Music Fogey

Let me just say, I'm totally digging the alternative station on Spotify.  It's chock full of 90's alt. rock, so of course I'm all about it.  It's also got some newer songs that fit in well, and I don't even mind that much.

I am a self-proclaimed music fogey.  What is a music fogey?  Well, it's a term that I've coined for those of us who like what music we like just because we like it and have usually liked it since our coming of age or since we first got into music (usually high school or college years).  Are you way into disco?  You probably graduated from high school in the early-to-mid 70's (and are also not reading this blog!).  Think Madonna is just the best?  Are you a chick who came of age in the early 80's?  If you graduated high school in the late 90's to early 00's and listened to a lot of cutting edge radio, then like me, you might have a special place in your heart for alt. rock.  You know, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Gin Blossoms, Veruca Salt, Bush, and so on.

Now, a music fogey is different from a music snob.  A music fogey doesn't necessarily have a reason for liking what they like other than they just like it and always have.  A music snob, on the other hand, usually has some sort of criteria music has to possess in order to get their stamp of approval.  Music snobs come in different sorts depending on said criteria.  One sort is the "I heard it first" music snob.  This type will only like a band or song before it is cool, and if that band/song becomes cool, they will let you know that they liked it first but the band sold out or something and said snob has moved on to some other unknown band that only other music snobs know about.  Then there's the other type of music snob who needs music to have certain elements in order to be appreciated.  Maybe it's the novel use of a particular instrument, a style of singing or the way the music is produced, or the music just has to be something truly original; this snob usually has some sort of musical background, as well.

Music snobs tend to always be searching for new music, but may still have a bit of appreciation for what they liked during their coming of age, or at least what they were exposed to then probably influences what interests them now.  When choosing new music, fogeys, on the other hand, tend to gravitate toward artists influenced by what the fogeys like.

Except when that new music flat out rips off something we like.  I heard a song today on my Spotify alternative station that completely ripped off was unmistakeably greatly inspired by Machina era Smashing Pumpkins.  So I did a bit of investigation and on the same album they also ripped off were obviously inspired by The Killers.  Not to name names, but The Raveonettes will not be on this music fogey's to listen to list.

Ok, I guess after that little rant maybe I'm a bit of a music snob as well.