Music and who you are.

[againstthewind]

Do you believe that the type or style of music you listen to is indicative of the type of person you are?? I.E....if you listen to a ton of metal, does it mean you are a young headbanger and are angry at the world?? Or if you like country does it mean you are a simple minded redneck?? Personally I think that we can't be defined by the music we enjoy, but I think there is something to the argument that you are what you eat....so to speak. Example, when I was younger, I loved the hardest rock out there, experienced the begining of the modern Heavy Metal movement with Metallica's first couple of albums, and I loved it all. Now, 20+ years later, I still appreciate that music, however, I can honestly say I enjoyed it much more at that time in my life because it was, for the moment, about working out agression, and dealing with the inner demons so to speak. I hear the same songs now that I loved so much, so long ago, and I can see how I must have been angry to enjoy that music. If given the chance to pop in my cd of choice right now, chances greatly are it would not be something agressive and heavy. But at the same time, I don't believe people should be pigeonholed. Any thoughts??

[WinterlessIceness]

Yeah, sho totally

[againstthewind]

Man, you know you are getting old when you really start to get sick of trendy things that people can't let go of.

[againstthewind]

Yeah, sho totally

Perhaps the Eastern Block communists have a sense of humor after all!!

[Axxman300]

I think some people use music to reinforce their social identity. It's something they should grow out of after highschool. If you like a song, you just like it. I shouldn't reflect on you as a person. There are some great kids who listen to M&M, they're straight A-students and reliable people. Mark David Chapman was a Beatles fan, so was Charles Manson. Metal doesn't automatically make you tough, listening to RUSH doesn't make you a rocket sceintist and listening to Prince doesn't make you Bi-sexual. If you walk by the barracks of the 1st Ranger Battallion at Hunter AAF on a Saturday night you'd hear Tim McGraw, Tool, 50 cent and Led Zepplin. If you walk by a Marine barracks you probably hear all kinds of rap music peppered with C&W and rock. If you walk near the dorms of a New England Liberal arts college you'd hear the exact same thing.

Around the age of 20, I started to listen to whatever I wanted to. So my cassette carrier had Ratt, Chicago, all Van Halen albums, Prince, KISS, Dokken,Heart, The GoGos, Santana, Ozzy,Stevie Nicks and the Police.

[MF5150]

I think some people use music to reinforce their social identity. It's something they should grow out of after highschool. If you like a song, you just like it. I shouldn't reflect on you as a person. There are some great kids who listen to M&M, they're straight A-students and reliable people. Mark David Chapman was a Beatles fan, so was Charles Manson. Metal doesn't automatically make you tough, listening to RUSH doesn't make you a rocket sceintist and listening to Prince doesn't make you Bi-sexual. If you walk by the barracks of the 1st Ranger Battallion at Hunter AAF on a Saturday night you'd hear Tim McGraw, Tool, 50 cent and Led Zepplin. If you walk by a Marine barracks you probably hear all kinds of rap music peppered with C&W and rock. If you walk near the dorms of a New England Liberal arts college you'd hear the exact same thing.

Around the age of 20, I started to listen to whatever I wanted to. So my cassette carrier had Ratt, Chicago, all Van Halen albums, Prince, KISS, Dokken,Heart, The GoGos, Santana, Ozzy,Stevie Nicks and the Police.

I know I have kinda been stalking your posts over in the Embarassing Farts thread, but...

That was an awesome post.
I totally agree that many people listen to heavy rock music just because they feel that listening to a love song is gay. Well to tell you the truth I actually kinda of liked that Backstreet Boys song Incomplete. The song's lyrics were really good and I liked the overall musical aspects of the song.

It's the same thing regarding my guitar playing. I dont just like Eddie because he is the best, I like his music because it "speaks to me" if I could use those words. It's like playing soccer and automatically cheering for Brazil because they are the best. I mean I play majority VH but I also learn songs like Power of Love from Huey Lewis and the News and I like jamming to songs that have nothing to do with rock. I even caught myself jamming to that Kanye West song Golddigger one day. Did I feel kinda stupid at first? Maybe a lil bit but I then realized that I was making music. Music is friggen music no matter what type of context it is in.

I choose to listen to classic rock bands like Zep, Ac/Dc, Aerosmith, Crue, Sabbath and Ozzy and of course Van Halen because I love their music. My love for these bands' music is not out of my hate for every other style of music. I like some country songs and I like some rap songs (not many but I will not put anyone down for liking rap).

I mean look at VH. Eddie loved Clapton, Holdsworth, Sabbath. Mikey's father played trumpet in the Chicago big band scene i believe. Alex loved Ginger Baker and John Bonham. These musical stylings are all different. Yet they all molded together to make one sound.

I always see these kids in my high school wearing classic rocks t-shirts just because they think its cool. But I wanna ask them questions about the music of the bands and the bands themselves. I bet few of them know anything regarding the history or the members of the band. They feel like they can only wear those shirts and nothing else.

The bottom line in this whole debacle is, there is room for every type of music.

[LoveWalkinIn]

I think the style of music a person listens to is only indicative of who a person is if they make it so...which I believe is common with people in their late teens/early 20s. Which IMO makes those people posers. Everyone is different, has their own tastes, and listens to music for different reasons. There are times in my life when I'm angry and really dig some heavy metal, but at the same time I'm just as likely to listen to Neil Young. At other times I'm on top of the world and I still really dig metal, like right now. That said, I've been listening to a lot of Frank Zappa and Journey lately as well. People probably see me and think I'm a metalhead because I never shave and tend to wear clothing that would lead someone to believe I'm just a metalhead, when in actuality I'm just as likely to be listening to the Goo Goo Dolls or the Gin Blossoms on my mp3 player when they see me. I just love music, and I don't know why some people don't get the fact that you can enjoy two completely different styles of music. So to answer, I don't believe the style of music I listen to is indicative of who I am and I think that stands for many people. We just love good music...a true music lover doesn't need to hold any reputation of being hardcore or metal or whatever, they just enjoy good music, be it any genre by any group, regardless of outside opinion.

[Raldo]

Sometimes it's true that what you listen to is who you are.

Personally, my favorite like music has feeling in it....but with guitars, drums and bass. I love rock and roll but I do enjoy some jazz, a little country and some blues.

[sixstring]

If it's true that what you listen to says a lot about who you are, I'm the most schitzophrenic bastard the world's ever seen...

[SuckaInA3Piece]

If it's true that what you listen to says a lot about who you are, I'm the most schitzophrenic bastard the world's ever seen...

Same.

[chefcraig]

If it's true that what you listen to says a lot about who you are, I'm the most schitzophrenic bastard the world's ever seen...

I disagree, whereas I believe it simply reflects an honest and open mind.

Then again, I'm far more tolerant, understanding and open-minded of music than I'll ever be capable of when it comes to people.

It reminds me of a time, years ago when several folk here were discussing bootlegs. I'd mentioned that the two performers that I had the most bootlegged material from were Led Zeppelin and Elton John. Somebody made a wisecrack (along the lines of the predictable ), and billy007 came to my defense, saying basically "What difference does it make, and more importantly-why should it?" That meant a lot to me. It was very decent of him to do as we had not become friends yet at that time. The statement also opened my eyes as to an attitude that I should strive toward on a board read by so many, let alone behave amongst publicly.

No, I don't always live up to that standard. The thrust (to me) is that if you shut yourself off from a type of music, it's sort of like dismissing a genre of food. (Then again, I don't really care for French Food nor Italian Opera, so what do I know?)

Artists often forget that a song that they put on an album that they promptly forgot just may in fact be someone's favorite tune on the record. There is a strange passion involved with a person's particular love of music...look at the strong opinions regarding VHIII: Love it or hate it, yet not may are on the fence about it.

Yet overall, what defines a person has more to do with character (or the lack of it), dignity and the way one treats others, rather than the music that one listens to.

[loveevhsince79]

I don't know if it's who you are as a person, for me, it's more the mood I'm in at that moment. If I'm getting ready to go out, I'm not listening to Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. I'm cranking up some VH or some sort of funk you can dance too. If I'm a bit melancholy, it might be some C&W or Pink Floyd (Comfortably Numb can make me cry almost every time I hear it) then for the ride home from work to relax, I may turn on the local jazz station but Friday's it may be Seal's Bring It On. I love a little of everything at different times.

[LoveWalkinIn]

Then again, I'm far more tolerant, understanding and open-minded of music than I'll ever be capable of when it comes to people.

Good post chef, I especially enjoyed this part of the statement.