Are you a musical snob?

Charles French · From: Ms.

What types of music do you like? I understand this is The Steel Guitar Forum and steel is a preference but how diverse are your taste in music?

I'm 52 years old so I'm old enough to remember listening to the Opry on the radio. It was the highpoint of the week. We'd all gather round the radio and tune it in every Saturday nite.

My mother sang and my father played guitar and sang in a family band The Lomax Family. I spent many a nite listening to them do all the Monroe , Stanley, Flatt & Scruggs etc. songs. So this music is probably the dearest to my heart. Then I remember hearing Marty Robbins and Buck Owens and man what was this honky tonkin I was hearing. There was something bout that sound that really hooked me. I was probably around 10 or 12 years old.

Then it happened, it was around 1965 when the Beatles hit the airwaves, whoa! Now this was different. I'd listened to Jimmy Reed and Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters but I couldn't appreciate them at the time. There was something about these mop heads that was really cool altho cool wasn't understood at that time either. Then it happened "The British Envasion". Man, bands starting coming out of the wood works. Hendrix, The Byrds, Cream, Rock & Roll was here.

1969, I was out of high school. I worked on the farm for a couple of years and had the urge to roam. I went to Washington, D.C. in 1971. There I stumbled upon Gram Parsons & Emmy Lou Harris at a club in Georgetown. I couldn't believe what I heard. Country music with a attitude. I was exposed to so much great music in D.C. it definately changed the way I percieved music.

After a couple of years in D.C. I headed back south and moved to Memphis and had the good fortune of meeting Steve Cropper, what a player! I guess it was about that time that I started to appreciate how different musical influences shaped a player. It all started making sense. Take a little Hank Williams and some Chuck Berry and Duke Ellington and stir it up and now we got something.

I do believe that music is heading back to something derived from all these influences. Say what you want about all the Kid Rock's but there are a lot of youngbloods out there who are discovering artist of yesterday and will take it to another level.

I ain't famous, I can't brag about who I played with, but I never quit playing and I never will.

The Revelators,
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/7/chickfrenchmusic.htm

cf

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

First Tenessee Ernie Ford, and Aurthur Godfrey at 2-6. ('55-'57 Then a little "pop" music and "rock and roll", then Cousin Herb, Merle, Buck, Tommy, and the Bakersfield thing in 62-5, then the Beatles, Jimmy Hendrix, Chambers Bros, Zappa then in 70 top 40 Country mised in with the previous, then in 73 Edgar Winter, Allman Bros Led Zeppelin, then Acid COuntry GP, Emmylou, Byrds etc, Leon Russel, then Steel Guitar, Bluegrass, Big Band, David Bromberg, WHFS, WAMU, etc, then a vast mixture of all of it from 79 til the present.

Any given day will find me listening to "Oldies" from Zeppelin/Hendrix to classical guitar, or Jazz, and then once in a while Country to either "brush up" on some stupid cover tune, or listen for the next "Ricky Scaggs" or other phenom that will get me interested in it. Paisley's come closest recently. I listen to hip hop, jazz, Wagner, LJDickens, Indian stuff, "sitar", and just about anything except "Vivaldi" on NPR. That much snobbery I will cop to.

When I started "Playing" PSG I basically quit "niche-ing" my music listening.

I like to play it loud, and listen to it quietly.

One way to get me to like someone or some thing is for someone to tell me that I shouldn't.

Guess I'm still a kid at heart..

Also like(d) Steppenwolf a lot.

Hoyt was a hell of a songwriter.

EJL

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Musical snob...hmmm good question.
It comes down to ;
do you look down on any particualr music with disdain.

Well for me that would be gangsta rap if anything.
Not particularly good production values... some interesting techniques used to little positive effect, coupled with often times socially irresponsable lyrics or just plain meanness.

There are a few rap songs I have liked, Hammer, TLC, but thay have been few and far between.
It just never had the the same sense of approachable rebelion that rock or new wave punk has. Like Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck B., Little Richard, Elvis.

Or later Stones, Bowie, Pretenders, Elvis Costello, Sex Pistols, Clash, Rash of Stabbings, Judy's Tiny Head, Bob Marley, Steel Pulse, Burning Spear, etc.

Yeah they sometimes said things that were counter the establishment, but you couldn't really take them seriously as seditious.
And some also had very positive things to say also.

Other than that I like most anything.
My 1st record was Burl Ives The Teddy Bears Picnic; what a great voice, but at the same time I was regualrly hearing E. Power Biggs; Bach Organ Favorites, Modern Jazz Qaurtet, Edith Piaf, Pajama Game, assorted New Orleans musics; especially piano players, Caramina Burana.

And this cat that had rescued a HUGE Wurlitzer theater organ with percussion and horns etc, and set it up in his basement and did reel to reels of jazz and show tunes, and much more. I still hear in my head his Limehouse Blues 40+ years later

Plus my dad was always recording someone somewhere and often in the house, so I heard lots of local Boston music. Marching bands, Greek Liturgical music, Barrelhouse piano, Skifle rock, gospel, out jazz, Dixieland, etc.

So my ears were opened wide very early on.

I had a playing trajectory of folk music and seas chanties, the Beatles of course, to blues a la Johnny Winter and John Mayhal Blues Breakers, to Mountain, Ten Years After, Allman Brothers, Deep Purple, Jeff Beck, and off into Jazz, with John MacGlaughlin's Inner Mounting Flame, Larry Coryel, Breckers, Braxton, Return to Forever, Stanly Clarke, Jaco, DeMeola, the whole fusion thing.

And finally a return, thanks to my dobro and the desire to save my ears, to more acoustic musics, bluegrass, Doc Watson, New Grass Revival, and on into more mainstream country. Eventually I also ended up in symphonic music actually playing in a 68 piece symphony orchestra; to my great surprise.
And later salsa and trad Irish, Balkan and oriental musics, in demonic time sigantures like 13/8

If any of you have heard my composed music, you know much of the above is all mixed together into something that is not neccesarily any one style...though some would call it jazz, and others would say "That's not jazz".

Snob... no. But I prefer to not play bass on bluegrass if I am not singing a lot. I would rather play other instruments. But I still like a good simple song played well.
Lefty Frizzel, Hank Snow, Alison Krauss, Patsy, Hank, Carter Familly etc.

In the car this week was Albert Lee w/BE, Paul Breslin, The Players w/PF, Rosie w/me, Tom Morrell, Tchavalo Schmitt, Doc Watson, The Marvelous Pig Noise.
Go figure!

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I wouldn't call myself a "musical snob". I would admit, however, that I feel that any facet of music can be generally quantified as "good" or "bad". Many will disagree, and I counter (my own personal likes and dislikes aside) that without "bad music", there can be no "good music".

Few people (besides myself) are willing to admit that, and that some music that they love, like, care for, play, or have played is really bad music, but that doesn't mean that's not the case. Also, the fact that a group or a singer is/was very popular or successful doesn't prove that their music was any good. Some very popular groups and singers aren't/weren't very good. Many unknowns, on the other hand, are.

Personally, I like most all "good" music.

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 29 December 2003 at 05:28 AM.]

[This message was edited by b0b on 29 December 2003 at 12:47 PM.]

Perry Hansen · From: Bismarck, N.D.

What Donny said.

Donna Dodd · From: Acworth, Georgia, USA

What David said.

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

I don't consider myself a musical snob, but, i am stuck in a time warp of some kind.I like to play and hear the more traditional country music. I started playing steel in a country band back in 1976, so, the music of the 70's,80's, and some 90's attracts me.There are several artists, today, that adhere to that genre, and I applaud them for it. I'm not against other forms of music, I just prefer to stay where I'm at. I'm not really happy playing the "new Country" at all.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I might be the opposite of a "musical snob". My tastes are so diverse that there is very little that I dislike (and, thanks to the Forum, that "very little" is pretty well known

).

My record collection is a mix of country, swing, blues, classic rock, classical, new age, jazz and world music. The areas I don't collect include modern rock and hip hop, but I hear enough of those forms in movies and TV to appreciate them.

The strangest stuff I'm into is modern concert music. I might be Steve Reich's biggest fan, and I buy everything that John Adams or Kronos releases. Something in modern music resonates deep inside me. That's what I listen to most when I'm alone at home.

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Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

David Doggett · Posted 29 Dec 2003 1:40 pm

What b0b said. Depending on my mood I can be equally happy listening to Black Flag, Web Pierce, Puccini, Ornette Coleman, Andean flute music, or Son House, or even Lawrence Welk. But, like b0b, I have my limits. After Iron Butterfly, what was the point of any more heavy metal? I hear the rap and hip-hop my kids listen to, and some of it isn't bad. You have to think in terms of rhythm, like a drum solo, or like the ham-bone. And yeah, some of it's pretty nasty, but, hey, I'm not a puritan. I don't like the mean spirited gansta stuff, but some hip-hop is beautiful, like "Where is the Love," by the Black-Eyed Peas.

Jimmy Dale · From: Ripley, W.Va

I can enjoy any kind of music between High Opera and Heavy Metal, if it's done with good taste. I'm sorry but I do not concider Rap as being music.It should be called (R&M) Rhythm and Monotone. That's strickly my opinion. Jim Miller I'D RATHER BE STEELIN'

Don Walters · From: Saskatchewan Canada

I think you're far more likely to experience snobbery among people who don't like what we call Country Music. And therefore, a steel guitar isn't a real instrument to such people ... just ask Mike Perlowin about the reception he got from some (most?) "classical" scholars when he released his Firebird CD.

I'll bet this group has more wide-ranging tastes than most other musical groups.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

I love traditional country music, classical music and some southern gospel music. Outside that I do ocassionally enjoy a few forays into other kinds such as certain songs sung by the older "pop" stars such as Bing Crosby and Perry Como and Patti Page.

Songs sung by Newer "pop" stars like Barbara Streisand and Linda Rhonstadt. LOVE Luciano Pavorotti and songs sung by Sarah Brightman and Charlotte Church.

A rare few songs sung by Elvis (very early in his career) like "Heartbrak Hotel"; one or two by Jimmy Buffet and and a couple more rock and rollers.

So, from what I read, I must be a musical snob.

carl

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

John Floyd · From: R.I.P.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

"Are you sure the drums weren't too loud?"

Hmmmm,,,,,,

Since that is now approaching 50 years ago, I am not sure. Course at 20+ yrs old, I had no idea (as most don't now) how much damage loud drums does to one's hearing. If ONLY I had known (and heeded) the warning signs, OH how wonderful it would be now.

Ve really do grew too soon oldt und too late schmart!

carl

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Carl that was a trick question because I think there were no drums on "Heratbreak Hotel".

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Hallelujah

Splains why I liked it

Bless ya friend,

carl

Chris Forbes · From: Beltsville, MD, USA

Yes, I am, thanks for asking!!!!

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

Aurthur Godfrey at 2-6. ('55-'57 ,you mean to tell me I'm that much older than you?..

I did the Godfrey show on 2/7/55 and stayed on for three years.

It cant be that long.

Do you mean at age 2 to 6 ? I did the Talent
Scout show on 2-7-55..check your dates I cant be that old.

Drew Howard · From: 48854

I especially like bluegrass, country, blues, jazz, pop, gospel, polka, klezmer, anything prior to 1970.

But occasionally something on urban radio will appeal to me. I can't stand rock anymore (said the old fart).

cheers,
Drew

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www.newslinkassociates.com
www.drewhoward.com

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

Any music can be good or bad and I generally like it if it's good.The exception of course is the special olympics of music - HipHop/Rap. Even when someone is "good" at it,it's not good.Why? For one thing it's because of the endless sampling,looping and general regurgitation of earlier forms of music as a substitute for songwriting.That alone renders it artless - a craft akin to gluing up a montage of someone else's photographs maybe but not art.It's like if suddenly art galleries were full of paint-by-the-numbers paintings and all the critics were raving about them and then a whole phony culture grew up around that. Yeah,I'm sick of hearing some self-proclaimed genius bull$h!+ing along with a drum machine that somebody else programmed ferchrissake! And the endless cookie-cutter videos of "ganstas" w/baggy pants gesturing menacingly into a wide angle lens w/hootchie girls humping their leg....Sorry but the whole thing sucks big time - in every possible way.

So no - I'm not a musical snob. -MJ-

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I don't think of myself as a snob because I don't like bad music and the people that don't like the same music as me are stupid.

Bob

Larry Miller · From: Dothan AL,USA

Jody, were you on the show when Julia La Rosa got fired?

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

No Larry

Julie left in 53. I started in 1955.

Theresa Galbraith · From: Goodlettsville,Tn. USA

Bob,
You are too funny! Love it!

Theresa

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