extending the imprimatur of your taste

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Do you ever feel as though upon approving a band you'd never before heard that, in some small way, you're lending them the distinction you reserve for your personal canon? In other words, new-band comes along, you read mixed reviews, you're somewhat intrigued, you succumb to your impulse to acquire new-band's single/EP/album, and when finding yourself getting into it, you imagine new-band having earned entry to the stratum reserved for Bands-You-Like, which event somehow, owing to some aspect of your insanity, you imagine will make a difference, however tiny, in new-band's reception in the "real world"? And then when this does indeed occur, do you experience the distinction of your personal canon expanding, as though, 'Ah ha! I was right about new-band! I'm all the more justified in liking Bands-I-Like'?

I admit I've thought this, and yes it's probably an asinine line of questions. It's late.

― apex predator, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 06:00 (twenty-one years ago)

are you stoned?

― El Janko (JasonD), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 06:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Coming down from an extended bender. Pretty stupid question, huh.

― apex predator, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 06:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't follow how popular acceptance of a band is a justification or non-justification of your taste.

― bprofane (AaronHz), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 06:28 (twenty-one years ago)

no I don't think that way. In fact, I'm more likely to conceptualize my approval as a kind of metaphysical ghettoization of said artist, if I think of this at all. In this I'm assuming that your scenario also assumes the non-impact most of us have on the musical/popculture hivemind in real terms(most of us aren't professional writers, right? RIGHT?).

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 06:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I could have been clearer, Bennie. I mean critical reception. Each review that bolsters your pov abou new-band increases your overall taste spread. Like in the stock market of distinction you've made another winning investment. Not that I'm saying you take it to heart much.

Tremendoid, I'm assuming that to believe in the material efficacy of what I posted about would mean you're nuts, but in irrational moments, maybe while feeling competitive or un-self-assured or something, you conceptualize your personal approval as having some sort of impact, which you censor--once you start seeing the consensus aligns with your opinion--as an internal augmentation of the credibility by which you gauge distinction.

Again, this is navel picking bullshit. Not asking you to take it all that seriously.

― apex predator, Wednesday, 26 January 2005 06:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Critical reception is the "real world", and what you and your friends think is not? Maybe the critics have bad taste. Fuck 'em.

― bprofane (AaronHz), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 06:47 (twenty-one years ago)

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