• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

Right now on another forum people are getting mad at Buzz Osborne for an interview where he expresses his political views (not left-libertarian as expected by his fans), very strong reactions... Honestly, I don't care. He doesn't talk about politics in songs, and he never lied. I have more respect for his idiot ideas about taxes or education, or Steve Austin with his guns worship, than for Fugazi selling their albums on Amazon. This pretty much sums up what I think.
Any musician with less than leftish views has a haaard time. I don't care so much about anyone's politics.
 
Having said all that, this is a clear reference to MJK and the twitter accusations.

I actually have no idea what you are talking about, I'll have to Google it. My query's inspiration is a far, far, far less popular band whose leader was accused of rape. I had never really listened to the band, but an FB group I am on (Post Metal/Post Rock/and derivatives of those) posted a list of a 100 album post-metal sub genre chart. After really digging an album, I did some Googleling.
 
I actually have no idea what you are talking about, I'll have to Google it. My query's inspiration is a far, far, far less popular band whose leader was accused of rape. I had never really listened to the band, but an FB group I am on (Post Metal/Post Rock/and derivatives of those) posted a list of a 100 album post-metal sub genre chart. After really digging an album, I did some Googleling.

It's not a very fruitful rabbit hole to go down, but there are numerous news articles & reddit threads pouring over the what ifs. TL;DR of the threads... MJK was accused of having sex with an unwilling 17-year-old after an APC show ~20 years ago. He denied it after some time, and the accuser made her claim anonymously from a newly created twitter account. Nothing ever came of it, aside from fighting on the internet.
 
After my Tool post yesterday, I decided to give the new Tool a listen during my commute this morning. I really liked Tool through Lateralus. 10,000 Days did not grab me in any way. Fear Inoculum seems in line with 10,000 Days. I was bored after 1.5 songs and switched to *** with Marc Maron. Undertow, Aenima, and Lateralus still hold up for me, I don't think it is nostalgia: I'm just not feeling their more recent stuff. I'm not hearing anything new to grab onto and the production is beyond Steely Dan slick.

Heavy question: How do y'all handle bands/artists who are bad humans/have been accused of doing terrible things? Eg; separate the art from the artist, listen in private and ignore them in public, ignore the band/artist completely? For what it is worth, I am not talking about openly disgusting music like National Socialist Black Metal or skinhead bands, that jive is straight trash, IMO.

Also, any Colorado folks going to Boris this Friday? If you see a muscular ginger w/ a beard and glasses, say hello!
This is complex. I guess it depends on what we're talking about? One accusation, some instagram comments, more than a few public accusations, plea deals, actual convictions, personal experience?
I don't listen to Toby Keith because he's unapologetically racist, but his music also fushing sucks...Those are the easy ones.
There are a few artists who I have liked that I know longer will support by listening to them. I've sold their records, blocked them from streaming services, and removed them from my hard drive. If they come on the radio, I always turn the dial off the Nuge. There are probably a few bands/musicians that I would boycott if i actually paid attention to the "music" news. I'm not one of those proudly ignorant dipsh!ts, nor do I choose to be in the dark, I just don't have time to read gossip.
Generally, if I read something that's upsetting, I'll read a lot more. If I can't convince myself this person isn't the piece of poopie he or she has been accused of being, I find something else to listen to. In a few cases, if it's a matter of "he said - she said" ... I probably let myself believe what I want to believe. One time I actually asked an artist about an accusation, accepted his explanation and apology, and continued to support him.

This is really hard for fans and musicians alike. The way the internet lets any mindless turd say whatever they want can be unfairly damaging... and it can also be a great platform for a victim to expose some ugly truths about the music and musicians we love.

My band has been labeled/accused of/associated with bad poopie by one or two lame brain internet commenters (that should not be a word). Nothing could be further from the truth, of course; totally unsubstantiated fabrications conceived by the most pathetically inept brains, but because these idiots have a platform, and because that platform reaches billions of people, it may be something we have to deal with someday. We may have already lost some people over it, who knows. Its funny that the dumbest people and the biggest liars are the ones who Twit the most, isn't it ?!? Anyway....

I can tell you this: it really hurts to have someone hate you or hate your music because of someones lies or inability to think reasonably. It hurts even more to be accused of something you are passionately against.

The world is beyond repair
 
I hate Spotify. They take all that money and almost nothing goes to the artists. I wonder why most bands keep putting their stuff there, especially bands that in the past have fought against this kind of exploitation.

I can't argue with you there, the payouts are pretty pathetic compared to dues for premium and how many goddamn ads they run for free users. Spotify are kind of a necessary evil at this point. I have used it as a tool to discover a lot of good stuff and keep my playlists in one place. But I'd happily move elsewhere for the artist's sake.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oZZma
Heavy question: How do y'all handle bands/artists who are bad humans/have been accused of doing terrible things? Eg; separate the art from the artist, listen in private and ignore them in public, ignore the band/artist completely? For what it is worth, I am not talking about openly disgusting music like National Socialist Black Metal or skinhead bands, that jive is straight trash, IMO.
This is something I've thought a lot about and have some strong feelings about. I want to judge the art on its own terms. For example, I can totally enjoy Hvis lyset tar oss regardless of my feelings about what I know of Varg. When I listen to the music, I'm experiencing the music. If that experience is positive, I don't need to know anything more about the people who created it.

Sometimes personal interactions can affect my ability to enjoy an artist's music, though, which is a different category than what the artist's political/social views may be. I wish I could ignore it, but if I have a douchey interaction with someone (luckily it's only happened a couple times) it impacts my ability to enjoy the music...I wish it didn't.

I have some VERY strong feelings about those in the metal community who try to silence artists they don't like. I totally get someone not wanting to listen to Burzum because of the things Varg has done/said (to use him as an easy example again), and I'm not going to tell anyone what to listen to. But what I cannot tolerate is when people go a step further and try to prevent other people from hearing the music or when they try to stop the band from playing a show/tour. To me that is absolutely awful, regardless of whether it's a band I like.
 
Sometimes personal interactions can affect my ability to enjoy an artist's music, though, which is a different category than what the artist's political/social views may be. I wish I could ignore it, but if I have a douchey interaction with someone (luckily it's only happened a couple times) it impacts my ability to enjoy the music...I wish it didn't.

Didn't think about this initially, but it does resonate with me. It's hugely disappointing to have a bad one-on-one interaction with an artist whose work you admire. I think it's also relevant to consider the human side...maybe they just got some bad family news, maybe they are having a spike in depression, maybe they were up all night with food-poisoning. All with a grain of salt, right?

Edited to add: I think some of this falls in the same category as pro athletes for me. There's often this weird public perception that they should be outgoing, friendly to all, stellar role models in all aspects of life, ever-positive in public interactions, and on and on. (I'm not saying you're implying this, by the way.) It's just a weird social thing based on this insistence that a performer/athlete/entertainer makes a lot of money, or gets to do what they love as a job, or 'just throws a ball for a living', etc. It's an attitude that nullifies humanity for this specific segment of the population based on their profession. I've always thought it was a very bizarre expectation...
 
Last edited:
Didn't think about this initially, but it does resonate with me. It's hugely disappointing to have a bad one-on-one interaction with an artist whose work you admire. I think it's also relevant to consider the human side...maybe they just got some bad family news, maybe they are having a spike in depression, maybe they were up all night with food-poisoning. All with a grain of salt, right?
I totally agree. My problem is that the rational side of my brain isn't always able to convince the rest of my brain. (Great example: every time I step on an airplane. The rational side of my brain knows the statistics and knows that there's virtually zero chance of something bad happening, but my monkey brain is frothing at the mouth screaming about how this time it's definitely going down in a fiery inferno.) Even if I have one of these interactions and I'm unable to keep it from impacting my appreciation for the music, I'm not going to be telling people about it and making the artist look bad, largely for the reasons you cite. Unless it's something really bad...but luckily that hasn't happened to me.
 
The personal life/opinions/actions of an artist will always make the consumer of their art feel one way or another. It’s inherent in not only the art itself, but what generates the art in that person. I, like anyone, base their opinion on the sum of everything the artist is. I no longer listen to some artists because of their views, and I still listen to some that I do not agree with at all. It’s a true sum of parts that makes people decide on the matter.

The less we know about the artist the easier it is to not become inundated with their lives outside of the chosen medium. In this day, that is almost an impossibility. I would venture if people had know about Chuck Berry’s escapades back in the 1960s or Buddy Holly’s in the 50s, they would have a different impression of them than they did at the time. Hindsight seems to tell a more realistic tale than the history would want you to believe.

All in all, it’s just relative to the massive power we wield called smartphones, internet, a plethora of media outlets that are constantly seething and gnashing for any chance to dig up dirt on someone for their 5 minutes of stardom before moving on to the next victim, villain or hero. Are there heroes anymore?

Always remember, very few heroes are truly saintly, very few victims are always completely innocent, and hardly any villains are all bad. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, even though that’s probably more value than worth. Lol
 
On the positive side, there are some artists whose music I love, AND knowing about their personal life & philosophies magnifies my appreciation of them. Mike Scheidt of YOB (and the whole band for that matter) comes to mind. Unbelievable outlook, honest, vocal about his struggles & shortcomings as a human, but still very positive in his outlook. It comes out in the music regardless, but knowing some of the details behind it really paints a larger picture.
 
There is a thread going on in the main forum about recording a show, or yourself while at a show, with your phone in the air. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart but I cant stand conversing with the praise and worshipers, so I thought I'd get your take.
Someone posted this in that thread and it captures much of what I think on the topic.
What really ticks me off is when I paid a lot of money to see a BAND perform, and instead what I get to watch is VIDEOS of the band performing, as seen on the cellphones of all of the people who are standing in front of me recording it and preventing me from seeing the ACTUAL BAND itself.

If I wanted to watch VIDEOS of the band, I would have stayed home and watched them on YouTube.

The polite way to record live shows is to hold your phone in front of your OWN face or chest so that you are not blocking anybody's view but potentially your own.

It make me angry because they are selfishly ruining the concert experience for all the others, but I also get mad at what this type of behavior represents in our culture and society. A world of self-absorbed, self-important, people who are not able to experience art in a meaningful way... just taking video to share it on their "socials" and get a boost to their egos when people click the link to their youtube channel. So shallow, vain, and vacuous. They've accomplished nothing! They've held the phone in front of other people... yet somehow the video they've "shot" it so important/epic/lit/heart-eyes-emoji. Whats wrong with trying to remember what you saw in heard at show? I don't like using the H word ;) but I shaging hate these people and wish they would go away, permanently. The ultimate justice would be that if you held a phone in front of another concertgoers face you'd immediately lose you ability to reproduce.
 
It make me angry because they are selfishly ruining the concert experience for all the others, but I also get mad at what this type of behavior represents in our culture and society. A world of self-absorbed, self-important, people who are not able to experience art in a meaningful way... just taking video to share it on their "socials" and get a boost to their egos when people click the link to their youtube channel. So shallow, vain, and vacuous. They've accomplished nothing! They've held the phone in front of other people... yet somehow the video they've "shot" it so important/epic/lit/heart-eyes-emoji. Whats wrong with trying to remember what you saw in heard at show? I don't like using the H word ;) but I shagging hate these people and wish they would go away, permanently. The ultimate justice would be that if you held a phone in front of another concertgoers face you'd immediately lose you ability to reproduce.
I'm pretty much in agreement with you on all points. The phone thing is particularly onerous IMO because the bright screens make them almost impossible to ignore. If someone just holds up a drink or the like, unless it's right in front of my face it doesn't draw my eyes to it. A phone with its screen, though, seems to draw my attention unavoidably.
 
There is a thread going on in the main forum about recording a show, or yourself while at a show, with your phone in the air. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart but I cant stand conversing with the praise and worshipers, so I thought I'd get your take.
Someone posted this in that thread and it captures much of what I think on the topic.


It make me angry because they are selfishly ruining the concert experience for all the others, but I also get mad at what this type of behavior represents in our culture and society. A world of self-absorbed, self-important, people who are not able to experience art in a meaningful way... just taking video to share it on their "socials" and get a boost to their egos when people click the link to their youtube channel. So shallow, vain, and vacuous. They've accomplished nothing! They've held the phone in front of other people... yet somehow the video they've "shot" it so important/epic/lit/heart-eyes-emoji. Whats wrong with trying to remember what you saw in heard at show? I don't like using the H word ;) but I shagging hate these people and wish they would go away, permanently. The ultimate justice would be that if you held a phone in front of another concertgoers face you'd immediately lose you ability to reproduce.

The first minute of this exactly...


"The resolution on the kid is unbelievable if you just look! It's totally HD." :laugh:
 
Getting pretty old man in here. ;):woot::roflmao::thumbsup:

On the positive side, there are some artists whose music I love, AND knowing about their personal life & philosophies magnifies my appreciation of them. Mike Scheidt of YOB (and the whole band for that matter) comes to mind. Unbelievable outlook, honest, vocal about his struggles & shortcomings as a human, but still very positive in his outlook. It comes out in the music regardless, but knowing some of the details behind it really paints a larger picture.

Im such a Mike Scheidt fanboy. Dude seems like such an awesome person in all his interviews Nd the couple of times ive met him at shows. He and the rest of those dudes deserve all the success and notoriety comkng to them.
 
not to derail the current discussion, but do you guys see the 'EDIT' button on any of your posts? that thing has disappeared for me.


EDIT: ok I can edit this one, but not one from like ~5 hours ago on the last page. Whut deeee fkuck.