Okay, let's commentary this bitch! First, some stats. These apply to the top 60 only.
Oldest song - A Lover's Concerto, 1965
Newest song - I Can Feel it Calling, August 2018 (!)
Songs by decade:
60s - 3
70s - 8
80s - 11
90s - 10
2000s - 18
2010s - 10
Well, that was interesting. I was always "80s pop girl," then "90s country girl," but I seem to have settled into "2000s indie girl." Progress? Or maybe that's just the mood I've been in for the last... two or three years. I know I will never be "2010s girl," unless I decide I just wanna listen to Creeper forever. Which is possible, actually. There are the same number of songs from the 2010s as the 90s though, so that's something!
I wanted to break it down by genre too, but so many songs fall into a gray area, where would I even put them? "Indie?" Under the general umbrella of "rock?" What are the New Pornographers, or the Shins? What is Fleetwood Mac? What is Tom Waits? What is love, baby don't hurt me no more?
If this list made one thing clear, it's that I like big, anthemy-feeling songs. I like wistful, hopeful melancholy. I like songs I'd get tattooed on my body, if I had the slightest bit of pain tolerance (srsly, I might as well be made of tissue paper). I like the "carry on, we'll carry on" of "Welcome to the Black Parade," the "it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going" of "Last Hope," the "everything will be alright in the end" outro of "Foolish Father." I like the chills I get from "House on a Hill," particularly "I am not afraid, I won't burn out in this place. My intention is to fade, and I will." I like the righteous "fuck you" of "forget your high society, I'm soakin' it in kerosene." I like the comforting yet heartbreaking "what a beautiful face I have found in this place." I like to yell "let's get hexed, let's hang out!" to no one in particular. These songs are all iconic to me, and I can't imagine life without them.
A few more notes -
9. The hardest choice for this list was between Tom Waits' "Time" and "Take it With You." I could have easily picked either one.
12. This is actually "Pizza Cutter" by Letters to Cleo, not "Little Rosa." Spotify oopsed up. "Little Rosa" is also great through.
13. I think "Hotel California" and "Welcome to the Black Parade" are the two greatest rock songs ever written. That shit sets MOODS.
18-20. Some Boston band love. Also, how many times can I include my girl Kay Hanley while still sticking to my rule? The answer is three.
24. Yes, my favorite Green Day song is from Uno! Sorry? rofl.
25. Yes, a song released this month made my top 60 of all time. This isn't something I'd usually do, but sometimes you just know, y'know? This has so many of those anthemy-feeling moments I can't even narrow it down to one. This is the best Killers song the Killers never made.
27. The second-hardest choice was between "My Maria" and "Neon Moon." I went with the upbeat one, but it could have been either. There isn't a lot of country on this list for two reasons. 1, it got hit hard by the one song per artist rule and 2, no Garth on Spotify.
35. There's only one hip hop song, and it's Macklemore. Sorry? rofl. But "Downtown," damn. This is a hip hop song with a glam rock chorus about buying a moped and riding it through the streets of Seattle. That is a thing that exists, and it's gloriously weird and I can't imagine it not existing. This is the "Bohemian Rhapsody" of the 2010s. Mow yer damn lawn and sit the hell down!
47. This song calls back to my #22 song, "Crimson and Clover." That's awesome.
52. I used to joke "ALL songs are about death," because of "The Way." Like, what a happy-sounding song! Where are they going, Disneyland? To have a picnic? Yay! ...oh, wait. This is about death. They're not coming back from this picnic, ever. So, any song can be about death. "It's a Small World?" Yeah, we all share the fact that we're all gonna DIE. And I never explained the joke, so plenty of people probably think I'm crazy. Yay!
57. If your favorites list doesn't include at least one ABBA song, you're not living your best life.
60. And we end with more Boston love, a song specifically about the Red Sox. This song has the most personal meaning for me than any other really. I moved to New England in 2004. I was already a big Sox fan. This song also came out in '04, and I basically adopted it. When the Sox eventually won the World Series that year, I took partial credit (for being there, y'know) and gave the rest to this song. I kinda blended the two together. Am I the reincarnation of Tessie? Maybe! I used the name "Tessie" on social media for years. This was my shit. Damn I miss the Sox.
Hon. mentions -
2. "Hotel California" was an easy pick, but if it didn't exist, "Take it to the Limit" would have easily made the main list.
3. Same deal with "Strawberry Fields" and "Blackbird." Some bands just write too many amazing songs.
7. "The House that Built Me" is probably a better Miranda song than "Kerosene," and it's also deeply meaningful to me, but "Kerosene" is such a huge song in my life. I might never have gotten back into country after 9/11 if I hadn't heard it.
11. I also managed to fit Kay Hanley in twice on the honourable mentions, teehee. I probably should have included the Dropkick Murphys' "Dirty Glass" to make it another three.
19. "After Hours" has some of my favorite lyrics and yeah, I'm pretty sure this one's about death too. "If you close the door, the night could last forever." But "Science vs Romance" was MY song for years and it got me through some tough times. So many hard choices!
This was a lot of fun to put together and make. Long live music. Peace!
Friday, August 17, 2018
Monday, August 13, 2018
Top 60 Favorite Songs EVER! (1 per artist)
Been working on this for awhile, super excited to have it done! One song per artist for the sake of my sanity. A solo member of a band counts as a different artist. I'll do some commentary in a new post. Enjoy!
https://open.spotify.com/user/emperorcupcake22/playlist/4pOfmu4suTRXgDPNlhkWPR
Honourable mentions, the toughest songs I had to cut:
https://open.spotify.com/user/emperorcupcake22/playlist/5HFNkxErdOGIVGRKJ5pwJf
https://open.spotify.com/user/emperorcupcake22/playlist/4pOfmu4suTRXgDPNlhkWPR
Honourable mentions, the toughest songs I had to cut:
https://open.spotify.com/user/emperorcupcake22/playlist/5HFNkxErdOGIVGRKJ5pwJf
Tuesday, August 07, 2018
New music Tuesday ~ Halestorm, Trash Boat, Trophy Eyes, and Houndmouth
I think I've listened to four new albums since the last one I mentioned, which was Gorillaz. (Side note: I decided to relisten to Taylor Swift's Red and man, that album is so much better than I remembered. Just skip the pop singles and enjoy.) Okay, let's talk new music!
First we have Vicious by Halestorm. If you like good, straightforward rock n roll with killer vocals, this is an easy listen. To me, Halestorm has always been good but only made great by Lzzy Hale's vocals. They're not doing anything new and the songs aren't the most standout or creative, but that's kind of the point. With that comes consistency. Sometimes you just wanna rock, and you can rock right out to this. Definitely recommended - I think it's my favorite of their albums - and I'll be spinning it a lot come Rocktober. That's what this is, an album made for Rocktober. You want that vibe, you got it.
I don't dislike any song here, but a few favourites are "Killing Ourselves to Live" (great 80s singalong chorus), "Black Vultures," "White Dress," and "Vicious" ("what doesn't kill me makes me vicious" YUSSSSSSSSSSSSS)
Next up is Crown Shyness by UK band Trash Boat. I'd seen this name pop up in relation to Creeper, but only checked them out after positive buzz about their new album. And yeah, I dig the hell out of this. Pop punk that rocks, or rock that... pop punks? Despite my love of some of the older pop punk and emo bands, I haven't gotten into a lot of the newer stuff. Maybe my tastes have just matured since then, though I do still listen to the old stuff. Just not much was clicking with me on that front - until Trash Boat. They're not that "standard" pop punk sound which can get old and samey pretty fast. They're also not that screamy hardcore sound which makes me feel like someone's trying to jam large pieces of furniture in my ears. There's an element of that, but it's not overdone. I really like the balance they strike here - easy to listen to, but enough edge to keep it from being boring.
Again, this is a good listen all the way through for me, but a few favourites are "Undermine," "Old Soul," "Inside Out," and the slower, very feel-y title track if you want some old school emo vibes.
I continued in a similar vein with another buzzy band, Australia's Trophy Eyes. These guys hit me upside the head (in a good way!) with the opening of their song "You Can Count on Me" - "Some of my friends sell drugs, but I just sell sad songs" they shout, in one of the most singalong, anthemic choruses I've heard in awhile. So I checked out The American Dream hoping to find more of that attitude and well, on the whole this album isn't for me. It has too much of those modern poppy touches I don't like, the gang vocals and the "whoa ohs."
However! In addition to "You Can Count on Me," there are two songs here I really love and want to shout out. Continuing with the "sad song" theme we have "Autumn" - "Keep your home in your heart, keeps you out of the rain, don't let those sad songs rot your brain." Yeah, that's about as emo as it gets but it's also GREAT. And it references The Killers' Sam's Town which I've been playing the hell out of all year, so yeah. THEN there's "I Can Feel it Calling," a six-minute fucking rock n roll anthem I've been listening to almost nonstop. Seriously, if you like big, arena-ready songs, check this out. It has the crashing guitars and drums your little rock n roll heart has been craving. Also, this Killersesque kind of song suits the singer's voice way more than the poppier stuff does. I hope they go more in this mature direction in the future, because they are way too talented to just pander to "the kids." This is a legit rock band that I hope is in the process of coming into their own.
Last we have Golden Age by Houndmouth and ummm... did no one tell these guys MGMT already released an album this year? Pop production strikes again. :( It's worse than kudzu. Look, this is not a band I want to be snarky about; I want to support smaller bands and I still have their song "Sedona" in heavy rotation. It's also fine that they changed their sound. They weren't an easy band to label in the first place. But... I couldn't get through most of this album. Several songs, including the opener, are just a distorted mess over an electropop beat. The song "Golden Age" literally sounds like a straight MGMT rip. I like MGMT in small doses, but I don't need another one. And that's one of the more listenable songs. "This Party" gave me horrible flashbacks to Weezer trying too hard in the 2000s. Like Raditude, who is this album even FOR?
HOWEVER! There's one song on this album I love, and another I like, so let's end on a positive. "Modern Love" is a lovely, hooky guitar song with an easy summer vibe, and when the hints of distortion come in they really work in contrast to the more organic sound. If the album had been more like this, I would have loved it. "Waiting for the Night" is also pretty interesting. You have a catchy chorus that sounds straight out of the late 70s or early 80s, a riff that really reminds me of early Belle and Sebastian for some reason, and fuzzy, distorted guitars that again work in contrast to the rest of the song, rather than swallowing it whole. This is a cool, layered track that shows what the band can do when they're trying. I really don't know what they were doing on most of this album though.
So overall, the past month has been pretty great for me. Three full albums I dig (including Gorillaz), and a handful of cool songs from albums I was middling-to-negative on. I'm generally a full album person, but when I can mine even a few new songs from an album I'm pretty happy. I just want fresh music.
Here's a summer playlist featuring all this* and more! A few of the songs are from last year.
*except "Autumn." I can't put a song called "Autumn" on a summer playlist, my aesthetic will explode into a black hole.
https://open.spotify.com/user/emperorcupcake22/playlist/7pW57VXuMCYSs3PX5g0vy6
Thursday, August 02, 2018
tbt ~ My Favorite Year
You'd think picking a favorite year in music would be really hard for someone who has heard and loved so much music over four decades, not to mention all the great years before I was born. But nope, it's really easy - 1994.
I don't wanna hear about that awful Jason Aldean song that sounded NOTHING like 1994, but he's right that it was a good year for country and an even better year for alternative rock. 1994 was the first year I heard what would go on to be three of my favorite bands to this day - Weezer, Letters to Cleo, and Green Day. I like to take myself back and think about the first time I heard "Buddy Holly," or "Here and Now," or "Basket Case." Songs I played so to death that year and the ensuing years that I'd be fine with never hearing them again. But the legacy of those three songs... damn. They, and the albums containing them I immediately rushed out to buy, and all the albums that came after, made me the music listener I am today more than anything else. That all three bands released new, quality music in the past couple years says a lot. It says, "dang girl, you've always had good taste." And then I feel good because I love my music. :)
So while those three albums alone would cement 1994 as "my year," what else of note to me came out?
Whip-Smart by Liz Phair - This album was so on heavy rotation I could have put it up with the top three, but it was not my introduction to Liz. Just a fantastic follow-up to one of the greatest albums ever.
Rubberneck by Toadies - WHY couldn't these guys stick around? This has been described as "Southern gothic doom" and oh my lord, am I all about this album. Any rock fan today should listen to this immediately, it will sound so fresh and sick and not "90s dated." Truly its own beautiful, unique little piece of music history.
Sixteen Stone by Bush - Okay, this thing sounds 90s af, but that's part of why I love it.
Mellow Gold by Beck - Honestly, I don't love this album. It's a little messy and weird for my taste. BUT it did introduce me to Beck, a favorite artist to this day, and I was right on top of the classic Odelay! when it came out thanks to this debut.
Definitely Maybe by Oasis - Oasis' first album and their second-best. These guys fell off, but man were they great in 1994.
American Thighs by Veruca Salt - The introduction to another of my staple 90s bands, and still my favorite of theirs.
Purple by Stone Temple Pilots - My second-favourite STP album (after Tiny Music). They were my favorite of the grunge bands cause they had more of a, classic rock mixed with grunge sound? I dig it.
Okay. I brought up the Aldean song, so where's the freakin' Joe Diffie, huh?? It's okay, I got your Diffie. Let's get into 1994 country. Well, here's the thing about 90s country. As much as I love it, I never had a whole lot of albums. It was more of a singles thing. Oh I had some Garth and Alan Jackson, but it was more about the radio. And oh yeah, greatest hits albums. I had a lot of those, actually. Are they even a thing anymore?
Was 1994 the best, or even an especially good year in 90s country? No, not really. But that's not putting it down; it's just that every year of the early-to-mid 90s was a great year. 1990-97 all kinda run together for me, y'know? But it was a very good year for Joe Diffie. This was the year of "Pickup Man," "John Deere Green," and "Third Rock from the Sun." Oh Lordy, that is Peak Diffie right there. They named an entire tv show after one of his songs! It ran for five years! #rememberthediffie
So before I get into my favorite songs of the year, here are a few notable albums I remember owning.
Garth Brooks - The Hits. Yeah yeah, a greatest hits album, but you don't understand, man. This was THE greatest hits album. This thing was like an event. This had ALL the big songs on it, and I played the hell out of it. This is a must-have for every country fan, in my totally not humble opinion.
Who I Am by Alan Jackson - Still the definitive Alan Jackson album for me, featuring "Livin' on Love," "Gone Country," and "Song for the Life." Classic. Maybe this was an especially good year.
Waitin' on Sundown by Brooks and Dunn - Maybe a somewhat overlooked entry in their catalog between Brand New Man and Borderline, but a darn good one. Featuring the classics "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind" and "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone."
And some favorite songs that I didn't already mention -
"Callin' Baton Rouge"
"Every Once in Awhile"
"Fast as You"
"Hangin' In"
"I Just Wanted You to Know"
"Life #9"
"State of Mind"
"That Ain't No Way to Go"
"Trying to Get Over You"
"When You Walk in the Room"
"Wish I Didn't Know Now"
"You Will"
1994. An unmatched year in alternative rock, and part of a string of great years in country. So many artists that helped form my taste and I still love to this day. It was a bad year for Tim McGraw though, yikes. Oh, not commercially, but... "Indian Outlaw?" "Down on the Farm?" Yuck! No, he'd have to wait til '95 for that pure 90s goodness, with songs like "Can't Be Really Gone" and "She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart." Eh, not even the best year can be perfect.
You'll notice I didn't say anything about pop music. Well I didn't listen to it, I was all rock and country. Okay, I love "The Sign" by Ace of Base. There, I said it.
EDITED TO ADD: The #50 song of 1994 was "Loser" by Beck. Of the YEAR. On the POP CHART. That alone proves my case, 1994 was COOL AF. You know what the #50 song of 2017 was? That braying goat song! 2016? A dull, already forgotten whinefest by Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez. 1994 will murder you in your sleep, 2016! Oh! And #51 was "Found Out About You" by the Gin Blossoms. Remember when you could get big making melodic guitar songs? 1994 does.
I don't wanna hear about that awful Jason Aldean song that sounded NOTHING like 1994, but he's right that it was a good year for country and an even better year for alternative rock. 1994 was the first year I heard what would go on to be three of my favorite bands to this day - Weezer, Letters to Cleo, and Green Day. I like to take myself back and think about the first time I heard "Buddy Holly," or "Here and Now," or "Basket Case." Songs I played so to death that year and the ensuing years that I'd be fine with never hearing them again. But the legacy of those three songs... damn. They, and the albums containing them I immediately rushed out to buy, and all the albums that came after, made me the music listener I am today more than anything else. That all three bands released new, quality music in the past couple years says a lot. It says, "dang girl, you've always had good taste." And then I feel good because I love my music. :)
So while those three albums alone would cement 1994 as "my year," what else of note to me came out?
Whip-Smart by Liz Phair - This album was so on heavy rotation I could have put it up with the top three, but it was not my introduction to Liz. Just a fantastic follow-up to one of the greatest albums ever.
Rubberneck by Toadies - WHY couldn't these guys stick around? This has been described as "Southern gothic doom" and oh my lord, am I all about this album. Any rock fan today should listen to this immediately, it will sound so fresh and sick and not "90s dated." Truly its own beautiful, unique little piece of music history.
Sixteen Stone by Bush - Okay, this thing sounds 90s af, but that's part of why I love it.
Mellow Gold by Beck - Honestly, I don't love this album. It's a little messy and weird for my taste. BUT it did introduce me to Beck, a favorite artist to this day, and I was right on top of the classic Odelay! when it came out thanks to this debut.
Definitely Maybe by Oasis - Oasis' first album and their second-best. These guys fell off, but man were they great in 1994.
American Thighs by Veruca Salt - The introduction to another of my staple 90s bands, and still my favorite of theirs.
Purple by Stone Temple Pilots - My second-favourite STP album (after Tiny Music). They were my favorite of the grunge bands cause they had more of a, classic rock mixed with grunge sound? I dig it.
Okay. I brought up the Aldean song, so where's the freakin' Joe Diffie, huh?? It's okay, I got your Diffie. Let's get into 1994 country. Well, here's the thing about 90s country. As much as I love it, I never had a whole lot of albums. It was more of a singles thing. Oh I had some Garth and Alan Jackson, but it was more about the radio. And oh yeah, greatest hits albums. I had a lot of those, actually. Are they even a thing anymore?
Was 1994 the best, or even an especially good year in 90s country? No, not really. But that's not putting it down; it's just that every year of the early-to-mid 90s was a great year. 1990-97 all kinda run together for me, y'know? But it was a very good year for Joe Diffie. This was the year of "Pickup Man," "John Deere Green," and "Third Rock from the Sun." Oh Lordy, that is Peak Diffie right there. They named an entire tv show after one of his songs! It ran for five years! #rememberthediffie
So before I get into my favorite songs of the year, here are a few notable albums I remember owning.
Garth Brooks - The Hits. Yeah yeah, a greatest hits album, but you don't understand, man. This was THE greatest hits album. This thing was like an event. This had ALL the big songs on it, and I played the hell out of it. This is a must-have for every country fan, in my totally not humble opinion.
Who I Am by Alan Jackson - Still the definitive Alan Jackson album for me, featuring "Livin' on Love," "Gone Country," and "Song for the Life." Classic. Maybe this was an especially good year.
Waitin' on Sundown by Brooks and Dunn - Maybe a somewhat overlooked entry in their catalog between Brand New Man and Borderline, but a darn good one. Featuring the classics "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind" and "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone."
And some favorite songs that I didn't already mention -
"Callin' Baton Rouge"
"Every Once in Awhile"
"Fast as You"
"Hangin' In"
"I Just Wanted You to Know"
"Life #9"
"State of Mind"
"That Ain't No Way to Go"
"Trying to Get Over You"
"When You Walk in the Room"
"Wish I Didn't Know Now"
"You Will"
1994. An unmatched year in alternative rock, and part of a string of great years in country. So many artists that helped form my taste and I still love to this day. It was a bad year for Tim McGraw though, yikes. Oh, not commercially, but... "Indian Outlaw?" "Down on the Farm?" Yuck! No, he'd have to wait til '95 for that pure 90s goodness, with songs like "Can't Be Really Gone" and "She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart." Eh, not even the best year can be perfect.
You'll notice I didn't say anything about pop music. Well I didn't listen to it, I was all rock and country. Okay, I love "The Sign" by Ace of Base. There, I said it.
EDITED TO ADD: The #50 song of 1994 was "Loser" by Beck. Of the YEAR. On the POP CHART. That alone proves my case, 1994 was COOL AF. You know what the #50 song of 2017 was? That braying goat song! 2016? A dull, already forgotten whinefest by Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez. 1994 will murder you in your sleep, 2016! Oh! And #51 was "Found Out About You" by the Gin Blossoms. Remember when you could get big making melodic guitar songs? 1994 does.
Wednesday, August 01, 2018
Don't meet (or tweet) your heroes
Social media + fan culture = toxic stew.
The phrase "don't meet your heroes" has existed for as long as I can remember. It's not something to take 100% literally, more of a caution. If you're gonna meet your heroes... be prepared.
Fan culture has also existed forever but hoo boy, has social media made it awkward. And intense. All the scary, tribal ways we process politics now is happening in pop culture too. Most people don't see it because it tends to be very young people. I only see it because music youtubers I follow occasionally point it out. And it's a problem, folks.
We have become so unbelievably homogeneous as people, just in the last 10 years. Must every single thing in our lives match up to our personal beliefs? What kind of narrow-ass way is that to live? Social media is clearly the catalyst here, but I'm not blaming social media itself. We can still learn to think for ourselves and not join the mob.
Social media essentially lets us "meet" our heroes every day. This is not a good thing. This is why I only follow two of my favorite musicians on twitter, Kay Hanley and Hayley Williams. These are people I've been familiar with for years and feel comfortable letting into my home via computer. Hell, Paramore even does a great song on this subject called "Idle Worship." I think some of their fans need to listen to these lyrics.
But social media is just the tool. How you use it is up to you. I choose to follow a small amount of people to keep the noise level down. It seems a lot of high school and college kids just get into a band and start following every member. You see the problem here? What are the odds that every member of a band you like is gonna say only stuff you approve of? And then you're gonna stop listening to them when they don't? It's almost like a trap. Human beings are not perfect, and they don't all agree. It's called fucking life.
I'm a pretty progressive person and I'm not coming from the "LOL TRIGGERED SNOWFLAKES" perspective. I HATE that shit. But I bet a lot of people would I assume I am coming from there, simply because I disagree with "cancelling" someone over one dumb tweet. I think people have become so sensitive because of our awful cultural/political climate right now - and I mean, rightly so - that they're having these extreme reactions over everything. And that doesn't help, it only serves to alienate us further from each other.
There are cases where I would stop supporting someone over "one tweet." If they used bigoted hate speech, or threatened violence against a person or an animal. But here's what happened yesterday. I've never heard either of these bands and again, I only know about it from music youtubers, so I'm not naming names. I don't care. One guy in a band on Warped Tour said something about another guy in a band on Warped Tour who I guess had spoken out about his performance anxiety. First dude basically said "We're out here doing what we love every day, why is this guy complaining about it, suck it up." Yeah, he actually said suck it up. It's a bad tweet and a bad look and as someone who suffers from anxiety, I sure as hell wouldn't follow someone who's so intolerant of it.
But would I stop listening to his music? No. No I wouldn't. Because that would imply I have to stop listening to everyone I don't agree with. I read a couple months ago that Shania Twain was all pro-Tr*mp, and I rolled my eyes and moved on. I didn't delete her songs. The two things have nothing to do with each other for me. As for what this guy said - it's insensitive, but it sounds like he doesn't understand anxiety and is just coming from a "count your blessings" kind of place. It's ignorant, but does it make him a bad person? I don't think so. And does it really even matter, if you like the music?
Don't meet your heroes, and if you accidentally meet them and they step on your foot, just let it go man. There are more important things to worry about. Don't get so caught up in these people's lives. I mean, think about it. Unless the only bands you follow are straightedge and deeply religious, your favorite musicians probably do some fucked up shit. Drugs, sleeping around, excessive drinking, etc. But we don't judge that stuff because we don't see it. We don't want to see it. But then we follow them on social media and expect them to be perfect angels?
Let's contrast this with two bigger things that have happened recently. First there's the case of Roseanne. While I found her racist tweet reprehensible, at first I wasn't sure if she should lose her whole career over one tweet. Like wow, that seems a little witch hunty. But here's why an actual bigoted tweet is different from one insensitive tweet. If you make a mean-spirited racist joke, you're probably a racist. And if you're a racist, there's probably a pattern of it going back years that just wasn't made public. I don't think Roseanne was fired over one tweet. I think it was a public catalyst to get rid of someone who's been toxic for years. I mean, if you're a bigot, you're a bigot, you know? It's not limited to twitter. There's no evidence the guy who made the dumb tweet is actually bigoted against people with mental health issues over that one comment. He was saying focus on the positive and stop complaining, in that wrongheaded way that people who don't understand mental health issues do. But ignorance and being actively bigoted are two different things.
My second example has nothing to do with social media, but still serves to contrast. Roberto Osuna, the Jays' former closer who (allegedly) physically abused his wife. I say allegedly because he has not been convicted yet, but there's no gray area here, he obviously did it. Anyway, as soon as I realized "yup, this guy I had so much stock in yesterday actually did this thing" I wanted him gone from my team and life. I didn't know if I'd be able to root for them anymore if he was there. THAT'S the kind of situation where you stop being a fan - or "cancel" to use the annoying AF lingo. It's very important we make these distinctions between actual violent crimes, or actual hate, and someone just making a bad tweet, or down the slippery slope we will go. Best case scenario, this dude was misunderstood, misspoke, or will learn from his mistake. Worst case, he's just an asshole. Imagine if we stopped listening to all rock stars who are assholes. OMG.
Don't meet your heroes unless you're prepared to know they're human. Some humans are assholes, but can still do great work. This is part of life. And unless it's an extreme case - like the kind of thing that would make the news - let's keep music, film, art, sports, etc. about what they are. They're some of the few purely enjoyable things we have out there. Let's just accept that the people involved aren't perfect and take the gift they've given us anyway. Otherwise, we're all gonna be living increasingly narrower lives. And that scares me.
The phrase "don't meet your heroes" has existed for as long as I can remember. It's not something to take 100% literally, more of a caution. If you're gonna meet your heroes... be prepared.
Fan culture has also existed forever but hoo boy, has social media made it awkward. And intense. All the scary, tribal ways we process politics now is happening in pop culture too. Most people don't see it because it tends to be very young people. I only see it because music youtubers I follow occasionally point it out. And it's a problem, folks.
We have become so unbelievably homogeneous as people, just in the last 10 years. Must every single thing in our lives match up to our personal beliefs? What kind of narrow-ass way is that to live? Social media is clearly the catalyst here, but I'm not blaming social media itself. We can still learn to think for ourselves and not join the mob.
Social media essentially lets us "meet" our heroes every day. This is not a good thing. This is why I only follow two of my favorite musicians on twitter, Kay Hanley and Hayley Williams. These are people I've been familiar with for years and feel comfortable letting into my home via computer. Hell, Paramore even does a great song on this subject called "Idle Worship." I think some of their fans need to listen to these lyrics.
But social media is just the tool. How you use it is up to you. I choose to follow a small amount of people to keep the noise level down. It seems a lot of high school and college kids just get into a band and start following every member. You see the problem here? What are the odds that every member of a band you like is gonna say only stuff you approve of? And then you're gonna stop listening to them when they don't? It's almost like a trap. Human beings are not perfect, and they don't all agree. It's called fucking life.
I'm a pretty progressive person and I'm not coming from the "LOL TRIGGERED SNOWFLAKES" perspective. I HATE that shit. But I bet a lot of people would I assume I am coming from there, simply because I disagree with "cancelling" someone over one dumb tweet. I think people have become so sensitive because of our awful cultural/political climate right now - and I mean, rightly so - that they're having these extreme reactions over everything. And that doesn't help, it only serves to alienate us further from each other.
There are cases where I would stop supporting someone over "one tweet." If they used bigoted hate speech, or threatened violence against a person or an animal. But here's what happened yesterday. I've never heard either of these bands and again, I only know about it from music youtubers, so I'm not naming names. I don't care. One guy in a band on Warped Tour said something about another guy in a band on Warped Tour who I guess had spoken out about his performance anxiety. First dude basically said "We're out here doing what we love every day, why is this guy complaining about it, suck it up." Yeah, he actually said suck it up. It's a bad tweet and a bad look and as someone who suffers from anxiety, I sure as hell wouldn't follow someone who's so intolerant of it.
But would I stop listening to his music? No. No I wouldn't. Because that would imply I have to stop listening to everyone I don't agree with. I read a couple months ago that Shania Twain was all pro-Tr*mp, and I rolled my eyes and moved on. I didn't delete her songs. The two things have nothing to do with each other for me. As for what this guy said - it's insensitive, but it sounds like he doesn't understand anxiety and is just coming from a "count your blessings" kind of place. It's ignorant, but does it make him a bad person? I don't think so. And does it really even matter, if you like the music?
Don't meet your heroes, and if you accidentally meet them and they step on your foot, just let it go man. There are more important things to worry about. Don't get so caught up in these people's lives. I mean, think about it. Unless the only bands you follow are straightedge and deeply religious, your favorite musicians probably do some fucked up shit. Drugs, sleeping around, excessive drinking, etc. But we don't judge that stuff because we don't see it. We don't want to see it. But then we follow them on social media and expect them to be perfect angels?
Let's contrast this with two bigger things that have happened recently. First there's the case of Roseanne. While I found her racist tweet reprehensible, at first I wasn't sure if she should lose her whole career over one tweet. Like wow, that seems a little witch hunty. But here's why an actual bigoted tweet is different from one insensitive tweet. If you make a mean-spirited racist joke, you're probably a racist. And if you're a racist, there's probably a pattern of it going back years that just wasn't made public. I don't think Roseanne was fired over one tweet. I think it was a public catalyst to get rid of someone who's been toxic for years. I mean, if you're a bigot, you're a bigot, you know? It's not limited to twitter. There's no evidence the guy who made the dumb tweet is actually bigoted against people with mental health issues over that one comment. He was saying focus on the positive and stop complaining, in that wrongheaded way that people who don't understand mental health issues do. But ignorance and being actively bigoted are two different things.
My second example has nothing to do with social media, but still serves to contrast. Roberto Osuna, the Jays' former closer who (allegedly) physically abused his wife. I say allegedly because he has not been convicted yet, but there's no gray area here, he obviously did it. Anyway, as soon as I realized "yup, this guy I had so much stock in yesterday actually did this thing" I wanted him gone from my team and life. I didn't know if I'd be able to root for them anymore if he was there. THAT'S the kind of situation where you stop being a fan - or "cancel" to use the annoying AF lingo. It's very important we make these distinctions between actual violent crimes, or actual hate, and someone just making a bad tweet, or down the slippery slope we will go. Best case scenario, this dude was misunderstood, misspoke, or will learn from his mistake. Worst case, he's just an asshole. Imagine if we stopped listening to all rock stars who are assholes. OMG.
Don't meet your heroes unless you're prepared to know they're human. Some humans are assholes, but can still do great work. This is part of life. And unless it's an extreme case - like the kind of thing that would make the news - let's keep music, film, art, sports, etc. about what they are. They're some of the few purely enjoyable things we have out there. Let's just accept that the people involved aren't perfect and take the gift they've given us anyway. Otherwise, we're all gonna be living increasingly narrower lives. And that scares me.
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