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Monday, January 7, 2013

diversis

Today's remarks stem from a comment by a friend on facebook.  She was persuading people to branch out more in their musical worlds and experiment with different things rather than all the pop music they play at clubs and on the radio and such.  She pointed out that often an "indie" or "alternative" song will gain a lot of popularity (thereby becoming overplayed, to the dismay of hipsters everywhere) and people will love it because "it's so different."

This brought me to a theory of mine that I've hoped to be true for quite some time now.  It is this:

Nobody actually loves pop music.  Stuff like Ke$ha or Dubstep or Nicki Minaj...Sure, most people will listen to it, but in my nice little theory, they don't actually like it as much as they appear to do.
You could ask them what their favorite song is, and they would probably name some Bob Dylan song because it reminds them of spending time with their Grandfather.
But lyrics like "When I touch mic I see the men scatta/Scatta, as if I had a clutch on a magnum" (repeated about ten times to the tune of screaming over a techno cacophony) don't really give us those fond connections we're seeking.  Since we're imagining everyone running away from our singing as if they're about to be mortally wounded.
 
So, according to this theory, why is pop music popular?  Well, it's popular because the individual is confused and thinks that the masses like it.
The masses appear to like the music because they, acting as individuals, assume that this is the popular music that will make them look cool and make them fit in with the masses.  So they listen to this music, and other individuals see them with their "YOLO" and "swag" (formerly known as being "fly"), and those other individuals get the feeling that this is what they must do to appear popular and fit into the group as well.
And it becomes a terrible vicious cycle of terrible music, and then these ridiculous artists with little actual talent rake in millions, and their fangirls go on and on about how deep the lyrics are.

And it drives me crazy.

In my world, where this theory is ideally correct, I like to think that deep down, where our inner person is buried, people like to listen to stuff like local artists, or classic rock, or even the occasional classical music.
Mozart says "Me gusta"
Where the song is not there to prove how intense of a person you are, but that you're actually a person.

Unfortunately this theory is not entirely correct because there are some people who like pop music because they actually like it, and there is some pop music out there that is not absolute garbage.  Even I have a short list of pop songs that I find acceptable and even enjoyable.

So what's the point in sharing an incorrect theory with the world?
Well, I think that this theory might not apply absolutely (ie: the claim that nobody actually likes pop music) but that it still applies partially to many things in life.

A cliché example is walking out of a movie.  You might feel awkward to stand up, disrupt everyone else's movie experience, and leave.  You might be afraid that everyone will think you're being ridiculous, that seeing and hearing whatever might be on the screen has offended you. They probably think you're acting like a baby who can't take anything mature.

I'm not lecturing on what should and shouldn't make you uncomfortable; that's entirely up to you and your personal standards and integrity, and it's different for each person. What I am saying is that if something rubs you wrong or represents you in a way that is not yourself or the person you want yourself to be, then by all means abandon it.

And if that's pop music, don't be afraid to listen to a different station when your friends are in the car.  Maybe they'll enjoy it too.
If that's wearing a particular style of clothing, wear what you think best suits you.  If beanies suit you better than fedoras, wear beanies. Even if your friends appear to favor fedoras.
If that's going to a different university than all of your friends, don't be afraid to go where you think you'll fit better, or where your program of interest is stronger.

Don't be afraid to be the first to step out of the mainstream and do what suits you.
You might just have people agree with you and follow your example. And maybe enough people like you can make a change.

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