Interactions with Random People About Music

[sonickteam2]

totally depends on the person for me.
 
 i generally say i like rock music, figuring thats close enough if someones just asking a casual question.  i'll get into it more if i actually plan on having a conversation for a while with them about it. i generally figure most of the time a random person asks me a question, they dont actually care too much about the answer.
 
 when asked my favourite band, i always reply with two, Radiohead and Velvet Underground, cause thats just the simple truth.

[xneverwherex]

i say the dandy warhols and get blank stares. usually with the response, 'the andy warhols?'. uhh NO the DANDY warhols. at least most of them know who andy warhol is - which is good - which leads to conversations about art.
 
 if i know the person is into movies - i can reference a few movies with their music in it, and they might act like they know the band.. perhaps they do?
 
 my favorite was when i was talking to a guy in a bar about music/fav bands. he said he didnt know who the dandy warhols were. somehow we started talking about freaks & geeks and then undeclared. and i say 'oh the theme song of undeclared is solid from the dandy warhols'. and naturally, he knew the song. judd apatow is quite the dandy warhols fan.

[Julian, Alleged Computer F**kface]

Originally posted by le sonick:
  when asked my favourite band, i always reply with two, Radiohead and Velvet Underground, cause thats just the simple truth.

Radiohead? I've never heard of them... are they a Pixies cover band or something?

[HoyaSaxa03]

Originally posted by vansmack:
  I say "My favorite band is U2."

have you had similar interactions with self-professed "music fans" who would have been in their 20s from 1980-1987 when U2 were (arguably, i guess) at their peak, and who reflexively refer to Bono as someone "their kids know" when talking about him involved in some kind of public policy situation?
 
 that really just gets my goat for some reason

[TheDirector217]

I don't really tend to discuss music with too many people, as I find a majority of humans are fuckin' idiots.  (That doesn't apply to a decent percentage of this board) Like the girl I went to Bonnaroo with that told me:
 
 "The White Stripes are far better than The Stones will ever be."
 
 Until that came out of her mouth, I was gonna let her take that magical ride up *ahem* Space Mountain once we got the tent set up.  Silence ensued in the vehicle all throughout the rest of VA.  Silly bitch.

[ratioci nation]

Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
  Question 2:   what do you say when people ask who your favorite band is?

whenever I say Guided By Voices people usually think  its a christian band and they get quiet, which is fine by me, my GBV shirt always gets lots of questions, especially while playing craps all night in vegas
 
 Dismemberment Plan shirt seems to freak people out as well i guess

[bearman🐻]

I get the biggest glares if I ever wear my Inspiral Carpets "Cool as Fuck" shirt or my Ned's Atomic Dustbing "Did you miss Ned's?" on the front and the "then you FUCKED UP" on the back. I couldn't really care less though, I try not to wear them during daylight hours when I'm more likely to run into small kids.
 
 I usually just tell people that I'm a music geek and try to listen to as many types of bands as possible. I explain that I like everything from quiet acoustic folk stuff (Elliott Smith) to more electronic-based dance (Daft Punk) to hardcore punk (Minor Threat) to classic rock (AC/DC, the Who) to more "modern" rock (PJ Harvey). If they are polite they'll just mutter something like "cool", but on occasion people get more interested, especially when I tell them that I've been to over 500 shows and that I've been keeping a concert log from day one. They think I'm nuts, but they're intrigued because most people probably go to one concert a year, if that.

[Brian_Wallace]

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
  I don't really tend to discuss music with too many people, as I find a majority of humans are fuckin' idiots.  (That doesn't apply to a decent percentage of this board) Like the girl I went to Bonnaroo with that told me:
 
 "The White Stripes are far better than The Stones will ever be."
 
 Until that came out of her mouth, I was gonna let her take that magical ride up *ahem* Space Mountain once we got the tent set up.  Silence ensued in the vehicle all throughout the rest of VA.  Silly bitch.

But what she said was SO TRUE!  YOU MESSED UP, DIRECTOR!  The Stripes were lethal in Delaware and fantastic in Virginia a couple of weeks ago. She may be the perfect woman if she loves the White Stripes and thinks they are better than the Stones (which they are.  The Stones were big, in what, the 1930's?  Do you read Rolling Stone magazine a lot, Director?)
 
 You denied her a night of magic because she just happened to live in 2007?  And SHE's the "silly b....?"
 
 Brian
 
 P.S.  Seriously, what's her number?

[TheDirector217]

Originally posted by Brian Wallace:
   

Originally posted by TheDirector217:
  I don't really tend to discuss music with too many people, as I find a majority of humans are fuckin' idiots.  (That doesn't apply to a decent percentage of this board) Like the girl I went to Bonnaroo with that told me:
 
 "The White Stripes are far better than The Stones will ever be."
 
 Until that came out of her mouth, I was gonna let her take that magical ride up *ahem* Space Mountain once we got the tent set up.  Silence ensued in the vehicle all throughout the rest of VA.  Silly bitch.

But what she said was SO TRUE!  YOU MESSED UP, DIRECTOR!  The Stripes were lethal in Delaware and fantastic in Virginia a couple of weeks ago. She may be the perfect woman if she loves the White Stripes and thinks they are better than the Stones (which they are.  The Stones were big, in what, the 1930's?  Do you read Rolling Stone magazine a lot, Director?)
 
 You denied her a night of magic because she just happened to live in 2007?  And SHE's the "silly b....?"
 
 Brian
 
 P.S.  Seriously, what's her number? [/b]

Trust me. You don't want that in your life.  She's about as stable as kryptonite. I'm a huge White Stripes fan by the way.  But as far White Stripes > Stones (this was an overall, not current comparison):
 
 *crickets chirping*

[sonickteam2]

comparing the stones to the stripes is stupid because its a WHOLE different time frame.
 
 and i dont know if anyone can actually compare because in order to do that, you'd have to really have a feel of the music landscape while both bands were at their peak and no one that has their finger truly on the pulse of 1968 has any idea of music today and vice versa.
 
  i'd vote for the Stripes though  

[bearman🐻]

Having now seen the White Stripes at what is arguably their peak, and going back and watching Mick and the boys at Madison Square Garden in 1969, there is no way in hell that Jack White is as brilliant as Keith Richards. Director, you did the right thing. Unfortunately, sometimes people don't care to do their homework. It's kind of like comparing apples and oranges, and it's unfair to compare the two bands. Jack has to put the energy of four people into one (since Meg is such a dud of a drummer), but still...the Stones playing "Sympathy for the Devil" or "Gimme Shelter" beats "Seven Nation Army" ANY DAY.

[bearman🐻]

PS -- Brian Wallace, you're missing out on a lot of great music because of your age prejudices towards older "dinosaur" rock. You'll find that a lot bands back in the day had to rely on actual songwriting and craft in their playing instead of using modern studio tricks to make great records. Do you listen to any music that came out in the last millennium? Just curious.

[SalParadise]

one might also miss out on a lot of good ass because of their prejudices against shania twain, chumbawumba and hardcore white stripes fans..

[sonickteam2]

can i just say you are all a bunch of SNOBS!
 
   really, you are , dont even try to deny it.

[Bombay Chutney]

I usually just say something like "I mostly like rock music, but I like a lot of different things."  That's all most people really want to know, unless they're looking to get into a real music conversation.  If that's the case, we get more specific as the conversation ensues.  Most people are looking for a generic answer - not a dissertation on why I think most music sucks or a lecture about the merits of obscure indie bands they've never heard of.
 
 Favorite band?  The Grateful Dead.  That's usually a good conversation starter.