Meet them halfway
There was a big ‘postbag’, as newspapers used to say before the death of print journalism, in response to my plea for an explanation of the Black Eyed Peas. Although some defended them as harmless purveyors of likeable, silly dance music, most posters were pretty negative about this musically and sartorially peculiar group. Some people even expressed hatred, and denounced them in far stronger terms than I would have (actually I didn’t even criticise them, just said I didn’t ‘get’ them and it made me a bit baffled). But there was an interesting counter-argument that basically said: why are you so angry about them? Why all the vitriol? asked Lisa. Why get so furious about something so avoidable? asked Helen. Can’t you just listen to something else, suggested some reasonable people.
It’s an interesting question, why bad music/comedy/TV stirs up such incredible fury. I’ve seen people get passionate about the evils of the X Factor when they’re not too bothered about human rights abuses in China. The bluntest, coldest reason for this is that we are all more affected on a day-to-day level by something like Jedward than by the persecution of the Falun Gong. We have (mostly) pretty nice comfortable lives, and for many of us, the most annoying thing within our immediate grasp is an irritating repetitive song or someone like Keith Lemon leering from the screen. Of course we all KNOW Libya is more important, but incredibly often, tiny things are elevated to the level of the global in our imaginations, because genuine global stuff is too hard to influence or even understand. There’s probably a big discussion to be had about how we change the priorities of our society to achieve things that matter more, but since I make my living from stand-up comedy, I doubt I’m the person to lead that discussion (although my next novel does touch on this).
Music specifically, though, tends to stir up anger partly because it’s sometimes NOT avoidable. Even since I was a kid, it’s astounding how much more pop music there is everywhere. It’s piped into shops and shopping centres, it’s pouring out of people’s phones on the bus, it’s in the background of every trailer and every advert and every BBC montage, it’s popping up unexpectedly when you check your email, it clogs the atmosphere in a way it has never before in human history. I mentioned a couple of days ago I now reckon I’ve got a good working knowledge of Mumford and Sons’ album despite never having intentionally listened to one note of it. I could probably sing you six Rihanna songs despite, again, not owning anything by the prolific songstress. When this rule of musical ominpresence to applied something like the Black Eyed Peas which is (by its nature) pretty in-your-face music, it’s inevitable that you sometimes feel assaulted by it. So I think that’s one reason for people’s rage.
But also, music (like comedy and so on) means an awful lot to people, and when it’s good it really is wondrous, and so it’s frustrating when it’s bad, and when the bad seems to outweigh the good. I think in some ways it’s a positive thing that people are stirred to such extremes of opinion when talking about music, because as a world that’s how we maintain standards. The reason we have wonderful, bold and commercially viable artists like say Arcade Fire/Radiohead/Hot Chip/the Super Furry Animals/Grizzly Bear (or cut-and-paste this into a Word document, delete these acts, and put in whoever you like) is because we don’t all just accept that we’ve got to buy whatever is most aggressively marketed. Same with films, same with books; getting hyper-critical about the poor ones stimulates an environment where the GREAT ones are justly recognised and can prosper.
But but but: I agree with Helen (and others) that nobody should try to demean anyone else on the grounds of musical taste. Being someone who loves and cares about music, I don’t like to see it used as a weapon by people who think they’re cool or want to establish their ‘territory’ or alienate the less up-to-date. (It’s the same reason that, as a football-lover, I try to make football more accessible, not more alien, to people who don’t necessarily follow it.) So, as some have suggested, if you don’t like the BEPs – and I think we can agree many of us don’t – take that rage and turn it into the energy needed to seek out and find the music you do love. Then put it on your iPod or similar device and turn it up really loud and disappear into a better world. Ensuring of course that you have noise-cancelling headphones and aren’t pissing anyone off. And if you can’t afford to buy music, and you can’t afford good headphones, and you really do feel awful music is impossible to escape from, then… hmm. Find yourself a nice forest, I suppose, and enjoy the birdsong.
I shall be posting a little playlist of recommended songs, like I occasionally do, in the next few days. With the birds I can’t help so much, but – well, they’re all pretty good.
Posted by Aislinn on April 8, 2011
Hello. Me again. I’ve just caught up on almost two weeks of this (I am ashamed) and it is very nice to be reading it again. Well done on a generally lovely blog. And the radio series. And most things.
As for music, it sounds a bit weird, but… I’ve never really been a fan. If I were to list my five favourite bands they’d be the only five bands I’m really that comfortable with calling myself a fan of. I’m not completely clueless, because my Mum used to hang around with DJs when she was younger and is quite clued-up (she goes to festivals and buys stuff like Mumford and Sons and Frank Turner), but… I’d rather put on a DVD. Or watch comedy. Or just do something without music in the background. I find it a bit much.
So there’s not a particular genre or band or song that really grates on me that much, I suppose is what I’m trying to say. I just don’t really… get the fuss.
Although I do think the Black Eyed Peas are pretty cool. Their music I can take or leave, but man! Look at their trousers! They’re definitely cool.
Posted by Rachael on April 5, 2011
I’m with the first point, they wouldn’t annoy me if they were more easily avoidable. But they seem to be everywhere these days.
Posted by Sam on April 4, 2011
I’ve found everyone’s comments really interesting. I guess my take on it isn’t around musical snobbery or refusing to buy in to what ‘the man’ wants you to listen to. It’s about different tastes and preferences.
I really dislike the music of Black Eyed Peas. Just in the same way as some people really dislike the smell and taste of coffee. Doesn’t mean that coffee is horrible and people that like it are wrong, just means that it’s not for everyone.
I do avoid having to listen to music I don’t like. For example, my choice of radio station doesn’t play the kind of music I don’t like (hurrah for 6Music). Radio One does, so I don’t listen to radio one. However, I find it hard to avoid the music completely – it’s played in public places, TV, adverts, other people’s non-noise reducing headphones.
Back to my coffee analogy – you can choose not to drink coffee and might even avoid Starbucks, but doesn’t mean that you won’t get a whiff of it from someone next to you on a train who’s drinking a cup.
Posted by Rachel/Pandora on April 3, 2011
It seems odd to me that most peoples’ objections to the Black Eyed Peas and other similar artists (yes, they deserve that title, they write and produce everything they do, if you were wondering) is the way the are marketed. I agree that it can be irritating seeing the same faces and hearing the same bands over and over, but to me there’s a difference between being frustrated with a certain record company’s successful PR strategy and wishing death on the singers themselves.
And, if it is the actual songs themselves you have an issue with, then don’t listen. Change radio stations or put headphones in. But while you’re listening to your iPod, please don’t scowl at us simpletons who may like what they hear. Ta
Posted by Madeleine on April 3, 2011
(Ah, also I wouldn’t include someone like Beiber in “bad music”. I don’t like his songs, cause he’s not “for” me, he’s for 13 year old girls, but he’s a talented kid. He plays a lot of instruments very well, has a good pop voice and can dance, so I’ve never really understood the amount of vitriol he inspires.)
Posted by Madeleine on April 3, 2011
I think I get so angry because I feel like bad popular music:
a) lowers people’s standards to what good music is actually like
b) makes it harder for less popular but better bands to get big
But hey, yeah I don’t have to listen to it (except when it’s all over the T.v and shops etc) and I would never not be friends with someone just because of their music taste or anything.
Posted by Clembear on April 3, 2011
I’m intrigued you say music is omnipresent – I managed to completely disengage from new music for about 4 years (I still don’t know Mumford & Sons) by a combination of the following
- my commute is by tube so no radio
- no MTV
- I don’t shop a lot for fun so I don’t hear a lot of in store music. I was shocked people liked MGMT.
- no radio at work
So now I’m having a fun catchup. But its quite easy really – situational factors can let you disengage. And I like music.
I think people get annoyed when shared cultural experiences are a bit shit. If music is omnipresent, I’d be happier if it was a bit better. But like you say a lot of stuff can be dug out, it just makes me a bit sad when we all have little isolated niches of passion, seperated from others, listening to noise-cancelling headphones so others can’t share, wondering why we feel so apart.
On a more cheerful note, that Elbow album’s pretty good eh?
Posted by Lisa D on April 3, 2011
I have genuinely never heard a single note sung by Bieber. It isn’t even musical snobbery on my part, it’s just never come up. Clearly there is an advantage to almost never setting foot in a mall. John Waters recently said that he loves Bieber, mainly because he’s a massive phenomenon that leaves adults completely baffled, like Elvis did before him. Fair point, I thought. I’m not about to go listen to his music though; I’m at least 25 years too old to “get it” and I’d rather listen to birds….or the Black Eyed Peas
Posted by ChrisP on April 2, 2011
Having a topic about music and a post about Rebbecca Black kinda makes me wonder how there’s not a blog about how some one’s managed to skyrocket to fame in less time than it took her to write a weak but admittedly catchy song. The power of youtube/twitter.
The problems I have with bands like BEP is the way that it’s essentially single-serving singles that are so synthetic, plastic processed it’s effectively the cultural equivalent of an easy-jet dinner. They’re in your eyes when you watch TV, you’re ears when you’re in a shop and I’m fairly sure there’s plenty of orifice based analogies for the way we pretty much get treated by producers as consumers when it comes to music/films etc. BEP are one of the most persistent offenders, but there are many. Like them or not, this music will be thrust into your subconscious.
Choice is not something record labels seem to be keen for us to have these days. Independent record day in 13days folks.
Posted by Someone on April 2, 2011
(I just cannot get “practise” and “practice” the right way around. Or “vain” and “vein” as it goes. Or use the word “inflammable” properly. This is probably very annoying to certain people. I can only apologise for my rubbishisity. :[ )
Posted by Someone on April 2, 2011
China…. LETPEOPLEPRACTISEFALUNGONG! China…
Also (in my opinion) The Midnight Beast do a cracking cover of Rebecca Black’s Friday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGslnol566I But I might just be a biased fan of theirs. I’m a sucker for a British comedy piss-take. (And I have very wide-ranging (in shitness) music taste… Nevermind though, eh.)
That was two references to other people’s “work” there. I’ll try to spread the word of Watson elsewhere as recompense.
Posted by MusicalLottie on April 2, 2011
I’ve just re-read your blog,and spotted the bit about birds – Olivier Messiaen was an ornithologist as well as a composer and incorporated elements of birdsong into his works, so if anyone does feel that strongly they might want to check him out
Posted by Anji on April 2, 2011
The blog made me feel a whole load of things
1) looking forward to the playlist – having so many changes happen at once makes you realise how stuck you were. New music would be nice to try.
2) I’d have liked to be at work with Carl yesterday – I think I could do with singing along to some Disney songs to forget everything and go back to happy memories of watching the films in younger days.
3) it makes me want the Disney CDs!
4) I have no idea who Rebecca Black is or what song had caused her to be well known by everyone!
Now I’m not sure what all this says about me – probably best not to analyse, especially when I realise I didn’t skip BEPs when onenof their songs came on earlier!
Posted by Lydia on April 2, 2011
I agree. Admittedly I did say the BEPs were crap, but I wouldn’t be mean to someone because they liked them.
Music hatred definitely goes too far. Like a couple of people have already mentioned, Rebecca Black is a good example. Yes, Friday is a terrible song, but she’s getting tweets telling her to die and other horrible things. I would never have been able to handle that when I was thirteen. Normal kids do awful things to themselves when people are mean to them at school, so I have no idea how she’s coping with half the world throwing abuse at her all the time. The whole situation makes me so angry. I mean, she can hardly be blamed for it. How many people can honestly say they would have said no if someone wanted to make them into a pop star when they were thirteen?
I think music hate is fine if it’s something of a joke. My friend and I have totally different music tastes, so the pretty automatic dislike that comes whenever we share stuff is just a joke now.
Posted by MusicalLottie on April 2, 2011
Rebecca Black is only a 13yo girl? Goodness me! By the level of vitriol in some retweets I’ve seen, I thought she was some middle-aged woman who was fundamentally racist/extremist/etc., not just a harmless young girl who sang ONE song!
Wow.
Erm. I thoroughly agree that the best way to deal with pop-induced rage is to turn it into something beneficial, and I think that’s one reason why I’m so keen to get into leading singing workshops. Kids need to know that there is another way of singing, and they need to be able to appreciate music for its own sake, not because it’s being shoved down their throats. So the guys who are training me always try to instil the basics of musicality (degrees of a scale, simple harmonies, rhythm, etc) – usually without the kids really knowing – so they’re equipped to be able to appreciate music on a deeper level, even if only subconsciously.
… if that made any sense.
Posted by Emily on April 2, 2011
I dislike a lot of music, but I can’t understand the levels of hatred towards specific people. Rebecca Black is the current one. It gets to the point where thousands of strangers are wishing death on a 13 year old girl. Thats a bit far, even if the song is insultingly bad.
Incidentally, my physics teacher went to uni with Thom Yorke from Radiohead, and this blog has reminded me to do some work. So ‘wasting time on the internet’ can be useful.
Posted by Josie on April 2, 2011
The beauty of music is that you don’t have to listen to what everyone else is listening to. I’d say the one thing I own that could tell you about me more than anything else is my iPod.
Having said that, it’s irritating how easily people will judge you on your taste in music.
Posted by Carl on April 2, 2011
pop song writing*
Posted by Carl on April 2, 2011
Cracking blog.
I find this whole business funny. I think my biggest problem is that I am too much of an undersandin person. It upsets me when people judge each other of things like music.
Take yesterday at work for example. My heavily pregnant boss was having a bad day, baby wise. It was kicking, punching, she was hot, flustered and couldn’t concentrate. So her husband, who works there too, popped on a 3 CD collection of Disney Classics she loves, without being asked. This made her sing, dance, smile and fall a little bit more in love with her husband.
Now, morally, I’m not a massive fan of Disney. I understand there are a heck of a lot of issues concerning the ideologies of beauty and love that they force on our children. As well as the deep rooted racism and stereotypes throughout. However, Disney employ the best of the best in animation and po song writing. So it is difficult not to tap your feet to Bare Necessities, sway to Circle of Life or bounce along to I Ain’t Ever Seen an Elephant Fly.
People were bitching and moaning about it and blasting their heavy metal music over the top of it, but it made a destressed pregnant lady get through an otherwise terrible day. So that’s great.
I’m not pro Disney, and I love metal music to a certain degree, but as I pointed out to the metallers – which annoyed them – without something like Disney and pop music, Metal wouldn’t have been around as it would have had nothing to rebel and react to.
We all need to remember that without evil, there wouldn’t be good. So let’s respect each other’s tastes, because without one there wouldn’t be the other.
Posted by Alex on April 2, 2011
I was about to say I don’t really get angry about bad music, but then I read Misha’s comment about Justin Bieber and… got angry. I think that’s acceptable though. It’s him that makes me angry more than his music. Bleugh.
Music snobbery pisses me off more than actual bad music. I hate it when people assume just because *is* heavily marketed that it must automatically be awful, or that you’re some kind of terrible pleb if you choose to listen to it.
And even if it is technically awful, if you enjoy it does it really matter? It really frustrates me.
I can’t extend this as far as Justin Bieber though. He should never have been allowed.
Posted by Misha on April 2, 2011
*insert joke about bands with birdnames here*
It has to be said it’s remarkably easy to hide, even without decent headphones. Just crank yours up loud enough to block out everything else, but not so loud it annoys anyone else.
Makes trips to town etc far less painful.
I did this on the coach the other day, stuck next to a Justin Bieber fan with a squeaky voice I serenely put Arab Strap on, cranked it up loud and stared out the window.
Funny though, how it annoys people so much when you can just turn things off/put head phones in etc.
Posted by Dawn on April 2, 2011
Talking about music…….
How cool are my Mum and Dad?
On Monday Mum bought Dad the new Radiohead Album and Dad bought Mum the new Elbow Album.
Dad is 73 and Mum is 72:)
Posted by Sarah on April 2, 2011
New novel? Not quite due to the fact that it’s 7:20 and I’d wake my parents up
Posted by Georgie on April 2, 2011
I wasn’t expecting a post so early in the day! Glad it’s here, though. I look forward to listening to your playlist… And, of course, seeing your show tomorrow night! Hope Melbourne’s treating you well x