Trivial things that make you annoyed beyond expectations?

[Andy in Germany]

Doesn't Waterman have something to do with model trains?

The penny drops: I have heard of Waterman in this context, but I have no idea of what he does in the music industry.

 

[classic33]

The penny drops: I have heard of Waterman in this context, but I have no idea of what he does in the music industry.

There's also Dennis Waterman of Minder fame.

 

[raleighnut]

The penny drops: I have heard of Waterman in this context, but I have no idea of what he does in the music industry.

Think Rick Astley, Kylie, Jason Donovan, Mel and Kim and a whole host more S A W were known as 'The Hit Factory'................Think 'synthpop'* with drum machines.

* Or should that be Synthpap.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Think Rick Astley, Kylie, Jason Donovan, Mel and Kim and a whole host more S A W were known as 'The Hit Factory'................Think 'synthpop'* with drum machines.

* Or should that be Synthpap.

I may have heard one of those at some point in my life.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

There's also Dennis Waterman of Minder and music industry fame.

Corrected that for you. Who could forget Den's Number 3 Hit "I could be so good for you"?

I can certainly empathise with a lot of that, especially the "pretentious pseudo-intellectual words". I've asked people if they actually listen to the words of some of the supposedly brilliant songs, but that usually gets me a blank look.

To be fair, I've never got on with much poetry, so I've not got any defence of Dylan or Van Morrison lyrics.
The Spice Girls, however, tell it straight, no intellectualism, pseudo or not:

I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah

 

[Electric_Andy]

I have this conversation fairly frequently. Someone trying to make small talk asks what music I like.
I tell them that I don't really listen to music.
They generally push a bit, because they assume I must like something. They ask about genres, or British pop music: do I prefer that?
I say that, no, and I'm pretty indifferent to music generally.
They than say something like:
"Oh, that's sad."
No it isn't. I just don't have any interest in something you like. Just because it's different to your tastes doesn't make it "sad".

It's a lot like Art, or Film...all based on personal preference. The trouble nowadays is that the media (usually social media) decides what is good, cool, trending, and then everyone thinks that's what we should all be listening to in order to fit in. These types of people are often not real music lovers, but will proclaim that certain tracks are "bangers" because they are on-trend and it makes them feel part of something. IME those types of people usually lack the confidence to display their own passions, be it music or anything else, for fear of being uncool

 

[classic33]

Corrected that for you. Who could forget Den's Number 3 Hit "I could be so good for you"?



To be fair, I've never got on with much poetry, so I've not got any defence of Dylan or Van Morrison lyrics.
The Spice Girls, however, tell it straight, no intellectualism, pseudo or not:

I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah

This pair?

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7bv_36P_f-w

 

[No Ta Doctor]

This pair?

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7bv_36P_f-w

Oh that's superb. I love it un-ironically.
Some of the YouTube comments on it are incredible, a real mix

 

[No Ta Doctor]

It's a lot like Art, or Film...all based on personal preference. The trouble nowadays is that the media (usually social media) decides what is good, cool, trending, and then everyone thinks that's what we should all be listening to in order to fit in. These types of people are often not real music lovers, but will proclaim that certain tracks are "bangers" because they are on-trend and it makes them feel part of something. IME those types of people usually lack the confidence to display their own passions, be it music or anything else, for fear of being uncool

The media deciding what is cool is nothing new. NME made a living for many journos out of it for decades
Liking music that "makes you feel part of something" is....part of the essence of different musical genres? And of being part of social groups?

Mods (original edition) listened to anything that was modern and cool - from jazz to r & B, soul, rock etc. (Ray Charles, The Who, The Kinks, Booker T & The MGs etc.)
Mods (revival) tended to listen to white rock bands (The Jam, The Who, The KInks)
Skins (original) listened to ska and early reggae
Goths, Punks, Hippies, Metalheads, Hip-Hoppers (BBoys & BGirls) - all have their own cultures and music that arises from and is part of that culture

And with streaming services as they are now, it's arguably easier to pick 'n' mix from all of it

And I'm really going to object to the sentence I bolded above. I refer you to what I wrote even further above:

Though to be fair, Roadblock was an absolute banger.

I think "no real interest in music" is a bit strong tbh. I mean I'm probably pretty much the guy on R2 mentioned above and can talk about music for hours. I know that John Coltrane influenced Hip-Hop through Rakim, who tried to incorporate Trane's approach to saxophone into his rap flow (which was unique and groundbreaking). I can tell you why Grime isn't Hip-Hop, how Ska evolved into Reggae, why Ginger Baker drove through Africa to meet Fela Kuti and what Rachmaninov said about jazz pianist Art Tatum ("If this man ever decides to play classical music, we're all in trouble"). I can tell you about five or six songs that in the right circumstances are almost guaranteed to reduce me to tears

BUT....

I meet people all the time that don't have anything like that relationship to music. They listen to stuff because it's on the radio, because their friends like it, because that's what they listened to when they were young. They don't know where it came from, or where it's going. They aren't bothered if it's plastic and disposable, todays chart, tomorrow's ...err...chip wrappers? (sorry, that''s cycling terminology...!). A mate of mine only listens to hardcore church-burning lock-up-your-goats Norwegian death metal (or something like that, I've honestly got no interest in finding exactly which subgenre of screaming over guitar it is). He wouldn't know Miles Davis from George Clinton.

And you know what? They're as liable to cry at a song as I am, the rush of nostalgia the first few bars of some one hit wonder pop tune brings them is as intense as anything I know. They're never going to lie in a room with the lights out and listen to Coltrane's Love Supreme and wonder if they heard a man talking to God or God himself and most of the stuff they love is bloody awful junk (imo). But they love it anyway, and that's OK. Let's not confuse music appreciation with loving a tune, they're different.

🎶

Apologies to the musical anhedonists above that started this bit of discourse, didn't mean to hijack your annoyance to bang on about stuff you don't give a shït about

 

[Andy in Germany]

It's a lot like Art, or Film...all based on personal preference. The trouble nowadays is that the media (usually social media) decides what is good, cool, trending, and then everyone thinks that's what we should all be listening to in order to fit in. These types of people are often not real music lovers, but will proclaim that certain tracks are "bangers" because they are on-trend and it makes them feel part of something. IME those types of people usually lack the confidence to display their own passions, be it music or anything else, for fear of being uncool

Fair enough, I just don't generally have any interest in music: If someone is playing it I find it irritating background noise.

I'm also not very interested in films, loathe being made to dance, and dislike most novels. What with this and not drinking alcohol or owning a car, you'll appreciate I didn't have much of a social life at school...

 

[mistyoptic]

I wanna really, really, really wanna "zig-a-zig", ah

In a few years this will be an English Lit exam question…

”What did the writer mean by…”

 

[Electric_Andy]

I just don't gene

Fair enough, I just don't generally have any interest in music: If someone is playing it I find it irritating background noise.

I'm also not very interested in films, loathe being made to dance, and dislike most novels. What with this and not drinking alcohol or owning a car, you'll appreciate I didn't have much of a social life at school...

I wasn't referring to you in my example by the way. I was referring to people who say "you should listen to this song" when they have little musical appreciation for music!

 

[No Ta Doctor]

I was referring to people who say "you should listen to this song" when they have little musical appreciation for music!

All these people who keep saying you should listen to a song they like, even though they have little musical appreciation... is it possible they just like and appreciate different music to you? Or like and appreciate it differently?

Anyway, as a self-proclaimed heavy metal fan, have you ever thought about maybe appreciating music at some point? You should give it a go, some of it is quite good.

Joking, obviously. Let people like what they like, even if it's not your cup of goat's blood. And let them appreciate music in their own way, whether that's singing along to Barbie Girl in the car, humming Beethoven's 5th while they work, getting an all night sweaty workout to some heavy EDM in the club, sitting in the dark with an expensive hi-fi listening to every breathy note of Miles Davis or burning down a church in Norway and raping a goat to the sound of some Black Metal.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

I have this conversation fairly frequently. Someone trying to make small talk asks what music I like.
I tell them that I don't really listen to music.
They generally push a bit, because they assume I must like something. They ask about genres, or British pop music: do I prefer that?
I say that, no, and I'm pretty indifferent to music generally.
They than say something like:
"Oh, that's sad."
No it isn't. I just don't have any interest in something you like. Just because it's different to your tastes doesn't make it "sad".

As a musical anhedonist I’ve Had that all my life, from school assembly , (why Is everyone talking funny) through to later life, “You must listen to (insert string of silly words, the name of a bunch of noise-makers, apparently) it’ll blow your mind, (no it won’t it’s just an annoying racket with pretentious pseudo intellectual words) to “what do you want played at your funeral?” (Nothing, I intend to not have a funeral if I can avoid it.)
”Oh that’s sad” (no it isn’t, what is sad is the small fortune you’ve wasted on listening to the air vibrate.)

Thanks to you both for introducing this. I can't quite get my head around musical anhedonism tbh, on a personal level. The closest I can come to it by way of analogy would be asking someone who doesn't speak German what their favourite Goethe poem is, then reciting a load at them. They can hear all the sounds but that's not really what the poetry is about, is it?

I think I need to read Oliver Sacks - Musicophilia again https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musicophilia

 

[Windle]

I nearly posted a grumble a while back about bike shops that don't open on a Sunday (which is most around the North East). You know, Sunday as in one of the only two days that most working people have spare to go and buy bikes & stuff. But I've just realised that one of my local (ish) shops is closed both Saturday and Sunday! A shop I was planning to have a look in with the possibility of buying a new bike. Now, I'm not expecting the staff to work seven days a week but FFS, if you're in business selling expensive stuff, mostly to working people then it would be sensible not to close on a weekend. Close two days through the week instead. What am I supposed to do, take a bloody day off work? And retail complains about not getting enough trade to keep them profitable 🤡.