My Least Favorite Things

This may be the easiest blog for me to date, for there is precious little that I don't love in music.  That said, where there is love for much, what is lost on the unloved is tremendous; in plainspeak, what I don't love, I loathe deeply.

I can muster respect for anyone who puts passion into their work, regardless of genre, talent, or quality.  Somebody who puts their guts into their music is making true music in my view, whether I like it or not.  Groups like Coheed and Cambria, while unpolished in many ways, show tremendous talent and heart that transcends their lack of specific musical knowledge.  Listen to Travis Stever's solo on Gravemakers and Gunslingers - clearly in the wrong key, but played with such passion, musicality, and commitment that it's hard to care.

I feel the same way about the students I teach - put in that effort, that passion, and it will overcome any disparity of knowledge.  Guts count far more than brains in the music I listen to, probably why I choose Beethoven over Bach any day.

With all of that blogged, who is it then, that I like the least?  People who are either 1) uncommitted, or 2) in it for the money.  The ones in it for the money are plastered all over tabloids and often MTV as well.  They clearly want all of the attention they can get, through whatever means necessary.  

I won't judge Lizzy McGwire/Hillary Duff/Duffy based on what I see as a lack of talent, but here's a woman who clearly has a marketing machine behind her.  I've seen her in Disney, in Shape Magazine, and on the cover of Maxim.  I can't say as I've ever really known her music, but I know her face.  To me, that's someone who's overcompensating for something; let the music speak for itself!

Don't get me started on attention-seekers Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, et al.  They are looking to be seen in any medium they can put their perfectly manicured fingers into, regardless of talent or passion.  Problem is - Lindsay Lohan is actually a tolerable actress - I liked Mean Girls.  Just don't expect me to feel sorry for her putting herself in the media spotlight.  Don't see paparazzi following me around.

My advice to any readers of this rant - do it with passion, integrity, and grit, or don't do it at all.  Any less is not worth the precious few years we have on this Earth.