What does it take for you to truly HATE a music act?

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I've found as I get further and further away from teendom that the "music that sucks can die" attitude I used to harbor is softening significantly to the point where I can, nine times out of ten, at least acknowledge potential "goodness" in a band I might not necessarily like. (I also try to avoid going "hahahaha [insert band here] sucks", since it's not my style lately and when I read it I don't really feel like paying attention to anything else that person has to say.) But I am curious as to why some people hate certain bands, and whether those reasons are sort of superficial and personal or more overarching and set in stone.

Example: I do not like certain bands and acts who are vocally and didactically assholish, though the musician has to be a complete boor who plays music that doesn't interest me enough (i.e. Ted Nugent) rather than someone prone to jerkassdom who also happens to have performed on some of my favorite songs (i.e. Lou Reed).

― Nate Patrin, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I've simplified things a bit in that previous case -- individual acts I really hate have lots of intricate aspects that I have to single out specifically and analyze to really get to the bottom of things. And can we (unlike I just did) keep things as general as possible without singling out specific bands? I want to know how attitudes develop, not read some rant about how the Strokes suck because their dads are famous or some shit.

― Nate Patrin, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

cocky bands without the chops to back them up immediately wind up in the Suck pile. Though no band comes to mind right this second, lots of punk bands I have seen fits this catergory.

― jack cole, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If my roommate likes them, I'm pretty sure I'll hate it. Also if they're on Kitty-Yo

― geeta, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Contrived "darkness" or "mystery" about a band or performer will violently turn me off them quick smart. Nine Inch Nails are a case in point (that, and their tuneless, soulless dirges).

― electric sound of jim, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

But Jim, aren't you dark and mysterious? I mean, you live thousands of miles away on an island surrounded by sharks and coral.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If my roommate overplays something (recently it's been way too much Jamiroquoi & the Eagles), I'll hate it. I'm all for being openminded, but hearing the same CD every time I go out to the kitchen for a whole weekend is just too much. I'm tempted to encourage my dog to chew up the CDs by coating them in peanut butter or something. ( ;

― lyra in seattle, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the almost-good of Coldplay and Travis and Ben Folds et al is the worst kind of bad. The part of their aesthetic that you loathe makes you resent whatever they're doing right.

― Aaron, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

But but but I don't pretend to be more mysterious and dark than I really am, honest!

― electric sound of jim, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I wish I was with you on this one Nate. My problem is that as I get older I seem to have become even less tolerant to certain types of music than I was in my teens, that said, the stuff I hate usually fits into one of two categories.

1. Acts which appear to have no musical talent whatsoever but which are highly produced (Enrico, A1, Ronan Keating etc). I mean, some of the songs are good but I can't help feeling that the artist involved is as bewildered by the end result as I am.

Unpleasant vocal affectations (Jameroqui, Diana Ross, Ronan Keating, Bauhaus to name 4 random examples of the hundreds I could list)

As you have probably spotted, Ronan Keating is on both lists, I mean, I know this music wasn't meant for me but that doesn't stop me being irritated immensely by it, especially when it's on my radio alarm clock first thing in the morning.

I don't actually get angry at bad music any more, just personally insulted.

The worst case in question was recently at a party where the hosts put "Return of the space cowboy" on repeat for what felt like the whole night although it was almost certainly for no more than 1 1/2 hours. I can never treat music as mere background ambience and this upset me greatly.

― Kris England, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

they remind me of high school = basement jaxx.

― jel --, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"I can't help feeling that the artist involved is as bewildered by the end result as I am"

i quite like this idea, though

― mark s, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

overt intellectuality.

― nathalie, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The arrogance of those whose education is greater than their intellectual capacity.

In other words "The Manic Street Preachers"

― Kris England, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Bono.

― Jerry, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i really hate image or style over content. if a band look like they have been at the stylists then i hate them. if they're cocky or arrogant then i hate them. if they were people i wouldn't even not the time of day at in the real world then i hate them. it's very petty but lou reed has always struck me as a knob so i never bothered with his solo stuff, john cale however has always struck me as more odd and thus i listen to his solo stuff. petty and shallow i know, but i haven;t been able to overcome it yet...

― commonswings, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Unjustified head-up-arseness. Bands that seem convinced that anyone would find them attractive if it wasn't for the fact they're in a rock group (come on down Lostprophets). Musicians that do the overtly hostile interview style as well. Nobody asked for you to promote your fucking album, so stop complaining, and answer the question as to how you got your name bitch.

― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Calling yourself 'Baxendale' or 'Spearmint' is a good first start...

― Sarah, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

anything that involves the words "Fred" and "Durst".

― Chris, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Being The Strokes!

Erm, no, actually, that's not true! The Strokes are the new Best Band In The World Ever (For Their Fan Fiction, That Is.)

But that rather hits the nail on the head. If a band merely bore me or irritate me, I can ignore them. What it takes for me to TRULY loathe them, is when they are being shoved down my throat continually night and day by the music press/industry and when I am constantly told that this boring irritating pabulum is going to save rock'n'roll.

I suppose I am being manipulated in that sense, which is bad.

I'm trying to think of other bands that provoke the KILL KILL! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!!! reaction in me...

― kate, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ha, Sarah, I saw Baxendale last week. they were OK and i actually enjoyed one or two songs. HA!

― Alan Trewartha, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If you come from a country that has domestic-content radio regulations then anything that receives airplay automatically comes under suspicion, it's like an ingrained habit

― dave q, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They have to keep bothering me. I don't know if I actually think that the Stereophonics make worse records than Emerson Lake And Palmer did, but the former persist in annoying me at least once a week, whereas it's easy now to go years without ever hearing ELP, so the venom fades (until they jump up again, that is). Earnest, self- important stupidity is a major factor, as in Mr Writer, for instance.

― Martin Skidmore, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Martin S!!! ELP were anything but 'earnest'!!! And Greg Lake might've been 'stupid' but he was also a genius! How you can compare them to Stereophonics is beyond my understanding!

― dave q, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Bad Hair. Content over Style. Clever people. Stoopid + prettiness = rules.

― S.Fuck, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was going to say "bad hair" but I've been beaten to it.

― jamesmichaelward, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'Limited Edition' 7"s released by majors tend to do it for me. A trick pulled by many bands, including Shed Seven, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers.

My God, I sound like a bis record.

― James, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Usually a combination ov not liking thee band & 100% favourable press koverage ov thee "this band R seminal, U MUST LIKE THEM" sort EG prml scrm or the clash (sorry nate) Someone like Nugent, as mentioned above, though undoubtedly pretty obnoxious, is at least ignorable & thus difficult to work up a good steam up over.

― Norman Phay, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The combination of theatrical/attention-craving posing and catchy, wafer-thin tunes is an instant turnoff for me. This ranges from The Smiths to Guns 'n Roses to Elton John to Korn to Marilyn Manson to Kiss.

― Siegbran Hetteson, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

tori amos

― mike bott, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Being a feking pinta = Avril Lavigne

OH GOD HOW I HATE HER SO!

― vic, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It is usually the little things that do it for me. For example, those horrible sunglasses Liam Gallagher is wearing on TOTP which make him look thicker than he already is.Bobby Gillespie is looking completely gormless in recent photos which make me hate him and his washed up band of posturing 40 somethings even more.

― johnnydexter, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The combination of theatrical/attention-craving posing and catchy, wafer-thin tunes is an instant turnoff for me.

Theatrical and catchy are bad things?

― Sean, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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