Among the headlines that caught my eye this morning was the announcement of the 2015 class for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“Joan Jett and the Blackhearts? Cool,” I thought, and said so on Facebook.
Some of my friends agreed. Others didn’t, with one posting on his own page, “That pretty much seals the suckness of that institution.”
My response: “I like Joan Jett’s music. Do I claim it’s great? Hell no. But I listen to music to please myself, not impress others. Reed and Vaughn, yes, long overlooked, and the inductions always educate me on at least one musician I didn’t know about. I don’t consider the HOF any more a credible authority than the Grammys, but I do think it’s nice when deserving people get recognition, and if Jett cares that her band is in then I’m happy for them.”
I don’t believe there’s any genre in which there is nothing I enjoy. Even down to individual artists, most everyone eventually releases at least one song I like.
Some I’m still waiting on. I know Nickelback is an easy target, for example, but I gave their latest song, “Million Miles an Hour,” a full listen in the interest of fairness and came away feeling it was one of their worst songs ever.
In the same vein, even my very favorite musicians eventually release at least one song I deem dreck. When I first played Guns N’ Roses’ “Get In the Ring” I thought “Wow, thanks for wasting my money, guys.”
Music is so highly subjective that it’s like asking someone to justify their favorite color. Most often, you just plain like it. Any argument that, say, yellow is better than red will quickly devolve into the absurd. (Also: purple is awesome.)
Try this one: It’s like bacon vs. kale. Which do you like better? I’m guessing about 97 percent of meat-eating Americans will choose bacon.
SHOULD you like bacon? By almost every measure, bacon is an indefensible choice. Kale is a vegetable, not salty, not fatty, not laden with preservatives …
and it tastes like kale. No one gobbles kale, which is not anywhere near as succulent and downright nommy as bacon.
Bacon is the No. 1 hit. Kale is the technical award in an obscure sound editing category.
There’s room in the music world for both.
Beth's Planet 