| Subject: Are you serious??? |
Author:
phishhed
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Date Posted: 16:42:35 09/02/05 Fri
Allow the title of my post to remain in your, dear readers, mind as you read my reply to the banter on this message board.
First of all, we begin with a look into my own position. As a lover of the GD, I have seen DSO a number of times. Approaching the venue at the Royal Oak Music Theater in Michigan I had a light heart about what to expect that night I ventured into their world for the first time. I was 16 years old, and had been a lover of the GD since I was in the 7th grade. Not expecting to be that impressed with a "cover band" as they were labeled by my friend who introduced me to the show that evening, we entered the venue in the middle of the Bertha opener. I was amazed at how well vocally and instrumentally the band sounded. The rest of the show was a great time; I danced, met some cool people and had a wonderful experience. It was so satisfying to hear songs that dwell in the very fiber of my being played live for me to enjoy.
Since that night I have seen DSO a number of times whenever they have come to Michigan and have been to Gratefulfest twice. (BY THE WAY YOU GUYS SHOULD COME UP TO EAST LANSING AND PLAY SOMETIME. MSU WOULD WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS)
I have opened my thoughts with a statement of my position on the music to inform you, dear readers, as of my stance to the level of my appreciation of DSO. I know many people whom LOVE DSO, people that think they are the greatest band in the world. I know people that hate DSO, people that think what they do is phony, unoriginal and lacks creativity. To be honest with you both sides of the issue make points that are true. I will choose not to venture into examples of what I FEEL are the good and bad points, I will only say that they do exist.
I make my stance in the middle of the pack. I enjoy seeing DSO; I think they are very talented musicians (let me also say that besides my love of the music, my technical knowledge of music, styles and theory in non-existent). I say this to extinguish any further debate as to the fact that I said DSO were "talented" musicians. All I know is that they sound good to me and I enjoy listening to them and the music they play.
I begin now the purpose of my post, the prior of which has been to educate you, dear readers, of the angle from which I write to you.
The music that was created by the GD begot a culture. It developed into a way of life. I have always felt that it was not the purpose of the music, but a byproduct of it. I have always felt that it was created by the phans not the music. It was centered on the music but held, within itself, a number of different purposes. Politics, schools of thought, mindsets, beliefs and ideologies thrived in this type of environment.
Over the years, at the point that I have been introduced to the music, these things have come to be the "scene" not just a byproduct of it. I think that a culture that was developed on ideals of acceptance, caring, love, understanding, freethinking and peace has become a complete caricature of itself. I feel that everything that was able to thrive in the type of environment that was created by the GD has been suffocated out by those things themselves.
Acceptance has been given a prerequisite of "as long as you are equal to my experience and my intelligence level"
Freethinking has been morphed into a collection of thoughts and ideals so genre based that the term "Freethink" has become a complete oxymoron in its description.
I have never been involved and have never been drawn to the culture that surrounds this music by any of those things. I find myself to be made an outsider by my political viewpoints, upbringing, way of thinking and overall appearance. The only thing that has ever drawn me has been the music. The music that is able to speak to me a hold me hostage like nothing else on the planet, and I think that so many of the other issues that I have spoke of have clouded the music as the main purpose of it all.
I think that nowhere has this been made clearer than on this message board. The complete lack of respect that both sides of the argument have shown to each other is unbelievable. As I said before, both sides have made great points, however they have been completely overshadowed by the lack of control you have over yourselves.
To be offended so personally by someone else’s mere opinion does nothing but show a level of self-righteousness in you. Why is it so hard so accept that someone else has a different opinion than you? Sitting on this message board picking apart trivial points in each other’s arguments to prove that your reasons and knowledge and your opinion are superior to someone elses is the biggest form of mental masturbation that I have ever seen. Also though it has not been blatantly stated (or maybe it has) it seems that for most people involved the point of the discussion is not to further the goal of such discussion but to simply prove that "I am smarter than you, I know more about this than you, I have seen more shows than you, therefore I am right."
All of these things have taken away from the fact that this is all about the music and nothing else. You either like it or you don't. Just because you like it doesn’t mean it is better than another form of music, all it means is that you like it better. I could sit here and begin to debate with you on how I think 50 cent is a more talented artist than Jerry Garcia. I could rattle off a ton of facts proving my points and you all could rebut them with facts of your own.
Case and point: opinions are backed reasons, reasons are made up off facts (whether they be personal facts or statistical. You will always have opinions, reasons and facts on both sides of any argument; they can be shaped to prove anything the author of them wants.
Let your egos subside and remember the ideals that all of this once stood for. I believe that the individual components of the culture that I mentioned before were no the whole of it. The whole of it was obviously what all those things created, TOGETHERNESS. Being able to dress, look, live, think, love, speak, read, watch, participate in, stand for, hope for, and work for whatever and however you want. And to let the music bring you together.
"Pride, Envy, Avarice-these are the sparks that have set aflame the souls of man..."
-Dante
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