# Why don't women like Pink Floyd? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 23, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464 "2010-03-23T13:00:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/81 "2010-03-24T02:26:43Z")
Women tend to dislike Pink Floyd for the same reason girls liked The Beatles’ early work but disliked their later stuff. As someone on the first page said, it’s got “guy music” written all over it. Next up: “Why did women outnumber men at Spice Girl concerts?” ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/82 "2010-03-24T03:01:50Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’m a female Floyd fan, as is my eighteen year old daughter, and I have never heard of this “girls don’t like Floyd” thing. I thought _everyone_ liked Pink Floyd. As did I. They’re my favorite band of all time (woman here)… I’ve only met a few people, like… _ever_, who don’t like Pink Floyd. I know they exist, I just haven’t met many of them. I never noticed a male majority, either. And yes, I’ve seen them in concert. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/83 "2010-03-24T03:07:01Z")
You women may not have heard about it, but I sure have. I have a bunch of guy friends who wear Pink Floyd shirts, never seen a girl wear a Pink Floyd shirt. Obviously, my anecdotal evidence regarding shirt preference is definitive. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/84 "2010-03-24T03:39:58Z")
I’m female and I was never into jumping up and down and screaming at concerts. Among my group of peers that would have been very unkewl, indeed. We affected the laidback 'tude. I didn’t care for PF when they first appeared on the scene. Music did a swift change about that time and I had difficulty making the leap. Their music seemed pretentious and gimmicky to me. When my son was in his teens he listened to a lot of Pink Floyd and I was reintroduced to the band through him. Having something in common was a pretty good thing while he was going through his teen stuff. He even gave me my first PF CD. Now I enjoy them as much as I did when I first began to like them. And who says Gilmour isn’t swooning material? He looks fit and plays with style. Something about survival is pretty attractive to me. (He is still alive isn’t he? 😉 ) Incidently I’ve always thought of PF as progressive rock, also, but the current Wiki article calls their music "psych (adelic?) folk. And I think that’s a pretty good moniker. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/85 "2010-03-24T04:51:53Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > You women may not have heard about it, but I sure have. I have a bunch of guy friends who wear Pink Floyd shirts, never seen a girl wear a Pink Floyd shirt. Obviously, my anecdotal evidence regarding shirt preference is definitive. LOL. I have about 10 Pink Floyd T-shirts… I am usually wearing a PF shirt at least 4-5 days out of 7 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/86 "2010-03-24T05:49:11Z")
> [@nyctea scandiaca](#): > > LOL. I have about 10 Pink Floyd T-shirts… I am usually wearing a PF shirt at least 4-5 days out of 7 😃 Come down to Phoenix and wear 'em and I might reevaluate my evidence. Until then, my stance is unchanged! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/87 "2010-03-24T08:11:12Z")
One of my former students turned me on to Pink Floyd many years ago. Gee I’m glad he took a chance that I might not fit some stupid stereotype. I have about sixty-five years of loving music inside of me. But there’s not much that beats Clare Tory’s “Great Gig In the Sky.” That is the most soulful piece I’ve ever heard. You think women don’t feel that way? You are _wrong_. You are so _wrong_. > [@](#): > > **HorseloverFat** : If you dont know the gear and the personalities as well as the music then you’re not really a fan. If you cant get into a 3am stoner argument about Barret-era Floyd vs Gilmoure era floyd then many would not consider you a real fan. If you’ve never gone out at midnight on a cool night when the moon was almost full, put the top down on the car and taken to the highway with “Great Gig In the Sky” playing again and again, I would not consider you a real fan. I am a fan of the _music_. To hell with the rest of it! Do any of you know what I mean when I talk about walking around inside the music? > [@](#): > > Theyre also presented from a male perspective, ie Pink’s relationship problems with women, son/mother relationship, growing up as a boy, etc. EVERYTHING is presented from a male perspective. Look at the top 100 films of all time, the great novels, the political scene, the Straight Dope itself – most of it is from a male perspective. We are used to it. We can identify with male protagonists much better than males identify with female lead characters. “I am not afraid of dying…” > [@](#): > > **tdn** : But Floyd is not only meant for private headphones listening, but the content is usually about isolation. No wonder it appeals more to men. You make me want to throw my Bose headphones at the wall. _Why_ do you think men feel isolated more than women? Are you familiar with this song? [At Seventeen](http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/educators/lessons/selfimage2/atseventeen_lyrics.html) Are you all old enough to remember when PF played when the Berlin Wall came down? ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/88 "2010-03-24T08:26:32Z")
To quote **Zoe** - “I have about sixty-five years of loving music inside of me. But there’s not much that beats Clare Tory’s “Great Gig In the Sky.” That is the most soulful piece I’ve ever heard. You think women don’t feel that way? You are wrong. You are so wrong” I asked my wife (huge floyd fan) about naming our daughter Clare tory and was shot down. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/89 "2010-03-24T09:15:36Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > That is the most soulful piece I’ve ever heard. You think women don’t feel that way? You are _wrong_. You are so _wrong_. Wrong about what? Are you asserting that the Pink Floyd fanbase is 50/50 men/women? If you are, you are _wrong_. You are _so wrong_. If you’re simply asserting that it’s possible for women to enjoy Pink Floyd, well, duh. Nobody ever thought any differently. We’re discussing the fact that even though it’s _possible_ for women to be Pink Floyd fans, as a general rule they _aren’t_. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/90 "2010-03-24T11:58:10Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > You women may not have heard about it, but I sure have. I have a bunch of guy friends who wear Pink Floyd shirts, never seen a girl wear a Pink Floyd shirt. Obviously, my anecdotal evidence regarding shirt preference is definitive. You got me there, I don’t currently own a PF T-shirt. Mine is a Roger Waters shirt from his In the Flesh tour. ETA: Here I am wearing it: [Lilith5 | vamdpa42 | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/45215582@N06/4153786150/) ---
**Author:** ![Revixit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Revixit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revixit)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/91 "2010-03-24T12:05:32Z")
> [@HorseloverFat](#): > > Quoting myself because its easier, but are there any concept albums with a female main character or from a female perspective? It doesnt seem like the the format is welcoming to women. > > I also think the kind of single-minded obsession and competition (see my bits about being a real fan, outdoing your pals on band trivia, etc) are a young man’s game. Jucifer’s “L’Autrichienne” is a concept album about Marie Antoinette, who was called “L’Autrichienne” by the French to deride her Austrian birth, and the French Revolution. She was female, of course. The songwriter/singer/guitarist G. Amber Valentine is female so presumably her perspective is female, _whatever that means._ Amber is a kick ass guitarist and assembles her multitude of amps and other equipment on stage. She also loads it all after a show. But she’s not at all masculine in appearance or demeanor, despite her take-charge approach to her music. Jucifer has a sound that is anything but girly, can’t be described well, has to be heard. They’ve been compared to a lot of other bands, the Melvins, P.J. Harvey, Black Sabbath, Portishead, to name a few, but IMO they’re _sui generis_. I agree that males and females tend to approach being fans in different ways but am not sure their musical \*tastes \*differ as much as the OP asserts. As a woman who came of age in the mid-late Sixties, I remember a burning question in the winter of 1964 was “Who is your favorite Beatle?” In “Still Life with Woodpecker,” Tom Robbins wrote that the answer to that question, from a baby boomer, was probably more indicative of their personality type than any psychological test. Mine was John Lennon, because he was intelligent and witty. Other girls would say “But he’s _married_”, as if they were ever going to meet their favorite single Beatle and have a relationship with him. I didn’t have those kinds of dreams about guys in bands, movie stars, etc. It wasn’t that I didn’t have an opinion about who was hot and who was not, it was just that I recognized that they were distant beings. Eye candy is nice but you can’t eat it. And the music mattered the most. In short, I chose my favorite Beatle the way boys chose theirs and wasn’t interested in talking about which one was cuter. I was equally bored with some guys’ conversations about their sound systems or about what effect pedal was being used in a particular part of a sound. Play the damned music and let’s listen to it and not analyze it to death. We can dance if you want to. I’m a very analytical thinker but analyzing pleasure doesn’t interest me. That doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t analyze music or artwork or books, but generally my foremost interest is in enjoying them. My musical tastes are eclectic and, yes, I like Pink Floyd. No one would have had to drag me to their show. I don’t insist that music must be good to dance to. Yet I am a woman. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/92 "2010-03-24T12:44:07Z")
I don’t know; I’m a woman and I love Pink Floyd. Why is it that, just because the OP’s wife doesn’t like Pink Floyd, that he must necessarily generalize to assert that all women don’t like Pink Floyd? Since when does that make any sense? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/93 "2010-03-24T12:50:30Z")
> [@campp](#): > > I know I’m generalizing, but it has seemed to me that women are NOT fans of the Floyd. I’ve met exactly one women in almost 40 years who really dug them, but other than that, no, never. The few times I saw them live in the 1970s, none of my friends could get a date for it. So, we went alone, a bunch of guys in a row, and it was fine anyway. 🆒 > > My wife cannot stand them, and she is a deep blues lover and hard rocker. I don’t get it. I don’t get it either. I enjoy Pink Floyd, Yes, Rush, The Moody Blues, EL&P, Jethro Tull, etc. I like prog rock. I’m also into Led Zeppelin, the Doors, Queen, etc. I love the blues and hard rock. The first concert I ever went to on my own was Buddy Guy. I can’t see how this is all that unique. I know lots of women who enjoy music like this. Woman. Aged 39. Married. Am I missing the point, too? ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/94 "2010-03-24T12:51:31Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > I don’t know; I’m a woman and I love Pink Floyd. > > Why is it that, just because the OP’s wife doesn’t like Pink Floyd, that he must necessarily generalize to assert that all women don’t like Pink Floyd? Since when does that make any sense? :dubious: Well, it doesn’t, precisely because that is not what I said. I said “it SEEMS to me…” as an observation, not an assertive generalization. I threw in my wife’s taste because as a couple, our musical tastes are extremely close. I was puzzled, not generalizing. Geez, people, this thread is nuts! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/95 "2010-03-24T12:58:52Z")
I loved Pink Floyd in the 70’s but like a well worn toy have put them on a shelf. I don’t know about any other women but The Wall was about a kid who hated his Mother and today I don’t need to hear that. I prefer their earlier stuff. It also reminds me of being a gawky teenager somehow? All 70’s music does. I like all kinds of different music today and am trying hard to find new music to keep me current. I like to listen to World Cafe. I don’t want to get stuck in a time warp. Taking are of the elderly for the most part is great but to watch them cling to the past is difficult. At some point they stop growing and just keep reliving the old. One of my clients still watches Lawrence Welk and the other only watches circa 1940’s movies. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/96 "2010-03-24T13:06:00Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > _Why_ do you think men feel isolated more than women? It’s not so much that men feel more isolated, but more like we’re more comfortable with isolation. I’ve been reading a lot lately about gender differences, and it’s fascinating stuff. It explains so much. It explains why women can listen to music, carry on a heart-felt conversation, do a crossword puzzle, and read a recipe at the same time. When I’m reading a recipe, I take the attitude of “Get the hell out of my kitchen or someone’s losing a finger.” For me (and I suspect a lot of men) enjoyment of music is a solitary persuit. It’s not a social activity. Of course, I’m sure that there are a lot of women who feel the same way, but I suspect that as a general trend, women enjoy music more as a way of connecting to others emotionally while men enjoy it as a sort of adventure in turning inwards. Disclaimer: I’m not fascinated by gender differences because I want to “put women in their place” or shoehorn anyone or oppress. I’m interested in it because I want to open up channels of communication and understanding. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/97 "2010-03-24T13:10:27Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Geez, people, this thread is nuts! :smack: No kidding. Some people are taking your observation as a personal attack. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/98 "2010-03-24T13:21:58Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > It’s not so much that men feel more isolated, but more like we’re more comfortable with isolation. I’ve been reading a lot lately about gender differences, and it’s fascinating stuff. It explains so much. It explains why women can listen to music, carry on a heart-felt conversation, do a crossword puzzle, and read a recipe at the same time. When I’m reading a recipe, I take the attitude of “Get the hell out of my kitchen or someone’s losing a finger.” > > For me (and I suspect a lot of men) enjoyment of music is a solitary persuit. It’s not a social activity. Of course, I’m sure that there are a lot of women who feel the same way, but I suspect that as a general trend, women enjoy music more as a way of connecting to others emotionally while men enjoy it as a sort of adventure in turning inwards. > > Disclaimer: I’m not fascinated by gender differences because I want to “put women in their place” or shoehorn anyone or oppress. I’m interested in it because I want to open up channels of communication and understanding. Excellent observations and a damned shame that you even have to have a disclaimer, but that’s the board we live at. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/99 "2010-03-24T13:25:56Z")
> [@nyctea scandiaca](#): > > LOL. I have about 10 Pink Floyd T-shirts… I am usually wearing a PF shirt at least 4-5 days out of 7 😃 How I wish you were here. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464/100 "2010-03-24T13:29:57Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Excellent observations Thank you! I’m reading a great book called _Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps_. It’s very informative as well as funny. I wish I’d read it a couple of years earlier. It would have saved me from a nasty argument with a girlfriend. > [@](#): > > and a damned shame that you even have to have a disclaimer, but that’s the board we live at. Yeah, I know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-women-like-pink-floyd/533464.md?page=6)