when dates go wrong

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

Some of you probably know that my last date - my first since breaking up with my last girlfriend four months back - ended in an argument over pop music. She thought that liking Girls Aloud made me a misogynist, since they were obviously selected by a gang of perverted old men just to look good, and who cared about the music? My arguments, when she would listen to any, which was basically never, were that a) no they weren't, they were selected by Pop Idol voters, overwhelmingly young women, and b) that didn't stop the records being great. She then cited an even worse example: Tatu. "Their new album is fantastic," I said, by this point very much wanting the date to be over. This made me a rabid homophobe, since they are clearly not real lesbians. I was rather losing what thread there was to these arguments by this point - and the one thing that kept being repeated, as if it was self-evidently linked to my misogyny and homophobia, was that they were manufactured disposable pop. I realised I've been living in a sheltered world the last few years, and forgot that such thinking was still out there. (The woman expressed a fondness for Jeff Buckley and k.d. lang, who is clearly a proper lesbian.) ((Also, hello, I just joined.))

Comments

Canada Weighs In

[johnnyctunes.livejournal.com]

Re: tAtU or whatever, I think that there's a point at which we should say "too much artifice" and when we're looking at a manufactured concept band (the concept being, of course, they're pseudo-lesbians on the run from, well, nobody) whose music shamelessly apes nu-metal except with a slight Russian flavour and oh guess what it's about lesbians, do you get it yet, well, that's too much. Sugababes and Girls Aloud not so much.

(Also before anyone mentions Bratz Rock Angels consider that I didn't know they were a band shilling for creepy-ass dolls and that I've already said enough Rosaries to repent for it. Sorry.)


Regarding friendships and musical tastes, I think maybe people should just agree to disagree already. You aren't going to shame anyone into liking the music you like. Unless they like Good Charlotte. Then shame away.

Re: Canada Weighs In

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

I am not convinced that there is such a thing as too much artifice, but my formative years, musically, were dominated by glam. Also, if we all just agreed to disagree some of my friends would be out of work! (I mean those in music journalism, in case you don't know them.)