Everybody's got an opinion

i like buzzfeed. i think they serve a pretty good purpose on the interwebz. but sometimes, like a lot of the contrived, fact-skimming fodder fuel that runs amok on the world wide web, they do a better job at inciting social media riots.

a friend of mine posted a link to *this buzzfeed article* the other day on FB and got a hardcore back-and-forth frenzy going... all over who some folks consider to be good musical talents and who don't.

first, i think it's a well regarded fact that -- like any art form -- music is subjective. for me to assume that everyone likes soundgarden just because i and all my friends like soundgarden, is ridiculous, pompous and stupid. soundgarden isn't for everyone, just like hillbilly tambourine bluegrass ain't for everyone. i always just assumed everyone agreed on this.

but obviously, they don't. dude's feelings get hurt when you say his favorite band (or actor or writer or whatevs) sucks, because that implies that dude sucks, that his tastes suck, that he is just full of suck.

and that's what happened with folks on FB. of course, let's also realize the misleading nature of the article, comparing creed's record sales to that of jimi hendrix. how can one reasonably compare two different eras with two entirely different musical sharing technologies? in jimi's day, they didn't even have cassette tapes! by comparison, if i want to know what scott stapp sounds like farting in the comfort of his home i'm sure there's a free download of that available on the internets somewhere.

my point is twofold: 1) don't shit on my tastes. they're mine and they can be awesome in the public eye or not, i don't give a fuck, 'cuz they're mine. and 2) comparing apples and oranges is one infuriating way the media fuels uninformed idiocy.

and now ya know.