It is an often held preconception that metal fans are narrow-minded, and often their music diet consists of mainly metal. That is certainly true for myself at least, but I would still challenge the idea.
First of all, metal is, as genres go, a very broad genre. Basically the only thing that binds all metal is distorted electric guitar and the basic instruments used; power metal is a long way from death metal, and then there are what I call the metal "fringe" genres; nu metal, alternative metal, metalcore, etc, which I quite frankly don't believe are even proper metal. Thus, even if one listens to metal, one can still listen to quite diverse styles of music within that genre.
Second, narrow-mindedness is held to be inherently a bad thing in music. Why is this? In many other areas, this same narrow-mindedness is actually a good thing. In sports, for example, focusing on one sport is seen as dedicated, while switching around is not necessarily a good thing. You make a far better impression if you've been playing hockey for five years than if you've been playing tennis for two years, football for a year, and basketball for two years. So why does a music listener have to like everything?
In addition, people don't usually think what comes with this "narrow-mindedness." Metal fans are usually the most dedicated and the most loyal of all music fans. They know the bands in and out, including their histories, lyrics, the band members, etc. I used to amaze my friends with the amount of trivia I knew about bands (especially Iron Maiden and my other top bands), though they have gotten used to it by now. But what they often don't realise is that I wouldn't know this trivia, and I wouldn't know the bands so well, if I wasn't so dedicated to metal. Would you see a Madonna fan know all past band members, the years of release and exact song lists of albums, or know the lyrics of dozens of songs by heart? I think not. Just go to a metal concert and see for yourself what I'm talking about; nowhere else can you find such devotion to a music genre.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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2 comments:
With reference to your third paragraph, I think the primary reason why a large breath of musical taste is appreciated more so than a large practice of sports is due to the very different nature of the two.
I think it really boils down to breath of skill and breath of knowledge. Putting all your eggs in one basket when it comes to skill is certainly a good thing as being very good at one thing is better than being intermediate at everything. A chef who cooks amazing French cuisine will be much more valued than a chef who cooks mediocre cuisine from all around Europe. That is not to say that the chef may have knowledge of European cuisine but not practice it as a skill. With reference to the earlier example, you may be a devout rugby player but pursue an interest in the FIFA World Cup despite not playing football.
In contrast, being solely devout to one type of music, art or period of history can often be seen as obsessive and unhealthy. This certainly adds an air of narrow-mindedness to the person in question as having a conversation with them can be extremely difficult if you don't share a common interest.
Being extremely capable at a particular sport cannot distance you from others when socializing but having no appreciation for other forms of music can. Music is often the subject of conversation and often a broad knowledge is far better than a specialized extensive one.
"Putting all your eggs in one basket when it comes to skill is certainly a good thing as being very good at one thing is better than being intermediate at everything."
Funnily enough, this can also be true for music, though this applies for artists, not listeners. Fans are often quite specific in what they want from a given artist, and great abrupt changes in musical direction are usually hard for fans to stomach.
However, the whole comparison to sport was really more of a rhetoric question. I know there are fundamental differences, and I didn't really try to give a strong argument here. I actually considered making the comparison between loyalty in music and faithfulness in relationships, but that would have bordered on the cheesy and inappropriate. :P
My main point lies in the last paragraph; narrow-mindedness can also be called devotion or loyalty when it comes to music. And ultimately, I don't think people should care too much about what other people listen to; music is a very personal matter and I believe you can't force yourself nor anyone else to like specific music genres. I at least don't try to listen to other genres just because others think I'm narrow-minded; if one listens to music one does not genuinely like, what's the point of listening? This can be applied to pretty much any aspect of life, though; I wouldn't play football or watch a certain TV show just to be seen as more open-minded.
"Being extremely capable at a particular sport cannot distance you from others when socializing but having no appreciation for other forms of music can. Music is often the subject of conversation and often a broad knowledge is far better than a specialized extensive one."
I agree and disagree. I have had several lengthy discussions about music with people with completely different music tastes. You just have to speak more generally, and only touch upon your specific music. However, you are correct that with a broader musical taste it would be easier.
However, you also underestimate how rewarding it can be when people with very similar music tastes discuss music in detail; it can open whole new dimensions to the discussions. However, such people are hard to come by, unfortunately.
"In contrast, being solely devout to one type of music, art or period of history can often be seen as obsessive and unhealthy."
Hmm... I have seen this only in music. It is hard to say this for art, since (if by art you mean visual arts) it is not as visible in everyday life. In history, it depends; if you are a historian, it is usually good to specialise in an area of history. For non-professionals, however, it is good to have a wide general knowledge. I have never seen extensive knowledge of art or history frowned upon, however.
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