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Broadening Others' Musical Horizons???

Big_StacksBig_Stacks "I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
edited July 2005 in Strut Central
Hey Guys,

Do you have "record collector peeps" that you buy music for on occasion? Myself, I buy my older brother music as gifts. Because he is also a collector, I try to buy him stuff that he wouldn't buy himself (e.g., Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger Trinity, The Beginning of the End, Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, Soft Machine, The Whatnauts, etc.) to make sure I don't duplicate what he already has. His buddy (over the phone recently) told me how he reacts to the stuff, which he has trouble getting into. I thought my bro was open-minded about music, but this appears not to be totally true. Have any of you guys encountered this, and if so, how have you handled it?

Peace,

Big Stacks from Kakalak

  Comments

  • GrafwritahGrafwritah 4,184 Posts
    People generally like what they like and that's it. Not that it's bad to try to broaden someone's horizons, but in many cases, they've already heard that type of music and probably weren't into it. That's why I listen to what I listen to - if I really wanted to sit around sipping tea to folk music, I'd buy some. I don't though, because I think it sucks. Now if someone introduced me to some obscure late 80s hip hop (like on Noz's site), I would be a lot more open to check it out because I generally like that kind of music.

    It's just like buying someone who wears a bunch of Sean Jean clothes some shit from Hot Topic - it just doesn't make sense. Yeah, maybe they're start dressing like Marilyn Manson, but probably not.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I dunno know. Maybe you can give him records that are similar to the sounds he likes but just unfamiliar w/. If he likes a certain era then give him some sort of slightly left of center example but still relevant/under the radar stuff. Some folks are just stuck.
  • drewnicedrewnice 5,465 Posts
    You just gotta keep givin' it, Stacks, and hope they come around to understanding it at some point.



    I've had this issue with a couple people too. As long are you're not giving away stuff you would have kept, continue to give on good faith that one day they will appreciate it.



    Even if it's just one track on a CD or something. But you can't expect them to be feeling all the material. You may even know a few people who you don't trust getting music suggestions from. (I know I do)
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I love giving gifts that are things I am really into but the receiver doesn't know much about. It is really cool when you can turn someone on to something you love. When you do this the gift is more about you.

    BUT [/b]

    The best gift is something that the receiver really loves and is into. When you do this the gift is more about them.

    Dan
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    Just get him some socks or something real lame next time & see what happens.....
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    It's very hard to broaden someone else's musical horizons when they themselves aren't into all kinds of music. Then again, listening to all kinds of music is all I know, I don't want to and refuse to limit myself. It's stupid to do so.



    When I write, I like to talk about all kinds of music because that's what I'm in to. I may not get to everyone, but someone might go "wow, he likes Time Machine, but he also likes John Zorn. Yet he's also into Kasey Chambers. I might take a listen."



    If someone's musical tastes is limited to what they know and want, and have no need to "expand their horizons", nothing will make them change that unless they are blown away by a song or two. You take a chance, and if they like it, they like it.





    I do some heavy duty trades with a few people, and it is about getting a lot of music, but also to check out stuff the other person may be listening to. I've been surprised by a lot of what I have received, music or groups I never heard of or would never take a chance on. A lot of times if you know a person a bit, you can send stuff you think they would like, in the hopes it will move them as much as it moved you.





    We all like to put on the "collector's hat", but there have been times where I have been more than happy to give away a record or two, if someone wanted them. There is no sense of "ooh, I lost out on that, could've put that on eBay."
  • generiquegenerique 625 Posts
    I've had it the other way around. A friend of mine used to give me a lot of tapes and most of it was very random to my ears so I started to pile them up and I didn't listen to them anymore. He switched to CDR's so that made it easier for me to skip through and man, does he record good music, mostly Caribbean. So I returned to some of the earlier tapes to find out they had become pretty good too but I hadn't noticed. Now I feel really guilty because I used to act real cool, like: "yeah great tape, what song do you mean? I have to listen to it a bit more, there's so much on it etc."

    But then, I love it when someone says: shit, this CDR you gave me years ago, I played it again and it blowes my mind, while initialy he/she gave me the cool treatment.

    I've been terribly lucky with my brother who eats anything I give him! It's funny, the other day he felt inspired and went to a recordstore. He called me up: "I could only find the regular stuff, where do they keep the weird stuff you record for me?"
    And then I had to tell him how insane it actualy is, the relentless digging, hustling, trading, dealing and what more, while sometimes it's right there in the CD section. Ha ha.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Maybe you can give him records that are similar to the sounds he likes but just unfamiliar w/. If he likes a certain era then give him some sort of slightly left of center example but still relevant/under the radar stuff. Some folks are just stuck.

    No offense to anyone, but I've noticed through the years that when people accuse other people of having closed-minded music tastes, that is usually another way of saying: this person doesn't like what I like[/b]. One of my coworkers at the record store I used to work at thought that my tastes were "stuck," but then again her listening habits didn't get far past rap (not my thing), so who the hell was she to judge?

    I don't think it's being "stuck" so much as it is personal preferences. Before someone expands their musical horizons, first they have to want to. Having said that, it's probably best you give him lesser-known variations on what he already knows and likes, as the above poster says, and let him take it from there.

    Besides, I'm willing to bet that there isn't a person on Soulstrut who doesn't have some kind of music that is just not their shot, know what I mean? It's not that they weren't exposed to it, or that they're not willing to expand their tastes, it's more like they heard it, didn't like it and moved on. Be's that way sometime.
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Maybe you can give him records that are similar to the sounds he likes but just unfamiliar w/. If he likes a certain era then give him some sort of slightly left of center example but still relevant/under the radar stuff. Some folks are just stuck.

    No offense to anyone, but I've noticed through the years that when people accuse other people of having closed-minded music tastes, that is usually another way of saying: this person doesn't like what I like[/b]. One of my coworkers at the record store I used to work at thought that my tastes were "stuck," but then again her listening habits didn't get far past rap (not my thing), so who the hell was she to judge?

    I don't think it's being "stuck" so much as it is personal preferences. Before someone expands their musical horizons, first they have to want to. Having said that, it's probably best you give him lesser-known variations on what he already knows and likes, as the above poster says, and let him take it from there.

    Besides, I'm willing to bet that there isn't a person on Soulstrut who doesn't have some kind of music that is just not their shot, know what I mean? It's not that they weren't exposed to it, or that they're not willing to expand their tastes, it's more like they heard it, didn't like it and moved on. Be's that way sometime.

    I agree with everything Pickwick said. In fact, I'll go further and say that I find the idea of aggressively proposing to expand the musical horizon of others straight-up obnoxious.

    I'm grateful to anybody that puts me up on an artist working within a genre that I'm a fan of, but anybody thinking that they're doing me a favor by attempting to convert me to a genre that I don't care for can fuck right off.
  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    My friends ask me to burn them CDs every so often and I just put a bunch of stuff on them. They usually dig a few tracks or so and I hook them up with a copy of the album that track is on a bunch of tracks from that artist.
  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    Maybe you can give him records that are similar to the sounds he likes but just unfamiliar w/. If he likes a certain era then give him some sort of slightly left of center example but still relevant/under the radar stuff. Some folks are just stuck.

    No offense to anyone, but I've noticed through the years that when people accuse other people of having closed-minded music tastes, that is usually another way of saying: this person doesn't like what I like[/b]. One of my coworkers at the record store I used to work at thought that my tastes were "stuck," but then again her listening habits didn't get far past rap (not my thing), so who the hell was she to judge?

    I don't think it's being "stuck" so much as it is personal preferences. Before someone expands their musical horizons, first they have to want to. Having said that, it's probably best you give him lesser-known variations on what he already knows and likes, as the above poster says, and let him take it from there.

    Besides, I'm willing to bet that there isn't a person on Soulstrut who doesn't have some kind of music that is just not their shot, know what I mean? It's not that they weren't exposed to it, or that they're not willing to expand their tastes, it's more like they heard it, didn't like it and moved on. Be's that way sometime.

    I agree with everything Pickwick said. In fact, I'll go further and say that I find the idea of aggressively proposing to expand the musical horizon of others straight-up obnoxious.

    I'm grateful to anybody that puts me up on an artist working within a genre that I'm a fan of, but anybody thinking that they're doing me a favor by attempting to convert me to a genre that I don't care for can fuck right off.

    But you haven't heard polka unless you've heard Ray Budzilek do his cover of "Saturday Night Polka." Mind fucking blowing.
  • Mr_Lee_PHDMr_Lee_PHD 2,042 Posts

    No offense to anyone, but I've noticed through the years that when people accuse other people of having closed-minded music tastes, that is usually another way of saying: this person doesn't like what I like[/b]. One of my coworkers at the record store I used to work at thought that my tastes were "stuck," but then again her listening habits didn't get far past rap (not my thing), so who the hell was she to judge?

    I don't think it's being "stuck" so much as it is personal preferences. Before someone expands their musical horizons, first they have to want to. Having said that, it's probably best you give him lesser-known variations on what he already knows and likes, as the above poster says, and let him take it from there.

    Besides, I'm willing to bet that there isn't a person on Soulstrut who doesn't have some kind of music that is just not their shot, know what I mean? It's not that they weren't exposed to it, or that they're not willing to expand their tastes, it's more like they heard it, didn't like it and moved on. Be's that way sometime.

  • leisurebanditleisurebandit 1,006 Posts
    if I really wanted to sit around sipping tea to folk music, I'd buy some. I don't though, because I think it sucks.

    cosine- i HATE tea!!

    but seriously,

    Emerson, Lake, & Palmer

    now THERE'S your problem
  • DubiousDubious 1,865 Posts
    i have to say i think this might be part of the problem right here:

    I try to buy him stuff that he wouldn't buy himself (e.g., Emerson, Lake, & Palmer)


  • DubiousDubious 1,865 Posts
    leisure bandit beat me to it.

    but yea hlook at that list.. brian auger, begining of the end...

    is there really any appeal to those records for people who arent into raers and breaks?


  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Because he is also a collector, I try to buy him stuff that he wouldn't buy himself[/b]

    the problem???
  • Big_StacksBig_Stacks "I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
    Because he is also a collector, I try to buy him stuff that he wouldn't buy himself[/b]

    the problem???

    Touche. I've bought him things he was unfamiliar that he has liked though (S.O.U.L., Rotary Connection as examples), and he does listen to rock, reggae, etc. It's hard to buy music for cats that have a lot, considering I'm not familiar with which albums he has from particular artists he likes. I guess I'll have to change my approach to buying him music.

    Peace,

    Big Stacks from Kakalak
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