You mis-understand who and what I resent... I loath the process that produces and is affiliated with pop, I don't resent anyone for enjoying it, although I'd say many listen with a "take it or leave it" attitude rather than commitment.
I certainly didn't appreciate the direction and depth of your loathing, and whilst I accept it, I don't share it.
Not all pop music is manufactured, and whatever the source or process I'm of the opinion that it brings music to other people who otherwise might make little effort to seek it out, and I consider that to be a good thing.
Again that isn't "wrong"... I watch films with chaps like Steven seagal, but I do appreciate it's a formulaic 90 minutes of enjoyable mindless escapism and of little cultural value, perhaps a film equivalent to pop.
I agree - it's a good analogy. But do you not loathe the formulaic film production factories as much as you loathe the likes of, say, Stock/Aitken/Waterman?
Plenty of music lovers watch X Factor. I consider myself one of those.
I listen to music, I buy music, I play music on real live instruments, and I love all sorts of music. Not everything, but a lot. I also watch X Factor, and I often enjoy it.
But, as this thread demonstrates with others reactions to industrial, something millions of people adore, there must be music you don't like?
I guess there must be, but I can't immediately think of any. I'm not keen on music that's badly played, or particularly repetitive (e.g. some dance stuff), or people who can't sing, but I think I'm able to get some enjoyment out of listening to or watching anything that's done well.
Therefore appreciation of an art form is subjective and personal?
I concur.
And, therefore, any attempt to process, rank and find a "winner" misses the point?
Only if it was looking for the point, and I think X Factor isn't looking, so it hasn't missed it.
You could level the same accusations at the [Strictly] Come Dancing genre, but it brings a LOT of really harmless enjoyment to many people who otherwise would never watch ballroom (etc.) dancing, and the difference in format between SCD and X Factor is insignificant, IMHO.
X Factor it doesn't pretend to be what it isn't - it's just a musical edition of Big Brother, or Family Fortunes, or WWTBAM. It's a popular entertainment program whose subject matter happens to be the discovery of a popular entertain
er. Since the parameters of a popular entertainer are pretty clearly defined, albeit with the notably nebulous existence of the factor that they call 'X', I see nothing wrong with the honest pursuit of the goal. I'd prefer that there wasn't quite so much seemingly obscene profit coming from the telephone voting, and that it didn't make some individuals quite so wealthy, but we live in a country with a market economy, and disparity of wealth is the price we pay for that.
Then again, I've never been at ease with the concept of "favourites", "top tens", or any of that. I have about 20 or so favourite bands, but I couldn't list them 1-20.
You and me both. I don't see the point of a favourite, because what I like listening to depends on my constantly changing mood.
Largely I agree with you completely and utterly. The thing I don't get is the loathing, and how it transfers into what could be arguably be called an over-analytical criticism of something that really doesn't purport to be anything other than superficial.
Having said that, there are things that get my goat too, and I have no doubt that my loathing of those things appears very strange to anyone who can take or leave one of those.
But it's good that we're not all the same, or the world would be a very bland place.
Thanks for the exchange of views hairyben. Go in peace.
