Sacred Cow Bands where you just don't get the appeal: A rant

[LionIndex]

Here's the real sacred cow that I never understood: Jane's Addiction. I can even play a couple of their riffs. I grew up in So. Cal. I never got 'em.

Same with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Under The Bridge is cool, the sock thing was totally hilarious. But, I've never been a fan of the white boy rap funk.

I used to have a theory on my musical tastes that almost was axiomatic: If your band was into heroin, either doing it themselves or as part of a general scene that did so, I would probably go head over heels for your music, unless your band is from LA. Then the Warlocks came along and destroyed that notion; possibly also the Brian Jonestown Massacre, although they're originally from San Francisco and just moved. But the evidence is still staggering: I can't stand Jane's, RHCP, Sublime, and probably countless others that I'm not even aware of. Unfortunately, living in SoCal, those three bands make up roughly 90% of the playlists for our alternative radio stations.

[Sugarcubes Forever]

Geezer Sacred Cows

Neil Young: all you need from this guy is about 10 tracks. For christ's sake he wrote a love song about a Salmon!

CCR: the soundtrack of my northern redneck 70s childhood that I wish I could turn off.

CSN&Y: Yawn

Paul McCartney: STFU already!

John Lennon: want to love the guy...Beatles were legend. Not impressed with with his post Beatles shit. Since he's dead that's all I got to go on.

Billy Joel: see this thread

The Who: sorry, maybe they were great once but I'd rather hear vintage Stones. Doesn't help that Roger Daltry is a pfucking wanker.

Jackson Brown: what have you done lately, dude? Nothin', that's what.

[MF]

I don't get, nor do I like, the Rolling Stones.

I'm pretty sure Patti Smith is really a highbrow parody of some sort and I just haven't figured out the joke yet.

Terminator would have been a better movie if the android went back in time and killed David Bowie before he could make it to the 80s.

This may have been covered off, but I'd rather listen to my kids fight each other with pool cues and broken beer bottles than have to sit through anything by Steely Dan.

The Beach Boys have been reduced to time-life/commercial jingle status. Whatever power their music once had, I've never felt it.

[Jake]

MF clearly has never smoked marijuana.

[MF]

MF clearly has never smoked marijuana.

Not in a very long time and back when I did it was likely to result in listening to awful ambient music by Brian Eno.

[Mixmaster Shecky]

I don't get, nor do I like, the Rolling Stones.

You, sir, have just blown my mind. I want to hear exactly why you claim to like rock and roll but don't like the Stones.

[DJMurphy]

You, sir, have just blown my mind. I want to hear exactly why you claim to like rock and roll but don't like the Stones.

IIRC, MF is more properly a "ma'am", but along with that, might explain why not as much love for the Stones. I really don't want to extrapolate too far, but if I may use my own wife as a bellweather, sometimes women don't get the Stones the way us dudes do. It might have to do with the misogyny in "Under My Thumb" or "Some Girls", or it just might not be something that a lot of women like. And trust me; I've tried to play Exile On Main St. and Sticky Fingers for my wife (I see those as the two easiest points of entry beyond the hits). She doesn't see the greatness like I do. Same with Bon Scott-era AC/DC. She just wants to hear Back In Black, the crap they overplay at weddings.

If anyone (male or female) disagrees with my generalization vis a vis both the Stones and AC/DC, please let me know.

[MF]

You, sir, have just blown my mind. I want to hear exactly why you claim to like rock and roll but don't like the Stones.

Like comedy, it all comes down to timing.

My first exposure to the Stones would have been the early to mid-80s, probably Dirty Work. Not a great place to start. At that time, music for me was all about The Clash, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, etc. Not a good fit with blues based rock - and if that's what I wanted, there was Zeppelin; and if I wanted guitar rock, I had plenty of friends to foist Maiden and Motorhead on me (both those bands remain guilty pleasures to this day).

Mid to late 80s, I was mostly listening to R.E.M., the Replacements, Husker Du, Minute Men, etc. When I started to explore back catalogs and other bands I turned towards folk(ish) music - Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Nick Drake, Loudon Wanwright, etc. so I passed the Stones by.

Late last year, a friend lent me The London Years and I just found it sort of meh. As for their famous/iconic tracks, I think they've have become such a part of a bland pop culture that they've been denuded of any impact they may have had. When you see a Monet on every other greeting card and dorm room wall, standing 10 feet from one at the MOMA loses its power.

[MF]

IIRC, MF is more properly a "ma'am".

Nope, I'm all Y chromosome last time I checked.

[Jake]

Jolie hates all AC/DC but totally loves "Gimme Shelter" and the single mix of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (undeniably perfect songs) and she likes lots of other Stones songs. But in general, she's more of an indie popster..