Your favorite popular music artist?

[karlhenning]

If someone wants to listen to violins exclusively for the rest of their life, I guess that's up to them.

Oh, that would be hell.

[Dr. Dread]

Indeed.

If you get off on the sound of an electric guitar coming through a Marshall amp, classical ain't going to do much for you, sonny.

[karlhenning]

If you get off on the sound of an electric guitar coming through a Marshall amp, classical ain't going to do much for you, sonny.

Disagree.  One may have ears for both!

[Dr. Dread]

Disagree.  One may have ears for both!

Well, yes.

[karlhenning]

Well, yes.

See, I knew you weren't really digging in for opposition, there.

[Haffner]

Thank God for the lucrative and base! Otherwise how could we appreciate the poor spirited yet pompous!

[Haffner]

In some cases, popular music wins out. I'd much rather hear Ritchie Blackmore playing the solo to "Highway Star" than Paganini working his finger exercises.

[karlhenning]

Thank God for the lucrative and base! Otherwise how could we appreciate the poor spirited yet pompous!

Uh-oh . . . .

[karlhenning]

In some cases, popular music wins out. I'd much rather hear Ritchie Blackmore playing the solo to "Highway Star" than Paganini working his finger exercises.

Just as a matter of 'voting with my ears' . . . I'd apparently sooner listen to ten King Crimson albums than a single Bach Cantata.

[Dr. Dread]

Exactly. And it's not just based on complexity. Tonality comes into it as well.

[Lethevich]

Flawed how?

Without wishing to belittle the musicians involved, when I go from classical to pop I feel like I am having to lower my expectations, and especially my sense of what is aesthetically good or just cornball. I can't think of any band that doesn't regularly make me cringe a little if I don't alter the way I listen, either lyrically, image-wise or with musical content. I sort of go into post-modern mode when listening, knowing winks and all that, sort of the way that an adult can enjoy a children's cartoon. I like a wide range of pop, but I don't think that I could point to certain bands or musicians and say "this is something which really connects with me" like I could with a composer...

Edit: this is moot, though, as I could still have favourite pop musicians when taking it for what it is. But the fact that I do not seems to make me think that it is to do with the way I enjoy it rather than adore it.

[Josquin des Prez]

Without wishing to belittle the musicians involved, when I go from classical to pop I feel like I am having to lower my expectations, and especially my sense of what is aesthetically good or just cornball. I can't think of any band that doesn't regularly make me cringe a little if I don't alter the way I listen, either lyrically, image-wise or with musical content. I sort of go into post-modern mode when listening, knowing winks and all that, sort of the way that an adult can enjoy a children's cartoon. I like a wide range of pop, but I don't think that I could point to certain bands or musicians and say "this is something which really connects with me" like I could with a composer...

And of course, the best way to resolve this issue is to not set an higher standard or ideal which might compel popular musicians to achieve greatness. All you have to do is to lower you own standards, because what really matters is not what is good, but what is good for you.

[George]

Indeed.

If you get off on the sound of an electric guitar coming through a Marshall amp, classical ain't going to do much for you, sonny.

I get off on 57 Chevies. 

[The new erato]

Indeed.

If you get off on the sound of an electric guitar coming through a Marshall amp, classical ain't going to do much for you, sonny.

And this ones coming from Robert Zimmerman. Shades of Newport 65?

[Dr. Dread]

And this ones coming from Robert Zimmerman. Shades of Newport 65?

[The new erato]

I get off on 57 Chevies. 

Do you clean them yourself afterwards?  

[George]

Do you clean them yourself afterwards?  

That wouldn't be the Rock 'n Roll thing to do. 

[Dr. Dread]

 

[Lethevich]

And of course, the best way to resolve this issue is to not set an higher standard or ideal which might compel popular musicians to achieve greatness. All you have to do is to lower you own standards, because what really matters is not what is good, but what is good for you.

I'm not sure whether greatness is possible without a fair amount of formal training, and that is both expensive and hard to come by, so to hold pop musicians to higher standards wouldn't increase them by all that much. I also feel that with the popularity of music, if it was possible for pop to do the "great" thing, it would've been more widespread by now due to (in the west) since the 90s, it has become very cheap to record music even if a label won't pay to publish it. Despite the flaws, pop has quite a few uses and appeals for me, so I'll keep listening - I just won't pretend that it's perfect.

[Haffner]

And of course, the best way to resolve this issue is to not set an higher standard or ideal which might compel popular musicians to achieve greatness. All you have to do is to lower you own standards, because what really matters is not what is good, but what is good for you.

This pretty much says it, and quite well.