People with strong opinions they have not formed themselves

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A friend was recently giving an acquaintance a ride back to his apartment (roughly a 45 minute drive) and the guy mentioned that he had, in fact, never heard anything by Tom Waits. A copy of Small Change was put in the CD player, and several moments later the passenger remarked that this was "..some of the worst music I've ever heard."

I'd normally find this a little off-putting, since it seems like a pretty strong pronouncement. To each his own, but the man in question has written several music reviews for his college newspaper.

My friend told me that this guy tends to use some really weird descriptive terms when sitting around, talking about music with his friends. Phrases that sound like they're cribbed directly from reviews. Does anyone understand this mindset? Do people feel compelled to demonstrate the ability to spew knowledge about any given band to appease the "cred" demons? And at the end of the day, how do they know what they really like and what they're just repeating?

― mike h. (mike h.), Monday, 21 June 2004 01:51 (twenty-two years ago)

take it with a grain of salt, he's a college music critic, and cars are horrible listening environments.

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

True, I just got really disgusted for a while and anytime I see "college" and "music" together I just think FAKE FAKE FAKE which is really an unfair stereotype.

― mike h. (mike h.), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Cars are the best listening environments.

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:06 (twenty-two years ago)

haha the first 21 years of my life to thread

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I find that travelling (whether it be by bus/subway/car/foot) is the ideal environment for dance/house/etc music. I love having that constant pulse around me.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I shouldn't have emphasized this car thing so much, it's really just a sub-point. This might just be another "why do people like certain music" thread, since it really comes down to motivation. I read others' opinions and listen to their thoughts on music to somehow enhance my own listening, not to parrot them. Doing so just seems so loathsome. But I guess you get to fit in.

― mike h. (mike h.), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:15 (twenty-two years ago)

cars really fuck with midranges, and speaker placement in most cars is real bad (ie. designed to send your soundwaves straight into windows, where they are poorly absorbed).

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:16 (twenty-two years ago)

also is Small Change mostly piano + vocal? (can't remember - sold all of my Waits stuff years ago because AHEM I don't like him that much.) That would be pointless to listen to in a car, esp. one with poor soundproofing (ie. one a college boy could afford).

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I found that when I stopped driving, my overall demand for speedy or more intense metal declined significantly. I don't have as much of a need for driving beats when I'm on foot or at home. I'm not sure why I care to post that.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Possibly Tom Waits is an acquired taste. I know I wasn't all crazy about him the first go-round. But, yeah, people who form opinions and then write them should try to be a little more objective. Especially if their getting a 45 min. lift.

― jim wentworth (wench), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:29 (twenty-two years ago)

its best when the car isn't moving i find.

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

altho to be fair (heh) I've only heard that last Liz Phair album in a car. But it still blows.

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:32 (twenty-two years ago)

But the experience of driving a long distance by yourself late at night with some sort of pretty music as accompaniment is such a good one.

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Definitely. I dig a long desert drive at night with the wind in my hair and beautiful music pulsating from the speakers, washing over me.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 21 June 2004 02:54 (twenty-two years ago)

the vw ad?

― OCP (OCP), Monday, 21 June 2004 03:51 (twenty-two years ago)

oh don't get me wrong, I like listening to music in cars, just not music that's mostly mid or low ranges. Gotta be something real loud. I think my fave in-car music is probably Funhouse.

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 21 June 2004 03:52 (twenty-two years ago)

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