Yesterday, I was obsessed with James Morrison. Today, I felt like Michael Bolton. Yes, that Michael Bolton. Irving Berlin or whoever was talking mess because the vocals are expressive/passionate/soulful or dare we say it, loud, he's free to be excused.
Look, I get it: He's easy to make fun of, what, with his long hair, pretty voice, and sensitive manner. Maybe dudes were just jealous because they knew that if Michael lived in their town, their wives would be tempted with adultery. Anyway, I know what I like.
I can remember that I was 9 years old when I heard Bolton for the first time. "What was that? I want to hear more of that." Was I supposed to care that he sang "sissy" music or whatever people said? Oops. Pretty much any notable song of his makes me say, "He sang the mess out of that song." Isn't that what you want? Music is supposed to be memorable. I think it's fair to say that our pop music is vocally-driven. Anywhere Michael Bolton wants to drive the Music Bus, I'm cool with that.
Deb's right: I like listening to music more than I would enjoy the arduous task of creating it. Mostly. I've written a couple songs here and there. I'd like to have had training in music, I suppose. But I would fear becoming an insufferable snob who looked down on others with "simpler" taste. I've said this before. More than that, some people make a sport of liking the most strange, obscure music and celebrating themselves on their snobby musical island. [They're called 'hipsters.'--ed.] Good point.
That doesn't mean I don't like new things. It made me really happy last week when Jacob said that my Spotify was 'crazy'--that is, eclectic. Of course it is. My musical taste is as varied as all the information in my head.
It's also a mistake to ignore popular music as culture-influencing and even creating. If you can't be holy while doing it, don't do it. Don't hear what I'm not saying. But I still hear people say this or that is the "soundtrack to my life," trite as that may sound. I get that. I totally do. John Mayer's "Room For Squares" still freaks me out. It made me say, "This is exactly what being a twenty-something dude right now is like." I don't care if you think it's horrible. I'm just telling you. [So you like club-hopping and fornication?--ed.] Not exactly.
Hard to believe that was nearly 13 years ago. And I understand that he doesn't have the best reputation as a human being. But there's a special trust between artist and audience, and at least for me, if you gain it, it's not easily lost, even if I don't like everything an artist does professionally (or personally, for that matter).
Look, I get it: He's easy to make fun of, what, with his long hair, pretty voice, and sensitive manner. Maybe dudes were just jealous because they knew that if Michael lived in their town, their wives would be tempted with adultery. Anyway, I know what I like.
I can remember that I was 9 years old when I heard Bolton for the first time. "What was that? I want to hear more of that." Was I supposed to care that he sang "sissy" music or whatever people said? Oops. Pretty much any notable song of his makes me say, "He sang the mess out of that song." Isn't that what you want? Music is supposed to be memorable. I think it's fair to say that our pop music is vocally-driven. Anywhere Michael Bolton wants to drive the Music Bus, I'm cool with that.
Deb's right: I like listening to music more than I would enjoy the arduous task of creating it. Mostly. I've written a couple songs here and there. I'd like to have had training in music, I suppose. But I would fear becoming an insufferable snob who looked down on others with "simpler" taste. I've said this before. More than that, some people make a sport of liking the most strange, obscure music and celebrating themselves on their snobby musical island. [They're called 'hipsters.'--ed.] Good point.
That doesn't mean I don't like new things. It made me really happy last week when Jacob said that my Spotify was 'crazy'--that is, eclectic. Of course it is. My musical taste is as varied as all the information in my head.
It's also a mistake to ignore popular music as culture-influencing and even creating. If you can't be holy while doing it, don't do it. Don't hear what I'm not saying. But I still hear people say this or that is the "soundtrack to my life," trite as that may sound. I get that. I totally do. John Mayer's "Room For Squares" still freaks me out. It made me say, "This is exactly what being a twenty-something dude right now is like." I don't care if you think it's horrible. I'm just telling you. [So you like club-hopping and fornication?--ed.] Not exactly.
Hard to believe that was nearly 13 years ago. And I understand that he doesn't have the best reputation as a human being. But there's a special trust between artist and audience, and at least for me, if you gain it, it's not easily lost, even if I don't like everything an artist does professionally (or personally, for that matter).
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