Tuesday, November 30, 2004
How can you tell just by looking at me that I hate the kind of music you listen to?
Or so asks Kids in the Hall's Mark McKinney. Music, like all art, is a very subjective field. People not only have different tastes, they actually seem to hear music differently. Fans of the same genre can be reduced to shouting matches if you ask them who is the best group, best song, or best album.
My own taste when it comes to art is pretty diverse. Actually, it can be sort of distressing when I think about it. I can't seem to peg exactly WHAT it is that I like. Shouldn't there be a theme of some sort, stringing together my tastes?
Here is an example: The last five CDs I have bought are...
1) Usher "Confessions"
2) Iron Maiden "Edward the Great"
3) FLCL Soundtrack vol. 2
4) Bjork "Post"
5) Stevie Wonder "Talking Book"
There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. Its the same with TV shows, movies, paintings... you name it. It occurs to me often on how subjective life's diversions can be. For instance, think about when fall comes around and the TV stations are unveiling their new programs. Out of five shows, four of them look awful. You say to yourself "why did they even spend the money to make this?" The same is true with summer movies. Or that painting you see at the gallery that is for sale for US$1,249.00 and it seems to be nothing more than splotches of paint (and ugly shades of color to boot).
It is weird when you think about it... that these things are static (concrete) and yet their value is almost completely extrinsic. I always look at other people's tastes and try to understand what they see in something before I get too critical. I always wonder if they are seeing or hearing something I am not. And a lot of the time, they are.
The human brain is a remarkable thing. It holds so many mysteries, and for every question we can think of about it, there are several more unanswered questions. Matter of fact, the process of how we arrive at the questions to ask about it in the first place is a mystery. I guess there is truth to the old cliche about beauty and the beholder I guess.
Which leaves me with one comment; when William Shakespeare (or his ghost writer) penned "a rose by any other name..." it sounded good, but is it accurate? I mean, do we all think that roses smell sweet? My experience with other art forms tells me "no."
But then again, theater is art, and Shakespeare isn't for everyone either...
See ya!
My own taste when it comes to art is pretty diverse. Actually, it can be sort of distressing when I think about it. I can't seem to peg exactly WHAT it is that I like. Shouldn't there be a theme of some sort, stringing together my tastes?
Here is an example: The last five CDs I have bought are...
1) Usher "Confessions"
2) Iron Maiden "Edward the Great"
3) FLCL Soundtrack vol. 2
4) Bjork "Post"
5) Stevie Wonder "Talking Book"
There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. Its the same with TV shows, movies, paintings... you name it. It occurs to me often on how subjective life's diversions can be. For instance, think about when fall comes around and the TV stations are unveiling their new programs. Out of five shows, four of them look awful. You say to yourself "why did they even spend the money to make this?" The same is true with summer movies. Or that painting you see at the gallery that is for sale for US$1,249.00 and it seems to be nothing more than splotches of paint (and ugly shades of color to boot).
It is weird when you think about it... that these things are static (concrete) and yet their value is almost completely extrinsic. I always look at other people's tastes and try to understand what they see in something before I get too critical. I always wonder if they are seeing or hearing something I am not. And a lot of the time, they are.
The human brain is a remarkable thing. It holds so many mysteries, and for every question we can think of about it, there are several more unanswered questions. Matter of fact, the process of how we arrive at the questions to ask about it in the first place is a mystery. I guess there is truth to the old cliche about beauty and the beholder I guess.
Which leaves me with one comment; when William Shakespeare (or his ghost writer) penned "a rose by any other name..." it sounded good, but is it accurate? I mean, do we all think that roses smell sweet? My experience with other art forms tells me "no."
But then again, theater is art, and Shakespeare isn't for everyone either...
See ya!
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