I don't understand why people fight over other peoples taste-and especially diss it. I know I don't appreciate or get some music but I always assumed it's just me-not really the music (all I can say is I don't like it I don't know why-much the same for the music I do like) Everyone is different shouldn't we celebrate that? I've never seen a homogenous population there is always variety-clone a bacterium and it will change/evolve within so many generations. But I do think that lots of people can share those taste and often seek each other out-lots of studies demonstrate like seeks out like-it's just biological. I have no idea what drives my likes and dislikes-they've changed a bunch over time too. Like I use to hate mayo-literally made me nauseous. Now I glob it on sandwiches, fries, steak, eggs, everything is better with Hellmann's real Mayo
I just started liking yellow mustard too the last two years. Viva la difference LOL. So I figure one day I'll discover I like rap (which I could envision) and maybe even country (which I can't envision but mayo use to make me want to vomit too )LOL. When I post a video wearing a cowboy hat, rather than my beat up ole cap, you'll know I've moved to the dark side and love country music.
Art, even when you write simply there's just so much sense in what you say. I'm impressed how your posts combine the analytic approach of a scientist with the an almost philisophical and benign humanist approach, and all this in a simple and relatable way!
Olives, for me it's olives. Didn't like them at all, until one day: click! And more recently it's seafood.
Variety is the spice of life. Nothing should be exempt from criticism but you're right that is should be tempered by a realisation that diversity is important and no single person can ever absorb and comprehend everything that humanity has to offer.
And that's the part that really irks me. I find it so frustrating to be confronted with things, music or other, that are meant to provide an enriching human experience, only to find that I don't appreciate it! It's not about being embarrassed or feeling stupid. I just think it's a great shame that I'm possibly being deprived of something special because of my own limitations.
I would be sincerely thrilled to have another musical breakthough like the one I had with jazz so many years ago. I'd been sort of stagnating in my musical outlook and then suddenly there was this new horizon that opened up. It would be silly to say that it happened in an instant, like some Eureka moment. However, I do recall very vividly a particular listening experience that sent me on a new journey. It was the opening bars of the first song on an Art Bakey & The Jazz Messengers compilation. I'll never forget the impact of that ride cymbal sound (and the rest of the music as well).
Reading how Tony writes about hip-hop makes me think that perhaps again I'm missing out. After all, he likes Tony Willimas, I like Tony Williams...
I'm not being so naive as to suggest that our common appreciation of one musician should mean that we should have an equal appreciation of other musicians. Just saying that there are endless possibilities.
Maybe our rejection of certain things is in part born out of this frustration of not being able to incorporate everything.