Controversial Music Opinions...

[allegro]

Being an idiot and refusing vaccination is not at all equivocal to the “marginalized” who are on the receiving end of queerphobia, transphobia, xenophobia or racism. Get a grip.

Exactly.

Back when Lollapalooza was a traveling, multi-day festival, they actually prominently featured booths in the “Village” with “Rock the Vote” and pro choice organizations etc. And by around 1994 (maybe earlier), nobody cared. The booths had people sitting there, bored. Perry tried being at least somewhat woke; the audience wasn’t having it. Still isn’t. Most attendees go there for one primary reason: Drinking all day with friends. The local papers have done reports on this shit. Especially a lot of underage drinking.

EXHIBIT B = Festival Not Woke.

@elevenism - Lollapalooza IS requiring either proof of a negative Covid test within 24 hours, or proof of vaccine.

Because Lollapalooza is going FULL CAPACITY, again, this year. In 2019, that meant 400,000 people over 4 days.

[Helpmeiaminhell (is now in hell)]

Back when Lollapalooza was a traveling, multi-day festival, they actually prominently featured booths in the “Village” with “Rock the Vote” and pro choice organizations etc. And by around 1994 (maybe earlier), nobody cared. The booths had people sitting there, bored. Perry tried being at least somewhat woke; the audience wasn’t having it. Still isn’t. Most attendees go there for one primary reason: Drinking all day with friends. The local papers have done reports on this shit. Especially a lot of underage drinking.

.

People just wanna go to a music festival to rock out and have fun with friends and have an escape from all the bullshit. Nobody goes to a rock festival to get fuckin lectured about politics or abortions or wokeism.

[allegro]

People just wanna go to a music festival to rock out and have fun with friends and have an escape from all the bullshit. Nobody goes to a rock festival to get fuckin lectured about politics or abortions or wokeism.

I hardly think a few booths about socially-conscious issues is being “lectured.” You had the choice to ignore the booths.

Point was: Get a fucking vaccine or sit your ass home. This is corporate profits, not politics. Nobody in the corporate offices organizing Lollapalooza gives one fuck about your having fun rocking out; they care about getting as many bodies crammed into that space as possible, and about who has paid money and will keep paying money all day and night to concessions. The City of Chicago's rules say be vaccinated or proof that you're Covid-free.


Woodstock? “Don’t eat the brown acid.”

[MrLobster]

Nobody goes to a rock festival to get fuckin lectured about politics or abortions or wokeism.

*Rage Against The Machine stares from the stage*

Sure bud, whatever.

[Helpmeiaminhell (is now in hell)]

*Rage Against The Machine stares from the stage*

Sure bud, whatever.

90% of RATM fans are white bros who jump around to the music and dont give af about their politics. Most RATM fans are Slipknot and Korn fans as well. I always felt it must drive Zach crazy to be singing about genocide or starvation in Ethiopia while 95% of the crowd are drunk frat bros moshing

[allegro]

Yeah well go witness the fuck tons of drunk white bros overpopulating the crowd at Lolla for Radiohead; they weren’t even facing the stage, they spent the entire show talking (LOUDLY) and binge-drinking, and going to get more beer. Rinse and repeat for every other band.

It’s like the contents of Lakeview and Wrigleyville on a weekend night has spilled into Grant Park, except this time they brought their 14-yr-old brother and his friends, and THEY’RE all drunk, too.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Nothing like seeing drunk crisis intervention happening in the Grant Park ladies room, first thing in the morning.

“Honey, are you okay?” under the stall door, to the tune of puking. And crying.

Paying THAT much money to go drink and puke? Hey, intelligence wasn't a test at the gate.

What part of Lollapalooza has been interesting for, like, decades? They keep repeating the same bands, or barfing up classic rock. Pitchfork and Riot Fest are consistently more interesting (but more muddy). The "music" to Lollapalooza is like what strippers are to drinking at strip clubs.

Edit: I should qualify this by saying that I've been to several Lollapaloozas.

• 1993
• 1994
• 1995
• 1996
• 2007
• 2008
• 2010

[elevenism]

90% of RATM fans are white bros who jump around to the music and dont give af about their politics. Most RATM fans are Slipknot and Korn fans as well. I always felt it must drive Zach crazy to be singing about genocide or starvation in Ethiopia while 95% of the crowd are drunk frat bros moshing

There's also a percentage who know that it's SOMEHOW political, and that it's angry, but 100% miss the point...
which leads to baffling shit like MAGA people quoting Rage lyrics, Q anon devotees in Rage shirts screaming into megaphones, and that one time PAUL RYAN said they were his favorite band.

[Jinsai]

The albums Suede put out in recent years are actually pretty amazing, Night Thoughts in particular.

My favorite Suede album is their b-sides collection "Sci-Fi Lullabies"

[Jinsai]

It seems like a lot of us are confused about why the Stone Roses were such a big deal.

They were headlining a festival some years back, or at least near the top of the bill, and I was confused.

I mean, they weren't BAD, but I was just like, uhh...hmm.

On the other side of the pond, Stone Roses are gods... even though the lead singer is a huge twat (am I doing this right?). It's kinda like, over here in the states, people are like "eh, I don't have a strong opinion about Oasis" whereas in the UK, that's not how it is apparently. You'll also be surprised to find how many people in the UK have never even really heard of The Grateful Dead, and most of the people who have couldn't really name a song.

The Stone Roses are, in the UK, a phenomenon at least on par with The Pixies, but probably a bigger deal. There's this mystery to them, there's that "their first album is this untouchable masterpiece" bullshit... they're considered to be this tasteful blend of shoegaze , and brit rock whatever... and some of their songs are ok. This isn't Velvet Underground greatness though, and a lot of British music critics tried to get excited about them like that. That's the sort of music "journalism" that gave us the "who is the Brit-pop winner?" debate... and tried to convince a bunch of people that Stereophonics and Travis might be really "important." It was always a very rock-centric boring fantacism behind it all. OOOOOOh, who's better, Blur or Oasis?

How about I could give a fuck, and the correct answer is Throbbing Gristle.

[GulDukat]

90% of RATM fans are white bros who jump around to the music and dont give af about their politics. Most RATM fans are Slipknot and Korn fans as well. I always felt it must drive Zach crazy to be singing about genocide or starvation in Ethiopia while 95% of the crowd are drunk frat bros moshing

I always find it funny when one of the band members makes a political statement, and then Blabbermouth/Rolling Stone covers it, and the comments are like "stick to playing music and stay out of politics."

[Jinsai]

My favorite part was when Paul Ryan was saying that he loved Rage. It's like finding out that David Duke rocks out to NWA before his klan rallies... just cuz he gets amped to the beats.

[GulDukat]

You'll also be surprised to find how many people in the UK have never even really heard of The Grateful Dead, and most of the people who have couldn't really name a song.

I don't know how many people in the U.S. could name three of their songs. I know "Casey Jones" and "Shades of Grey."

[allegro]

I don't know how many people in the U.S. could name three of their songs. I know "Casey Jones" and "Shades of Grey."

Uncle John’s Band, Truckin’ … that’s all I got.



@Jinsai is winning this thread, today, lmao.

[Krazy]

There's also a percentage who know that it's SOMEHOW political, and that it's angry, but 100% miss the point...

There’s a lot of truth to this. But a majority of people don’t care about the meaning of the lyrics or follow bands on a daily basis. They may just like the guitarist and the tone or a melody, or the way a singer sounds and/or uses the voice.

And you know what? That’s A-oh-fucking-K in my book. Enjoy shit and don’t take things too fucking seriously. Have fun with life and things you like cuz it doesn’t last forever. No need to be 100% one way or 100% the other.

[Dryalex12]

There’s a lot of truth to this. But a majority of people don’t care about the meaning of the lyrics or follow bands on a daily basis. They may just like the guitarist and the tone or a melody, or the way a singer sounds and/or uses the voice.

And you know what? That’s A-oh-fucking-K in my book. Enjoy shit and don’t take things too fucking seriously. Have fun with life and things you like cuz it doesn’t last forever. No need to be 100% one way or 100% the other.

If i only cared about lyrics then i wouldn't care for bands like Deftones. Lyrics don't have to mean anything at all to sound good. 100% agree with this. People take music too seriouslly and it's good to have fun with shit now and then. Black Hole Sun is literally about nothing at all and that song sounds amazing.

[Jinsai]

If i only cared about lyrics then i wouldn't care for bands like Deftones. Lyrics don't have to mean anything at all to sound good. 100% agree with this. People take music too seriouslly and it's good to have fun with shit now and then. Black Hole Sun is literally about nothing at all and that song sounds amazing.

Funny, cuz I actually agree with 99% of what you're saying here. I can shut out shitty lyrics as long as they don't annoy me (or worse), but in general, Deftones lyrics are a-ok with me. I actually really like a lot of their lyrics, and that's not something I'll say about a lot of mainstream rock music people are making nowadays.

"Before we get down
We must prepare the heart strings
To cut all the ties
And watch the trends begin"

I love the way he confessionally swaggers.

[GulDukat]

Don Henley solo > Eagles

[allegro]

Funny, cuz I actually agree with 99% of what you're saying here. I can shut out shitty lyrics as long as they don't annoy me (or worse), but in general, Deftones lyrics are a-ok with me. I actually really like a lot of their lyrics, and that's not something I'll say about a lot of mainstream rock music people are making nowadays.

"Before we get down
We must prepare the heart strings
To cut all the ties
And watch the trends begin"

I love the way he confessionally swaggers.

I don’t understand the vast majority of wtf Nirvana songs are about. Ditto for nearly all Tori Amos songs after “Little Earthquakes.” It’s like you need a secret decoder ring.

Led Zeppelin? WTF are most of their songs about? I don’t fucking know. Stairway to Heaven? It’s a mystery. R.E.M. - I couldn’t understand wtf Michael Stipe was singing on the first several albums; then, when I could finally understand him, I didn’t know wtf he was singing about. All that being said, lyrics are really important to me.

Sure, I can sing along loudly to “The Immigrant Song” but I’ll always think it’s a dumb song; because of the lyrics (and I can’t hear it without picturing Jack Black pretending to use a little hammer).

Is this because I’m pretty cerebral? That I have a B.A. in English Lit? Dunno. I’ve been this way my entire life. My husband? He pays ZERO attention to lyrics, and readily admits it. Barely knows the words to songs. Does not care. Can tell you the chord structure or tuning details or whatever, but knows dick about the lyrics. Ain’t his thing.

Although, we both sing along to Kiss songs in the car sometimes. He does know the lyrics to a lot of Kiss songs. If you know anything about Kiss songs, they have hilariously bad lyrics.

She’s a dancer
A romancer
I’m a Capricorn and she’s a Cancer

[GulDukat]

Led Zeppelin? WTF are most of their songs about?

50% about sex, 50% about Vikings and hobbits.

[burnmotherfucker!]

Yeah well go witness the fuck tons of drunk white bros overpopulating the crowd at Lolla for Radiohead; they weren’t even facing the stage, they spent the entire show talking (LOUDLY) and binge-drinking, and going to get more beer. Rinse and repeat for every other band.

This has been my experience at the large majority of concerts period. A handful of people are there because they like the music and the rest are there just treating the music like background noise for the party. Some of the best shows I've seen have been small crowds or theatre type venues that seem to do a better job of focusing the audience's attention. These days if it's not in the first ten rows I don't even bother going (at least pre-pandemic) because it's just not worth it to deal with all the human scum that show up at every band's concerts. An arena or amphitheater is a gamble every time.

All of THIS is one of the reasons I have always been "an album person."

So there's my latest controversial opinion. Album>Concert.

If I have to choose between seeing my favorite band live or them putting out a new album? New album every time.

[ChipRock]

This has been my experience at the large majority of concerts period. A handful of people are there because they like the music and the rest are there just treating the music like background noise for the party.

Yeah, this really bums me out. I hate being a fussy jerk about people talking most of the time, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous. Most of the time it is festivals or large big-name bands where people just go for the party. One of the worse shows I've been to was PJ Harvey at a 'secret' festival warm-up show in a relatively tiny local venue. She was performing solo, in support of White Chalk, so it wasn't a very rock n' roll performance. Still, the vast majority of the audience continued to beer it up and show no respect whatsoever, to the artist or the minority audience who gave a crap about listening at all. She even made an embarrassed comment about not being able to hear herself, which I don't think many people heard... So she'll never return to play my town again!

[Magnetic]

I don’t understand the vast majority of wtf Nirvana songs are about. Ditto for nearly all Tori Amos songs after “Little Earthquakes.” It’s like you need a secret decoder ring.

Under the Pink is pretty easy to understand. I kinda lost interest after Boys for Pele.

[BRoswell]

I don’t understand the vast majority of wtf Nirvana songs are about.

Kurt never put much thought into his lyrics for the most part. Or rather, he never put much thought into what they meant. He was more interested in the effect than any perceived meaning. That's not to say that all their songs LACK meaning (some are pretty profound), but it was never the main focus. I don't think their lyrics are that hard to understand though.

Personally, I'm okay with that sort of thing depending on the artist. I like having to dig and find the meaning, or find my own meaning in a song.

[Jon]

I don't know how many people in the U.S. could name three of their songs. I know "Casey Jones" and "Shades of Grey."

goddamnit

[allegate]

Don Henley solo > Eagles

goddamnit

I am laughing way too hard at this.

[allegro]

Under the Pink is pretty easy to understand.

I understand the lyrics to be stories about shit only she knows about and she’s dropped about 10 kernels of popcorn clues.

“White Chalk” by P.J. Harvey was mentioned, above. There’s a clear narrative on that album; when it was released, there was a really good discussion on ETS about the lyrics and story. Did she abort a baby? Did she jump off a cliff? Harvey drops enough clues to make it all interesting, tied each song together in a cohesive narrative. Amos’ “Little Earthquakes” had an underlying theme that made each song really meaningful, not ONLY to her but to women everywhere. It’s one of my favorite albums of all time. Some songs on there still make me cry.

But Reader Response Theory is when people bring their own meaning and experience to books, which guides how they react, but it’s further guided by the actual text (not what’s not there). The same can be applied to song lyrics. An artist’s’ intention isn’t the only way to interpret lyrics, but the lyrics still have to be the guidelines, e.g. if you think “Heart-Shaped Box” is about a snowstorm in the Galápagos Islands, there is no text to support that.

I can believe that “Hurt” is about aborting a baby. And I’d be totally wrong, because there’s nothing in the text suggesting that meaning. I’m getting some meaning from text that doesn’t exist. “Hurt” still deliberately leaves a door open for interpretation: did he kill himself? Did he fix himself, find a way? But lyrics that are just snippets, here and there, of various disjointed clues: I don’t even try with those; I figure they are personal to the artist and aren’t for me, at all; or, really mean absolutely nothing. If others enjoy delving into those and guessing or whatever, hey, more power to ya.

[Helpmeiaminhell (is now in hell)]

As for the Stone Roses. They are nothing in America but apparently they are gods over in the UK. I know Liam and Noel worship them. I guess they are viewed as the band that kind of paved the way for a lot of those "brit pop" bands a few years later. The best was when The Cure had to play a festival with them a few years back and Robert Smith basically said he could give a shit about the Stone Roses

As for Kurts lyrics. He all but admitted a lot of the lyrics to Bleach were written while driving to the studio and that it was mostly jibberish. By In Utero, the lyrics got a lot more personal and in depth

[Krazy]

goddamnit

LMAO

And no, I will NOT ask you about your jet Jaguar.

[GulDukat]

goddamnit

I was thinking of The Monkees. Their song is "Shades of Grey." I meant to say "Touch of Grey."

[Jinsai]

L7 is the best punk band of all time.