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Is the Barbelith Music Forum in a coma?

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13:56 / 22.03.06

most threads are like this: name of band, why I like the band, no you're wrong, band is teh awesome, band is teh suck.

That's exactly why I started the Farm thread, as an example of that phenomenon and a place to discuss it in the forum itself. I was hoping people would shout me down saying talking about music is fun and great and useful, but in fact nobody cares. If there were a 'how to write about music' thread I reckon it would die pretty quick. Which is a shame.

14:19 / 22.03.06

Ladyflowers: post the damn song and talk about the first time you heard it.

09:48 / 17.05.06

So how do people feel it's going at the moment? There's been some good threads started and some interesting debate but I still get a sense that not many people are reading it or being that bothered about contributing.

I must add I'm still surprised by the comments upthread that people feel they can't contribute due to a lack of vocabulary or whatever. I find Music the easiest forum on Barbelith to post on - which is not to say that I post there without thought (or passion), but my posts there do seem to trip off my tounge.

Thoughts?

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:00 / 17.05.06

How do I think it's going... well, it's better than it was a fortnight or so ago but still not as good as it could/should be. I agree entirely with Illmatic about the vocabulary thing - I don't know why people find it harder to say "I like it, and this is why" than they do in Comics or Film/TV. And "this is why" might just be something very simple about how it makes you want to dance or cry, or about how your favourite bit is the bassline or the way the vocalist delivers a certain line...

Haus of Mystery

11:53 / 17.05.06

I'd love to be posting more there at the moment, as I've been listening to some great shit at the mo, but the c***ing Brighton Festival is ensuring nice 70 hour weeks for me. Normal service will resume in June...

Regrettable Juvenilia

12:16 / 17.05.06

Can I suggest an experiment, and see what people think?

We temporarily lock this thread, for perhaps a fortnight, and see whether what I'd like to see happen - for everybody who has been listening to X to start or bump a thread about X, and thus make the Music Forum more lively - happens.

13:15 / 17.05.06

Go for it. But I think you need to post one last qualifying post, explaining why and what you'd like people to do.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

13:51 / 17.05.06

Yeah, otherwise music mods'll have a bastard of a time explaining each and every time why they're locking the NEW "WAYLT" thread.

Good idea, though. Give it a shot.

14:38 / 17.05.06

That is a good idea.
And I promise that I’ll start a thread on one of the dreadfully uncool bands I’ve been listening to, and to hell with the head-desking. You quite literally asked for it.

16:24 / 17.05.06

It's defeinitely a good idea - one of the reasons I was a bit iffy about us having a general "what videogames" thread in G&G was because I was worried it'd provide an easy out for people to make passing mention about stuff without ever allowing the space for that to then develop into a full-on discussion. And that has happened, to an extent, although not as much as I thought it might.

23:58 / 17.05.06

I think by vocabulary, posters mean that they can't put it in better words than Flyboy's or Flux's or whoever's eloquent and very informative insights into the music.

Although I tried with a thread on Daft Punk that received only one reply, I'm going to take Flyboy's recommendation and start some threads on bands I'm listening to.

00:48 / 18.05.06

Well, I'm not really sure you can compare music to comics, films or television like that, because music affects us in a different way. For example, music is the only branch of the arts that can *physically* move me. I've never seen a ballet and found myself involuntarily pirouetting around. Similarly, I've never been tormented by a catchy drawing that I just can't get out of my head; I've never woken up reciting a loop of film dialogue.
Personally, I find it more difficult to talk about music than about other bits of culture because music has a less rational, less intellectual, less describable effect on me.
But, yeah, the intimidating company too.

I am going to try harder.

09:31 / 18.05.06

Won't we just end up with lots of short threads? Not that I mind that of course (I love starting threads) but it might just be the apparence of busyness.

Regrettable Juvenilia

09:35 / 18.05.06

All threads start as short threads.

MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!

16:21 / 18.05.06

Well, I just jumped in with both feet to make a case for Billy Joel. I might have set myself up for the Newbie Smackdown, but at least I'm in there swinging.

17:31 / 18.05.06

At least the forum is moving. There's been quite a bit of activity. Of the two threads I started, one has generated a smidge of debate and some criticism. This is good. The other one, more to the 'lith's tastes, I assumed, has been fully ignored. I assume that I incorrectly assumed the 'lith's tastes. To be specific, I thought a thread about The Decemberists would fare much better than a thread about a new style of punk and metal.

19:04 / 18.05.06

It's really sprung into life in the last 48 hours, great stuff. One of the best things about this for me is that it gets me listening to new stuff as well as getting excited about old stuff again. I've dug out some reggae bits I haven't listened to for years after mentioning on the forum. Hope it continues.

08:07 / 19.05.06

If it does I might move the same for Books - the 'what are you currently reading thread' is possibly even more of a factor in the lack of new threads there.

Regrettable Juvenilia

09:54 / 19.05.06

You know what's funny?

I haven't actually locked that thread yet. Suggesting it seems to have done the trick. That's awesome.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

11:43 / 19.05.06

Now that's magic.

Regrettable Juvenilia

15:47 / 21.05.06

Okay... so the Music forum is going great guns at the moment and so it feels almost churlish to raise this issue, but this thread, while it begins with a great first post, really doesn't need those letters in the title - it's about an album, not a song, for one thing - and frankly I think having "STMTCG" in the title is just going to confuse new people. I would strongly argue that all the things that might make it qualify as a "STMTCG" thread (and I'm not liking that name any more with time - which country?) are things which the majority of Music forum threads should aspire to - relatively long and informative first post, inclusion of an MP3. Thoughts?

17:26 / 21.05.06

What *does* that acronym stand for?

17:35 / 21.05.06

Dude, where the hell have you been?

10:24 / 23.05.06

I think the music forum is alright, always has been. Obviously it's been going better since I started bunging a few more in there

.

I have no problem with blipvert "yeah, like dat" comments cos it leavens the bread a little.

If it goes like the ILM bitchfest then I'll stop posting. Same as if it goes too far in the way of the arrogant put-downs and near-poisonous, attacking rhetoric of some of the other forums; but then Barbelith quite likes being bad tempered...

ONLY NICE THINGS

10:29 / 23.05.06

Can't imagine why.

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:17 / 23.05.06

Same as if it goes too far in the way of the arrogant put-downs and near-poisonous, attacking rhetoric of some of the other forums

Yeah, I found Dissensus really off-putting too after a while.

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:36 / 23.05.06

Alternatively, 2stepfan, if you're talking about other fora within Barbelith itself, perhaps you should start a new thread or find a suitable existing thread in the Policy in which to raise your concerns?

20:30 / 23.05.06

Yeah, I mean other Barbelith fora. I hope and expect that Dissensus will return to its customary friendliness when the downswing after Beltane is concluded

.

I wouldn't want to make a big deal out of the way Barbelith culture is quite aggressive and caustic at times - it seems to me that it's always been than way. Like I say, I think people like it like that. I imagine it puts some people off though.

But back on topic, the music forum is ace! You can talk about Lionel Richie and classical music and stuff like that as well as the sort of "cool dance music" I usually like to talk about. It's refreshing.

20:33 / 23.05.06

And, errr, I dunno what Haus means by that.

ONLY NICE THINGS

21:12 / 23.05.06

Well, consider what you'd think if I were to tell all your mates that they were practitioners of arrogant put-downs and near-poisonous, attacking rhetoric, and then mused if they acted up that they seemed to enjoy being bad-tempered. Might you think that it was hardly surprising that they were bad-tempered? I'm just sayin'.

Tryphena Absent

21:27 / 23.05.06

2stepfan, I'm quite curious about which fora you perceive in that way and would really appreciate it if you would talk about it in another thread (or via PM if you'd prefer it not to be a public discussion). The perception of certain areas of the board as aggressive is interesting to me as I don't think any of them are fundamentally aggressive- apart from Policy and that's because it's only about barbelith and hashing it out.

22:32 / 23.05.06

I'd be worried if anyone thought even the Policy was aggressive, in any sense other than vigorous.

07:09 / 24.05.06

Ouch.

Haus, I'm not telling "all my mates" they're arrogant. I'm commenting that my perception is that the music forum is less prone to attacking style than some of the other fora here. The bad temper I alluded to is not a reaction to my statement, it is, I think, already a significant part of Barbelith. And Haus, mate, you are a little bit confirming my perception of Barbelith being "bad tempered". Not that you aren't a fantastic and valuable contributor to Barbeculture and all that, but that comment was a bit uncalled for...

To answer Anna's question, Forums I scarcely dare poke my nose in for fear of having it ripped off are principally Head Shop and Switchboard, which is a shame because there's clearly vast amounts of knowledge there; Laboratory slightly less so; the others I visit less frequently so wouldn't comment. I don't perceive Policy to be argumentative; quite the reverse, it seems most compassionate. The anger there is usually amply justified (apart from when it comes from one of the trolls being ejected!).

Look, Barbelith is what it is; I accept it as it is and don't necessarily seek to change it. But my perception is that part of Barbelith's make-up is a cetain bad-tempered causticity, and I think it's not unreasonable to comment on that in passing. I suspect this may influence Barbelith's occasional sclerosis; I dunno.

Back on topic, big up Flyboy for the excellent pastoral care of the music forum.

ONLY NICE THINGS

07:20 / 24.05.06

Haus, I'm not telling "all my mates" they're arrogant.

No, dude. I'm telling all your mates that they're arrogant. I'm telling all your mates that they are near-poisonous. I'm telling your mates that they are practitioners of attacking rhetoric. Follow me so far?

Now, your mates are getting a bit angry at this. I am now claiming that your mates enjoy being bad-tempered.

Now I am taking this as proof not that I might have done or said something to upset your mates, but that their behaviiour is a little bit confirming my perception of 2stepfan's mates being "bad tempered". I can't see why their reaction was called for.

Following me?

09:38 / 24.05.06

I think the forum's a bit quiet because it's that nasty yellowy colour.

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