Artists everyone likes that you don't understand

[Blueinred]

Joni Mitchell

You may not "get" Joni (that is one of the OP's questions), but, she "gets" me and a whole bunch of others on this board, because she wrote a song about us. (I play in church and in a charity band, among others.)



A giant of a songwriter, vocalist, and instrumentalist, IMHO.

 

[foolforthecity]

View attachment 3735012

Hey! Me and Garth stand united (and have the same fashion sense in glasses, hair, and apparel) in support of Rush

Edit: and yes, I’m 62 and this same shirt was on my back in ‘76

 

[jamro217]

Before answering the question posed, I'd like to state how each of us can have such unique and seemingly incongruous musical tastes. Finding enjoyment in one genre is easy, but did you ever stop to think how your musical taste influences your performance as a musician? If we all had just one influence (The Beatles, for example) we'd all sound similar. Just like those cooking shows where six cooks have to use the same ingredients to come up with a meal. If we all use the same ingredients there are boundaries as to how far those ingredients will take us. By enjoying a wide range of music we become better musicians. By searching out obscure music (especially GREAT obscure music), our musical vocabulary includes snippets of it and becomes unique in itself. Now back to our scheduled program:

Tom Petty
Bruce Springsteen
The Cars
rap and hip hop <This is more about poetry than music. Any music that is based solely on confiscating the work of others rather than bothering to learn how to play an instrument yourself is an inferior art form in my opinion. Granted, using an Arp String Ensemble for a garage band rather than hiring the local philharmonic is a common practice, but that isn't the same as sampling the main signature riff of an existing song to "create" your art. The line between influence (and practicality) and theft is black and white.

Metal (all subgenres) Too much confusion on which bass is the best for it.

There are some lesser known artists that have fans for some unknown reasons. They are more of a source for wonderment than popular acts. Jumping on the bandwagon (literally) of acts that rule the airwaves is one thing, but paying to support some artists is just a head scratcher. G.G. Allin comes to mind.

Give me a moment to don my suit of armor before retaliating.

 

[retslock]

There are many artists cited in this forum as heroes that I don’t get but it’s never about talent or ability. For me it’s always about a far more subtle quality that is emotionally based. If I can’t engage emotionally then I don’t care about the music. How well it’s executed is not the issue.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Spinal Tap.
I had never even heard of them, then all of the sudden, like in the mid-80s, they were everywhere.
Why must they be the band against which all others are compared?!

 

[rashrader]

Tiny Tim. I just don’t understand.

 

[jdh3000]

Too many to name...

 

[themarshall]

Cliff era is the good stuff imo.

Fixt.

 

[HumanLarvae]

Spinal Tap.
I had never even heard of them, then all of the sudden, like in the mid-80s, they were everywhere.
Why must they be the band against which all others are compared?!

Seriously. No talent, just a louder is better mentality. It’s like they just turn their amp volume up to 11!

 

[Son of Wobble]

Seriously. No talent, just a louder is better mentality. It’s like they just turn their amp volume up to 11!

Also, they were very sexist

 

[bearfoot]

Springsteen. Everything about his music seems bland and uninteresting to me, as well as whiny. Just not my jam.

Michael Jackson. Cheesy, stupid, and annoying.

Most pop divas like Whitney, Mariah, etc. Good singers, if you've never been to a community theater , you'd think they were the best ever. Even stupider and cheesier than MJ, and far less talented since they don't generally write anything.

 

[MynameisMe]

Unless it's critical to work, marriage, parenting, or friendship, I just roll with the stuff I don't understand and move on.

Hey Buddy, this isn't about you, its about us getting alot of stuff off our chests before the moderators shut the

Metal (all subgenres) Too much confusion on which bass is the best for it.

Nearly fell out of the chair reading this!

 

[Element Zero]

So you like things that are coffee flavored. Not coffee.

I'm obviously not being serious, but after working at a coffee house for several years, I always found it funny to see the burliest of dudes put half a cup of cream and 10 sugars in a small cup and they talk of how they love coffee. No. You love coffee flavored milk and sugar.
My aunt, who just turned 70, drinks it black as tar.This is her afterwards.

(also, it's the caffeine that makes it bitter...)

That’s quite extreme on the additive point, but I’ve grown quite accustomed to a medium roast Kona bean that I grind myself fir French press style and a touch of extra flavoring. Too each his own.

 

[stringthrough]

Grateful Dead

 

[Son of Wobble]

Hey! Me and Garth stand united (and have the same fashion sense in glasses, hair, and apparel) in support of Rush

Edit: and yes, I’m 62 and this same shirt was on my back in ‘76
View attachment 3735839

There is but one power trio greater than Rush

 

[bhendrix]

And Billie Eilish? Not a clue why anyone would listen to her.

+1 !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[drumvsbass]

That’s quite extreme on the additive point, but I’ve grown quite accustomed to a medium roast Kona bean that I grind myself fir French press style and a touch of extra flavoring. Too each his own.

See, and then you come back with something delicious.

 

[Element Zero]

See, and then you come back with something delicious.

That’s my jam man. Greenwell Farms ships internationally. Check em out.

 

[jamro217]

Grateful Dead
Led Zeppelin

MOST CLASSICAL MUSICIANS. Just glorified cover bands with no originality. Go BACH to the drawing board. If you want to show off your technical skills try playing jazz instead. Just as challenging and involved as classical, but you have the added responsibility of actually having to use your musical prowess to say something personal to your audience rather than just repeating what a composer said three or four hundred years ago in Europe. Did you ever have the pleasure of being in a band with a classical musician? If the music stand falls over they stop playing. I stop playing when my amp fries. No other excuse is valid short of a medical emergency. I guess it's a good idea to bring extra paper to a gig in case there's none in the toilet, other than that when it comes time play a meaningful solo paper is of little use. Maybe you could use the roll from wrapping paper as a horn. That would be inventive, entertaining and unique. Three important qualities vital to performance art that are sadly lacking in most classical music. Now, classical music has been around for centuries and has stood the test of time. Compared to the folk music of the era it is technically advanced and requires a variety of instruments all playing in concert with one another. The composers told stories and brought them to life by using some devices such as dynamics and rests which are ignored by many modern musicians. The idea of having your work available throughout the world at a time when recording was nonexistent is quite impressive. The musicians employed to perform these compositions were the equivalent of studio session players today. Live music concerts are a joy to audiences regardless of genre. The ability to accurately perform a written piece of music is admirable, but when you call a performance a "recital" you pretty much know the artist is more like a character actor than a protagonist. You play what's on the paper, no more, no less. So much for personality. When the world is taken over by robots classical music will be official art form of the planet. Yet, there is the other point of view that means someone is determined to bury their self interest in the effort to please their audience by delivering the best entertainment product they possibly can. If this means painstakingly mastering their instrument over the course of a lifetime in order to properly execute the music written centuries ago, then their sacrifice indeed deserves praise. That's why this is such a touchy subject. The point is, if you're a classical musician STAY IN YOUR LANE.

 

[Outshined91]

Primus. I get all the Les Claypool hype, but I cannot wrap my head around the comedy shtick or their vocals or their music as a whole for that matter haha... respect them infinitely for their talent, just do NOT understand why people dig "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver."