It's all relative

There was a time, not long ago, when I was one of the most confrontational bastards when it came to music. I couldn't understand, (still can't for that mater) why somebody would listen to the banal nonsense plastered all over the billboard top 40.

I would take great relish in bashing the iPod selections of the pretty blond girls who listen exclusively to Madonna wannabes in the vain of Britney Spears, Katy Parry and Lady GaGa.

It didn't matter to me that these socially masochistic rants ensured I'd never get laid again, after all I have principles. I'd rather listen to Tibetan monks throat sing while getting a root canal, than listen to Nicki Manaj in the sack.

At least that’s the sort of thing I'd say to girls at the bar. As you can imagine, I don't get very many phone numbers with this tactic.

I was on one of these rants a few months back, going on about the purity of rock n' roll or something pretentious like that, comparing Justin Bieber's love of Elvis to Hitler's love of Charlie Chaplin, I think, when a friend of mine brought me up short. She said something “so profound” I will share it with you here, as it has had a great impact on my life.

"So what?" she said. "Who cares if somebody likes crappy music?"

This simple question rendered me speechless.

I had to re-evaluate my entire outlook on music.

From the time I became aware of popular music, at about the age of 14, to now a decade later, I have been vicious in the defense of the music I love and unflinchingly critical of almost everything else.

I'd give some leeway when it came to country and rap. No I don't really care for the genres, but I recognized the talent and honest drive in most of the artists, so I let them slide, but heaven help the poor backstreet boy fan who happened to cross my path.

So for the past couple of months I've been thinking about it and I've come to this conclusion.

There is good music and there is shitty music, but at the end of the day, our subjective opinions on the subject have no bearing on who we are as people. My friend was right, it really doesn't matter.

Honestly most musicians out there, good or bad, are just trying to get through the day, make a buck and maybe say something they feel is important.

And there is nothing wrong with any of that.

That being said, it's a lot of fun to share the bands we love with other people. It might be even more fun to pass judgment on those we hate.

So that is exactly what I am going to do on this blog. I'll keep my opinions out of people’s faces and on the internet where, if I hurt your feelings, you are more than welcome to leave an equally scathing comment for the whole world to see.

I hope you enjoy.