Are we all sort of poseurs?

Is everybody's taste at least partially influenced by the image of themselves they want to project to the world, or is it truly solely based on what sounds appealing and nothing else?

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former = loser
latter = cool

This may seem like a sincere thread but it MIGHT just descend to shitposting.

But it's probably both since you mentioned "sort of". Some people may craft an ideal image for themselves when they "like literally seriously took music seriously" and veer off over time somewhere else and find things that appeal to them without image.

My arguments suck anyways.

so would you spend any time listening to this band or can you pretty safely dismiss them as something you wouldn't enjoy based solely on image?

We are all influenced by society and our projection of our self, it's inescapable.

using intuition I can tell you I probably won't like them, but I'll give them at least five seconds if you send a link

both

I think everyone is guilty of it to some degree, and where each person falls on that spectrum is different but you can't ever totally escape the ego and the pretense/facade that comes along with it.

Every person is 'acting' in some sense - I think people who are more serious about listening to and discovering new, often less accessible, music are particularly prone to some level of intellectual dishonesty even if they won't admit it.

I don't need to because I think you're right - you can make a pretty safe and probably accurate judgement based solely off intuition.

But just for a laugh: youtube.com/watch?v=ViSZI6UJEUQ

But really imagine they didn't make terrible, shitty music - would you really even bother giving them a chance based on the image they project?

My point, I guess, is that music is never solely just about the music - image plays a much larger role than some would like to admit - including things like the band's appearance and album covers.

I guess, but I intentionally try to dismiss preconceptions about music like that as much as I can. I made it to 0:34 btw

Yup, and in ways we don't even realize. I just realized recently that if I post in one of those shuffle threads and come across something I haven't heard yet but has a good reputation, I'll post it anyways. It comes with the territory of being young and in a first-world country, your art taste defines you in a big way.

the aux cord shines the cold light of day on the facade of the ego

if you can't back it up don't bang it out

I'm definitely guilty of this, but it works out in the end since the ultimate goal is just to find music I enjoy and the musical taste posturing fizzles away

so you're saying me not bringing out some music people obviously won't like means I don't like it?

no I'm saying considering your friends know who you are to some extent, they would be suspicious if you played something that they didn't expect. that or they don't know you

for example, if I invited friends over, and I put on a classical record and poured myself a glass of brandy and lit up a cigar and started talking about the music in a pretentious way, they'd know I was acting...

if you like something for real it shows. it makes sense. there's a connection, an obvious link. something natural

I get you man, nice explanation

I stopped sharing music with people because I never felt like the effort was appreciated. Yeah I've heard a lot of what might be considered hidden gems by most people and I'm absolutely fine keeping that to myself, not to have it to myself specifically but because, well, if I found it by myself you can find it by yourself too

As for having a conversation about music, I really only do that if the other person brings it up

>My point, I guess, is that music is never solely just about the music - image plays a much larger role than some would like to admit - including things like the band's appearance and album covers.
I embrace and indulge this aspect if I enjoy the music on it's own terms. The fact that the bassist of Les Rallizes Dénudés hijacked a plane enhances my enjoyment of their music, but it wouldn't make me last longer than 33 seconds of the song you linked.

These things are part of a bands aesthetic proposal, the embodiment of their metaphysical manifesto. However, so too is pretense.

decent post man.


the thing is, you need to project something before you embody it. you need a conception before the reality, if you are to become it

Nah, I don't care about image at all.

40 seconds of I don't get it after :34.

Not really. I like Korn. I think their lyrics are for twats and edgy tryhards and so are their looks, but they are fine musicians regardless.

Well, consider this: my usage of capitalization could be a deliberate attempt at an image.

You lack of the same could laziness, or a reaction against that image.

However, if the software I use to input this text has automatic capitalization then the order has been reversed, and you'd never know.

nothing wrong with working a brand, just don't be a cunt about everything which doesn't suit your brand

Not me, I listen to what sounds good to me. The only genre I struggle to appreciate is Country.

Why do you feel the need to appreciate all genres? Do you want to appear cultured and open-minded?

because it sounds good
stop trying to label everyone and play pretend psychoanalyze on Sup Forums
get a life

I was trying to be nice. I hate country music and forgot to mention that heavy metal/screamo is also terrible.

If you're a music lover, why wouldn't you want to explore and appreciate all your hobby has to offer?

Nothing wrong with having diverse tastes, just trying to dig deeper into the root of why.

It's at least partly pretense, that's all I'm saying.

Not totally, but a small bit.

I like variety, I get bored of the same things so I want new things. Not much to it.

>But really imagine they didn't make terrible, shitty music - would you really even bother giving them a chance based on the image they project?
I can't speak for anyone else, but at least for me, this makes me think of pic related. This artwork is absolutely disgusting. I don't think I've ever cringed harder at anything than I have Pete Wentz in this photo. But I can't deny that I love this song. Imagewise, I know I should completely hate it, just like I hate a majority of FOB's fans, but even though this song isn't some canon work I still love it.

To a degree, I think you're right. It's silly to pretend that image doesn't matter at all. It's like people who try to say that looks aren't important in a partner: we all know they're lying. But I think music fans - not the "oh music is my life" types and not the "patricians" - can recognize that they have that bias and look past it for the sake of exploring music as an art.

I'd love to your some of your favorite grindcore, vaporwave, and traditional folk albums

By saying you don't care about image at all you project a specific and calculated image of yourself that you would ideally like others to adopt.

Not really, people don't know that. I don't want other people to be like me. I just don't want to dislike things for dumb reasons. I have enough reasons to dislike things already, I would ideally like to like everything so I try.

Appreciating music from all genres isn't the same as saying you listen to all genres, don't mix the two up. When people say "everything but country and rap" it makes sense to point out that they obviously don't listen to every type of music besides those two, but all he said was that he appreciates anything, but has trouble with country and there's nothing wrong with that.

I think at this point I've kind of found my "footing" with music. Not to say that my taste and opinions will remain the same forever, but I have a better understanding of what I enjoy and what I dislike, it's much better than what it was a few years ago. So now I find myself paying much more attention to a band's image, as in their cover art, how they present themselves in media and in a live setting, etc. For example, I personally cannot stand indie rock like The Strokes, so when I see a band or artist with similar imagery, I try to avoid them. At the same time, I can tell if I would enjoy something just by image alone, like when when a certain album's cover sort of sticks out and makes you want to give it a listen. In a way, I guess image does have a bit to do with music for me, but I try not to let it overtake the music itself.

I'd argue it doesn't matter what others know, only what you do.

We might be talking in different terms as well - I'm not talking only about a band's appearance but also the appearance/image a listener of that band might be trying to project or associate themselves with.

As an example, people who gravitate towards heavier/discordant music might do so in part because they desire to be viewed or thought of in certain terms they deem desirable - tough, hardcore, open-minded, unique, whatever.

So if your game is 'true objectivity / I don't care about image at all' that's still a game, and from it you get the benefit of "looking down your nose" (so to speak) at others who might let a band's image determine whether or not they give them a chance.

But people don't know what I listen to, I don't go around with my music on my ipod at full volume to the street; I wear headphones. How would that project any image?

I understand your point, but it's not just about proving something to others, but also about proving something to yourself.

So that person gravitating towards atonal/discordant music, even if they have zero social interaction, still desires to reaffirm certain aspects of their identity through their preferences

You're looking at it from a wrong angle. People have preferences because of who they are, some people just genuinely like stuff you know?

It started as the former but it's become the latter. I genuinely enjoy some shit that I'd thought was shit in the beginning.

People listen to a genre of music and may find they like it a lot, so they learn to think of themselves as someone who likes that genre of music. Generally, the more they like it the more they identify with it. We develop identities pretty much so we know what to do. So, when this becomes part of our identity we listen to that music solely for that reason. So yeah, we're all posers, thanks to the existence of ego.

You really need to speak for yourself.

Nice reading comprehension, jackass.

It's nice to belong but i tend to look outside music for identity. If you're not a musician yourself, fandom alone isn't enough to construct an identity around.