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Underground > Radio & Music >

'Cool' music you shamelessly PRETEND to like... to avoid peer group ostracism

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Ganesh

21:12 / 28.07.01

Yes, another of these faintly pointless Music threads, complete with tortuous title (at least some of which really SHOULD be in upper-case).

This, to me, seems far more shameful than all the pathetic, supposedly 'uncool' stuff we 'disclose' in faux-embarrassed pose, merely so someone else will say "Oh no, X is really cool". I don't think I've actually done it as 'Ganesh', but in another fictionsuit, I pretended familiarity with the work of Doctor Octagon (is that right?) in order to fit in with the endless lists of (presumably 'cool') stuff I've never heard of. I also affected to like Diamanda Galas: I have actually heard some of her stuff, but can't stand it.

So... dish the real dirt, people. What have you pretended to know/like in order to avoid pointing and laughing from hipper-than-thou Barbeloids?

21:34 / 28.07.01

not to impress Barbelithers, but when I was about 15, i think, i raved endlessly to the boy who worked at the local indie music store about Sonic Youth so he would think i was cool - when really, i'd never heard any of their music. he was cute enough to justify it. although i am still embarrassed to have complained to him that a lot of people who claimed to like sonic youth really hadn't even heard the band, and just said they liked them to try to sound cool. anyway i never shagged him so it was all pointless. boo fucking hoo.

uncle retrospective

10:19 / 29.07.01

Not to sound like I'm trying to be really cool but I don't fake liking music. i was always the one in my group of friends to by the CD's so I never ha

I lie I once pretended to be into Minor Threat so a friend would stop trying to convert me.

Normaly as I'm an obnoxious bastard I delight in telling my friends their dodgy taste in music is just that.

Fucking Sting, why I oughta...

Ganesh

10:42 / 29.07.01

That's quite enough of that. We'll have no quick 'n' easy descent into slagging off 'uncool' music here, young man...

Expanding things outwith the rarefied hothouse atmosphere of Barbelith, I've frequently discussed 'music as cultural phenomenon' with fellow middle-class pseuds, on the basis of having read the review alone. That's sadder than any Sting 'best of'...

uncle retrospective

11:49 / 29.07.01

quote:Originally posted by Ganesh:
That's quite enough of that. We'll have no quick 'n' easy descent into slagging off 'uncool' music here, young man...

Scraches back of neck and looks sheepishly at the ground..
sorry dad...

Jack The Bodiless

12:16 / 29.07.01

He's not just your dad. He's The Daddy.

uncle retrospective

12:36 / 29.07.01

quote:Originally posted by Jack The Magic Dragon:
He's not just your dad. He's The Daddy.

For some reason I feel violated.

[ 29-07-2001: Message edited by: uncle retrospective ]

Regrettable Juvenilia

07:52 / 30.07.01

It's not so much that I pretend to like music I don't like, but I do often and quite shamelessly:

a) pretend to have been into bands I've only just discovered for aaaaages - I don't lie exactly, I just let that impression be given...

b) pretend to be massively into bands and know how great they are when I've only heard one song, or sometimes, even more naughtily, no songs... eg "The White Stripes? Fantastic! Cannibal Ox? The future of rap..."

08:09 / 30.07.01

What's worse than pretending to like music is disowning music or artists that you've liked for ages when they become fashionable. A friend of mine loved Badly Drawn Boy; all the gigs, eps etc. Then, when he won the Mercury Music Prize and was interviewed in Q, she pretended that she'd never really liked him. The shallow nature of style...

...why do we begrudge the success of those we admire?

Fengs for the Memory

10:52 / 30.07.01

Not so pretended to like more - struggled with, Rap, Hip-hop, after months of listening to various friends collections. Had to own up that I hated it with all my being.
Except for the Beastie Boys.

z3r0

11:56 / 30.07.01

I pretended to like Bjork for a while, then I got tired. Her lyrics suck.

12:15 / 30.07.01

I just shy away from expressing my true feelings on artists I hate. Saves heartache, because a lot of my friends can't handle differing opinions - as if having £12.99 spare one week makes them Kitty Empire.

But I don't pretend to like them - I usually just shrug and say something non-commital.

12:46 / 30.07.01

quote: "The White Stripes? Fantastic! Cannibal Ox? The future of rap..."

My friend - I'm going to post something that will force you to get the Cannibal Ox album.

They sample Optimus Prime's death scene from Transformers the Movie! "I fear the wounds are...fatal."

Plus it's by far the best album of the year so far. Hooray!

[ 30-07-2001: Message edited by: expressionless ]

Kali, Queen of Kitteh

12:46 / 30.07.01

I don't pretend to like anybody. At the most, I'll just nod and say, "Well, that's cool. Me, I don't really like him much..." And then I hope I won't be exposed to one of those overeager half-pissed, half-startled tirades people are prone to having when you don't agree with them.

08:16 / 31.07.01

quote:Originally posted by expressionless:

My friend - I'm going to post something that will force you to get the Cannibal Ox album.

They sample Optimus Prime's death scene from Transformers the Movie! "I fear the wounds are...fatal."

Plus it's by far the best album of the year so far. Hooray!

Everybody's sampling transformers! I've heard about three tracks in the last month..

If they don't stop, it's going to be passe in about a month, which would be a huge shame, cos it's a cool-as-fuck thing to do.

Oh yeah, and the White Stripes ARE fantastic .. it's hard to say why exactly, as their music is about as relevant to our modern world as Leadbelly, but it's just so fucking good!

08:39 / 31.07.01

Pretend! To like music? Erm. No.

I do buy albums just because I like the Band Name, the cover or the title of one of the songs... sometimes it's been a mistake sometimes I've discovered things I really like.... Um... on was an album by Small Change, which is just a load weird noises, same with ..and after that it's all gravy...

I'll always give music ago. I do grumble when an obscure band I like becomes famous - mainly because then they only play arenas and places like that and it's kind of nice to stand in crowd watching ths support band turn around and walk into someone lik Luke Haines etc on the way to the bar... it's nice when you can approach them..

14:13 / 31.07.01

quote: Everybody's sampling transformers! I've heard about three tracks in the last month..

Who else? I MUST know!

Ganesh

19:06 / 31.07.01

Tt. Rotters.

21:21 / 31.07.01

quote:Originally posted by Opalfruit:

I do buy albums just because I like the Band Name, the cover or the title of one of the songs... sometimes it's been a mistake sometimes I've discovered things I really like

Yeah, that's one of my favourite hobbies and it always pays off.

That's how I discovered And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Dawn of the Replicants, The Dillinger Escape Plan and other stuff besides..

I'm a sucker for a band with a cool name.

Anyway, Transformers Records:

Firstly, there's 'Decepticon' by Le Tigre which, if it doesn't actually sample Transformers, certainly mentions them.

Then there's the new single by D-Stroy(?) out of the Arsonists which is based around a sample of "Autobots Roll Out!" and features lots of Transformers related lyrics too.

And there was some anonymous techno track which John Peel played recently that had a few vocal samples and - brilliantly - that "da-da-da-da-daaah" jingle that used to be played in the cartoon whenever the scene changed.

jUne, a sunshiny month

14:03 / 01.08.01

quote: Expressionless said :
My friend - I'm going to post something that will force you to get the Cannibal Ox album.
They sample Optimus Prime's death scene from Transformers the Movie! "I fear the wounds are...fatal."
Plus it's by far the best album of the year so far. Hooray!

i agree with this, the Can Ox grab hip hop where others don't do it that much. there's massive important changement into hip hop scene for a while, but at the moment, the Ox did brilliant thing.

permanent Transformers cameo :
check Mike Ladd's "the Infesticons" (a prject with Co Flow -uh, see?-, antiPop Consortium, and many, many others) LP on the english label Big Dada (home of the Roots Manuva new album, which is brilliant too! in other style).

and no, i dig what i dig, and i don't fuck with playin with moving from some point of view to another. i like to tell how much i like what i like, and how much other things suck too, (that's my real problem : i attend to think and tell that what i listen is great while the other sucks... bastard, i know...)
... and yes, bjork is fine, 5 minutes. after this, his tears give me nerves upside down.
period.

ynh

18:10 / 01.08.01

Ganesh, you brave soul. I actually like The Sporting Life, but am loathe to be critical of the rest of Galas's catalogue even though it apparently sucks. There are a few really bad albums I won't get rid of: Minor Threat, Bill Hicks...

If we expand this to stuff we got 'cause it was supposed to be cool... well, that knocks out about half of what I own. But I'm sure you'll forgive me for taking such chances when you learn my first CD's were Milli Vanilli, Def Leppard, Roxette, Dj Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince... you get the idea.

16:48 / 07.08.01

I pretended not to even *know* who Take That were, when I was 14 or so, just to be weird... does that count?

16:51 / 07.08.01

I love 'The Sporting Life' and 'Malediction and Prayer', but I've had a lot of trouble with the rest of the Diamanda Galas back catalog, especially Schrei X. But I have seen her in concert three times, and have a signed copy of said album...so I guess I must be a tiny bit cool, no? No? No?

Ganesh

18:36 / 11.08.01

Oh, come on. You forged the signature, didn't you?

Goodness Gracious Meme

20:00 / 11.08.01

ha, don't know how I missed this.

Have done a 'Jackie' a good few times, though not recently, I'd like to make clear.

Got into Depeche Mode at 13 becuase a friends' cool older brother had a DM t-shirt.

Talked myself into a corner raving about them ('dear diary, he noticed me, we talked for hours'... more like ten minutes, probably) and had to rush out and buy '101' and swot up. Of course, we never had another conversation about 'em. or another conversation, come to that!

Ganesh

20:12 / 11.08.01

Hmm, never really faked a 'musical appreciation' orgasm for the purposes of getting off with someone - but then, as I tend to prefer older gentlemen, they've typically been the ones trying to keep up with my effortlessly hip CD collection (ahem).

With Barbelith, I don't even try to play that game. This forum is the one which makes me most conscious of being post-thirty...

Goodness Gracious Meme

20:29 / 11.08.01

well, maybe you could tell us all about your tastes in music, educate us, old boy...

That lovely Val Doonican is it? Vera Lynn?

09:56 / 12.08.01

When I was about twelve, thirteen, I made a conscious, concerted effort to get 'into' more left-field music. Blame the whole teen rebellion thing. If I didn't like something that I thought I was probably meant to from the off, I'd spend ages forcing myself to. The one I spent most time on was A Love Supreme. Saw it mentioned by someone in a magazine (probably either Select or NME, and probably Bobby Gillespie) and decided that this was a record that I had to own and enjoy, as doing so would make me appear slightly cooler and also a little better than everyone else.

Fuck me, but it took years before I actually found myself enjoying it.

Still do this a bit, though nowhere near to the extent I used to.

Ellis

09:56 / 12.08.01

quote:Originally posted by Ganesh:

With Barbelith, I don't even try to play that game. This forum is the one which makes me most conscious of being post-thirty...

I am not post conscious, but I do feel conscious about the fact that no one here seems to share the same kind of music as I do. And I can't afford to spend money away on obscure bands (but I guess I could start name dropping some made up ones...) But oh well!

19:12 / 12.08.01

Maybe there's more people here who share your tastes than you realise.

I was surprised to be sat in a room full of rabid Van Halen freaks last night. We had the goofiest of goofy conversations, playing old albums and trying to decide on the greatest EVH solo.

14:19 / 13.08.01

quote:Originally posted by Lick my plums, bitch.:
well, maybe you could tell us all about your tastes in music, educate us, old boy...

Yeah, go on.

Cum in my face.

Ganesh

18:01 / 13.08.01

Elephant cum? Distinct anticlimax, love, I'm terribly mainstream.

<skims through CDs>

Well, there's the 'long-term' stuff I've jerked off about here: Morrissey, The Smiths, Kate Bush, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, REM.

There's the debris from the last musical 'movement' I really got into, the heady days of Britpop: Blur, Pulp, Elastica, Suede, Massive Attack, The Divine Comedy, Kula Shaker (yup), Menswe@r (hey, look, I even do the little '@'), James, Black Grape.

There's the Diva Element: Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithful, Liza Minelli (the PSB album still stands up), Ella Fitzgerald, Kylie, Bjork.

There's the stuff I started buying because I liked dancing to it in naff student clubs in Aberdeen: S'Express, Deee-lite, The Time Frequency (was that their name? Neds trying to do techno) and all manner of one-hit wonders, whose singles I faithfully bought.

There's the sickly-sweet-female-vocalist pop for which I have a particular penchant: Saint Etienne, Black Box Recorder, Dubstar, Catatonia, Ladytron (sort of).

There's the stuff my boyfriend was into when I met him, and which I've grown to love: Bowie, Patti Smith, Roxy Music, Nirvana, Therapy?, Talk Talk, Consolidated (he's much more 'credible' than I am).

There's the completely miscellaneous stuff that's right off the top of my head: Robbie Williams, Missy Elliot, Britneeeey, Talking Heads, U2 (post 'Achtung Baby' only), Prince, Destiny's Child, Eurythmics, Daft Punk, Steps (yyyup).

And lots more. I'm a fiend for impulse-buying, and have plenty of little-listened-to stuff that I periodically rediscover and enjoy - or consign to the bottom shelf.

I love them all.

20:53 / 13.08.01

See, there's absolutely no need for you (or Ellis, or anyone else) to view this forum as somehow off limits.

The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, REM, Blur, Pulp, Elastica, Suede, Massive Attack, The Divine Comedy, Black Grape, Dusty Springfield, Kylie, Bjork, S'Express, Deee-lite, Black Box Recorder, Bowie, Roxy Music, Nirvana, Missy Elliot, Britneeeey, Destiny's Child, Daft Punk.

All in this house somewhere, all good stuff.

The Music is not a ghetto.

Ellis

09:00 / 14.08.01

quote:Originally posted by E Randy Degenerate:
The Music is not a ghetto.

No one said it was...

Ganesh

09:01 / 14.08.01

I'm not arguing that it is - and, God forbid, I'm not seeking some sort of permission to like what I like. This isn't an apologist 'music you're embarrassed to like' thread...

The Music, however, seems to tend toward the new, the modern, the stuff I'm not yet into (but might be, at some point). Either that or it's endless lists - much of it relatively obscure (to me). As I grow older, somehow there seems less time to nurse musical passions with the same intensity. There may well be another Smiths out there somewhere, but the effort involved in finding it...

All of which is thread-rot right here, right now.

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