems ( Hurley comes off as a little more laid back, relatively speaking ).
