Why do you (if you do) like weird music?

[Matt Till]

Weird is a very subjective term, use it to define whatever subject you choose. To some, any form of non current mainstream music is "weird." I got a friend into Jaco (he isn't a bassist... just a music fan) and he was playing Jaco's debut where he worked and some guy in a Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt asked him to change the CD because the music was too weird. So weird is a very loose term.

I'm thinking more along the lines of avante guarde stuff, experimental rock, etc.

I'm not sure myself. I know I have boundaries. All the art kids around here worship Wolf Eyes. So I got a copy of Burned Mind... and I hate it. It's stupid abrasive noise. Slightly more clever than a wall of feedback.

There is the whole "I'm cool if I like a band that less than 30 people like." Which is always hella punk rock... but lame. And I feel that's part of the contest to have the most obscure "bands I like" list on myspace... but we will pretend these people don't exsist.

I don't like pure abrasive noise, but I like some weird stuff. Kraut rock stuff for example (Can, Faust). Even Mr. Bungle makes the average listener uneasy (especially Disco Violante). I think Frank Zappa said something like, we need to push music beyond it's boundaries to be able to evolve. Some people go too far, I like the people who aren't so far over the edge, that they loose musical appeal.

[Adam Barkley]

I like weird/avante garde stuff because of the originality involved (usually).

[froggsoldier]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

Weird is a very subjective term, use it to define whatever subject you choose.

Ok here goes, I love "normal" music, to me country, not all, but most is wierd, still I find myself without a tape or cd player in my car, and I must sing to have a good day, but I know most of the words to "redneck yaht club" so yeah, but if you got to know me you would see that I like alot of different types of music so most people call me wierd anywayz. oh yeah, the other day i was in a really good mood, i changed the station to one that was playing spanish music, and scared the "rich" guy next to me, i was dancing and singing "gasolina" i have no idea what any of the words are but "gasolina" which I am assuming mean "gasoline" but I might even be wrong about that, but i do know sean paul sings it, and i love his voice, so whatever, yea i am wierd!


** didn't read title all the way, why do i like it, guess cause I am wierd, does that work?

[Kelly Coyle]

Albert Ayler makes me feel like I'm ascending. As such, I feel like it's not my fault I like it -- it's like having blue eyes or being tall -- just a fact about me. And, more or less, that's how I feel about all the stuff that gets me.

[Against Will]

Wolf Eyes and Black Dice get lots of press from the tight-pants/stupid-haircut crowd for being all 'crazy' and 'revolutionary'...but I find their stuff kind of boring. Though I have not dug into them extensively. I would recommend checking out a noise show sometime if you get the chance. You sort of have to shed your expectations of the music and just take it in without judgement until the end of the performance. Some noise shows will just be a bunch of pretentious Williamsburg poopheads trying to be artsy. But others are a really religious experience. I'll never forget the first show that turned me on to noise and sound art; it really changes the whole way you approach music. It also kind of damages your sense of what's "abrasive" and "chaotic". As far as I'm concerned, anything with cymbals and a steady beat is pretty straightforward. Anyway:


I like weird music because of the freedom associated with it. You can breakdown the artificial boundaries imposed on music and the ideas that music needs to be easily understood by other means of expression. That you should be able to describe what a certain passage or line of music 'means' in normal spoken/written language. A lot of avant garde artists have (I feel) tried to take music farther into it's own realm. To the point where it's meaning can not be related by any other means but that of music. While at the same time making it's message more universal and identifiable. I'm not sure if I believe that any music can be truely 'original', but much experimental and 'weird' music is certainly very unique and more enjoyable because of that.

[AaronS]

When I was in college I thought I liked weird music and I actively pursued weird music. My idea of great weird music was Hindemith, Bartok, Berg, Kodaly. Coltrane and Jimmy Giuffre. Un-weird music was Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Aaron Copeland, Mingus and Adderly. Then I discovered John Cage and Sun Ra. They were weird and I couldn't bring myself to like them. About 15 years ago I discovered the Kronos Quartet. They are really weird and I find them sonically repulsive. I like my weirdness in small doses I guess.

[DigMe]

As far as music goes I don't like something for the sake of being weird...if I like the sounds coming out of it then I just do but I usually have the social awareness to realize what the "typical" person would consider "weird." The "typical" person would find Magma pretty weird or maybe silly but I love some of that stuff. Especially on Magma Live...you've got this very cool, muscular bass line juxtaposed against some qausioperatic singing in a made up language all backed by some great jazz drumming. I guess I like that a lot because I like opera, jazz and cool, muscular bass lines each by themselves...so all together is some kind of supermusic or something.

Anyway...that's usually how it comes together. I just really dig whatever sounds are going on and I love to hear stuff unlike anything I've ever heard before. What's weird though is when some artist who is totally mainstream covers a song by an artist who would often be considered "weird" but they cover the song in sort of a mainstream way. I think I've experienced that a couple of times. It's unsettling.

brad cook

[superbassman2000]

Originally Posted by abark000

I like weird/avante garde stuff because of the originality involved (usually).

me too...where i am, everynody listens to the same stuff...metal, rap or pop, an it all sounds the same to me. i like to hear something different.

[Figjam]

I like anythnig that is experiemental. The Mars Volta, At The Drive-In, some older Dredg. Anything that has that vibe to it. Weird guitar effects, trippy basslines and nice drum beats.

[The Owl]

Originally Posted by abark000

I like weird/avante garde stuff because of the originality involved (usually).

Ditto here! A long time ago, I stopped caring what people thought of me for liking what I do.

Granted, I can't stand noise for its own sake or the whole "Hipper Than Thou" mentality, but regardless, I do look for originality, depth and musicianship above all else. Those 3 qualities absolutely CANNOT be found in pop music anymore that's for certain (although I can remember a time when you could).

[Phil Mastro]

Originally Posted by DigMe

As far as music goes I don't like something for the sake of being weird...

For once, I have to agree with Brad.

To me, if a band starts doing something new or "weird" without really trying to, that usually turns out to be good music. Weird or not. If someone goes out and says "I'm gonna do something new and weird!" it's probably gonna suck.

[The Owl]

Originally Posted by DigMe

As far as music goes I don't like something for the sake of being weird...if I like the sounds coming out of it then I just do but I usually have the social awareness to realize what the "typical" person would consider "weird." The "typical" person would find Magma pretty weird or maybe silly but I love some of that stuff. Especially on Magma Live...you've got this very cool, muscular bass line juxtaposed against some qausioperatic singing in a made up language all backed by some great jazz drumming. I guess I like that a lot because I like opera, jazz and cool, muscular bass lines each by themselves...so all together is some kind of supermusic or something.

Anyway...that's usually how it comes together. I just really dig whatever sounds are going on and I love to hear stuff unlike anything I've ever heard before. What's weird though is when some artist who is totally mainstream covers a song by an artist who would often be considered "weird" but they cover the song in sort of a mainstream way. I think I've experienced that a couple of times. It's unsettling.

brad cook

You're a man after my own heart!! I got to see Magma a couple years ago and it was a GREAT experience! I wish more bands had that kind of dogged stick-to-their-guns mentality.

[Adam Barkley]

Originally Posted by The Owl

Ditto here! A long time ago, I stopped caring what people thought of me for liking what I do.

Granted, I can't stand noise for its own sake or the whole "Hipper Than Thou" mentality, but regardless, I do look for originality, depth and musicianship above all else. Those 3 qualities absolutely CANNOT be found in pop music anymore that's for certain (although I can remember a time when you could).

I beg to differ.

If you know of a band Oh May God sounds like, tell me as I think they might be my favorite pop band on the planet.

Oh My God

Everything that has ever existed still exists, but some of it is now harder to find.

[Blackbird]

Music is only weird to those who don't appreciate it or understand it.

I also agree with Brad, though. Weirdness for weirdness sake is not good.

[i like tictacs]

i like alot of Sigur Ros stuff. that's pretty out there i think. hell, he invented his own langauge to sing his lyrics.

[Kelly Coyle]

There's weird and then there's weird. I'm trying to wrap my head around Polyphonic Spree this morning: ELO meets Asia meets the Association (remember them?). It's like a sweeping panorama of the grocery-store music of my childhood. Weird. I haven't decided if I like it yet.

(Ditto on the Sigur Ros. We have all of those CDs.)

[Alan Vorse]

I can't really explain why I like "wierd" music. When I was 18, I think I made a conscience descision to seek out such music. Not sure why, maybe I just wanted to be different. But now I still listen to that music because i actually enjoy it. And remember, its all subjective. When Radiohead's Kid A came out, some dork at MTV asked them "why did you make such a wierd sounding record?" to which they replied "You should hear the stuff we listen to!"

[ras1983]

Would you guys classify Muse as "weird"? They have incredible originality and musical writing skills, that's why i enjoy them But they aren't weird, or are they....

I think they are the modern day Pink Floyd, as far as originality goes. Unlike nearly every other musical act today, Muse's music is greatly varied and you can't tell that muse has done a certain song 10 seconds into listening... much unlike the FOO fighters or eminem.

[Mark Latimour]

I dont think there is such a thing as weird music, just people who say they listen to weird music for the sake of making themselves feel better about themselves or more intelligent to other people.

I think music is music, I listen to Zappa, Zorn and a bunch of other things, I don't think any of it is weird.

[page]

I dunno why, but i dont mind not knowing. I guess cause its creative or whatever.