Recommendation Agony

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You know when you recommend something to someone, and you say it's really good, and then they hear it for the first time with you there, and you suddenly hear everything that could possibly be awful about it and want the ground to swallow you up?

― Tom, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes! That's why I only get gung-ho w/ a record if I know I'm not going to be there for that initial listen. It's the same with a movie.

― Mark, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, most recently Ryan Adams, which is my own fault.

― B-Rad, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes! Or you kind of hear it through their ears. "Oh shit -- I forgot he/she hates repetition" -- that kind of thing. Billy Mackenzie's voice has sounded ten times more dramatic and swooping in these situations.

― Andy K, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not quite sure what the question is mind you. But I'm glad I'm not alone.

― Tom, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Happens all the time. But "turnabout is fair play." Remember how excited he was about the Strokes?

― Dave225, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

This happened to me the other day. I played "The Trojan War" by J- Zone for a friend of mine. The song is a two-part thing, the first part J-Zone talking about how he doesn't like to use rubbers, the second part J-Zone's dick threatening Zone and refusing to perform if he doesn't use protection. It's hilarious, and has a really tight beat. I didn't really remember exactly how lewd the song was until I played it for my friend, though, who happens to be very religious. It was like watching a Tampon commercial with your mom.

― Brad Haywood, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, that's happened a bit with the Associates and me as well. "This is RIDICULOUS." Me to self: "It is? Well, it is a bit swoopy..."

The advantage of mp3s -- you set them up and let others deal with them as they may without direct contact. The same applies when DJing over the air. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

happens all the time, though I've definitely overreacted a few times, e.g. playing a friend James Brown's "Escape-ism" (the long version off the Hot Pants CD) and turning it off after seven minutes because I'd decided he was bored. "What are you doing?!" he demanded. "I was just getting into that!"

― M Matos, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Aislers Set, several times. Ballboy, a couple. Angelica... (see next issue of CTCL. Possibly. It sounded like he was going to put it in, anyway.)

But it always seems to happen with The Aislers Set. Some people love 'em, some hate 'em. And I persist, fingers crossed...

― Mr Swygart, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

BUT sometimes you play a record for a person/group of people and the converse is true (happened w/ live at domino's by the avalanches for me)

― brains, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It's to the point that I'm not really sure what I should recommend to people anymore (and what do I like to do? write record reviews!) -- but I like Mark's approach of not being there for the initial listen. I mean, the people who are stuck hearing a record and trying not to embarrass you for recommending it are in just as bad a position.

That said, what if you were forced to write reviews while listening to the music with someone else in the room. Would you still write the same stuff?

― dleone, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you certainly should not ever speak to those who hate the aislers set again, never ever.

― keith, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

constantly. Any song that seems okay will turn into an insular world, eventually evolving into a self-contained version of perfection. You try to float it into someone else's sea, and the ungrateful thing springs leaks like a sieve. The song betrays your faith in it and you hate it more passionately than the person who is only midly disinterested in it.

Or you realize it's obviously a song about midgets and that person just happens to be a midget. I hate that.

― badger, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Have you let never heard of mixtapes?

― Graham, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

happens all the time, though I've definitely overreacted a few times, e.g. playing a friend James Brown's "Escape-ism" (the long version off the Hot Pants CD) and turning it off after seven minutes because I'd decided he was bored. "What are you doing?!" he demanded. "I was just getting into that!"
Well, thats when you say "Well...you get the drift of THAT song, now try this one...it's called 'Sex Machine' "

― Lord Custos III, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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