Think You’re Anti-Mainstream?
Written by Dan on February 23, 2009
Home >> Editorials >> Think You’re Anti-Mainstream?
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One of my biggest pet peeves among music fans is the notion that many people believe they are actually anti-mainstream. It’s occurred to me that there really isn’t such a thing because anti-mainstream is no less mainstream than…. well, mainstream. There’s this train of thought to immediately dismiss a band or artist simply because they’re popular. For some reason, it’s not just “cool” to do that, it’s somehow infallible logic to many.

Here’s a couple analogies to help prove my point. Firstly, The Dark Knight. This movie is insanely popular, and yet it is also an absolutely phenomenal movie. If there was a band that just came out, was comparably popular, and everyone and their brother told me I had to check them out… assuming I was this so-called anti-mainstreamist, I’d refuse to even give them a chance. And yet, they might actually be great. My point is that the general public is right from time to time.

Secondly, you know what happens when you claim to be anti-mainstream starting from a young age? You turn into one of those goth kids at the mall trying to be so different from everyone else that they all end up being exactly the same, effectively creating a new mainstream… that somehow isn’t mainstream? The same thing can happen to music aficionados. I’ve received some remarks from some people about a few of my posts, or at least their titles. I know most of these people didn’t even read the articles. Take the John Mayer Trio post for example. John Mayer is most definitely mainstream, and I honestly don’t much care for his releases under John Mayer. My father gave me some crap about this, wondering why on Earth I would write about him. You know what, he eventually read the post, bought the album TRY!, and actually liked it. You see, the John Mayer Trio is more of a blues band compared to his usual releases and it’s very reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Imagine that. Don’t believe me? Check out the YouTube video below and then read this article from Dolphin Street.

It’s almost as if these anti-mainstreamers don’t believe in change. If they’ve heard an artist once and labeled them mainstream, they’ll just assume they’ll never change. Thus, never pay any attention to that artist. On the flip side, if they find an artist they actually like while they’re unpopular, suddenly they’re not good anymore once everyone knows who they are. Fundamentally, it seems like the whole basis for being anti-mainstream is supposedly to think for yourself and form your own opinions regardless of what others think. And yet, that idea breaks down so that they can be popular among their ‘unpopular’ crowds or cliques.

Now you can’t take everything I just said verbatim. I’d like to consider myself as a moderate, which means I’m allowed to also be a hypocrite… its true, check Webster’s. For example, I will never, ever buy or illegally download a Nickelback album… even with a gun to my head. Actually, I felt dirty just looking for a picture of Chad from Nickelback to put in this post. Why? Because they’re god awful. But this sounds like I just discredited my whole argument. False. I just proved it. There can be no infallible, black-and-white logic when deciding what music is good and what is not. Don’t pretend as if there is.

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Viewing 7 Comments

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    Here are my thoughts: I really dislike anything on the radio even if I would like it if it was completely obscure which I most likely wouldn't...We live in a capitalistic society in which these big record execs just want to make money, not give good music or something that's really artistic. They'll put out someone who really has no passion for music and is more likely than not just an image lip syncing words to songs they didn't write to music they had no part of. Music is emotion, life, and self expression. Main stream music (to me, what's on the radio) takes that away and places somethign artificial that I would hardly call art. That's just me. I have alot of passion for these ideas and it makes me cry when i find someone who I can tell has passion for their words and music when I see them live and remember the artificiality of modern mainstream music...when I get really caught up in these emotions it almost makes me despise the people in charge of those records. And the more of this that is spewed out from these top dog, millionaire record companies, teh more accustomed people are gonna become to it.

    I'm pretty much a hypocrite too...I mean I've had to check myself. I completely and totally worship Regina Spektor for her folky style, intelligent allusions, truthful words, beautiful voice, and passion. I've never heard her on the radio, but she's really popular. Despite that I can tell she has this God-given gift for music and a passion that not every average Jane has...I love her. A bit hypocritical, no?

    Just when I hear something on the radio, it's a total turnoff...like those stations that play "hot" music. I've never been unfortunate enough to love a band that's genuine and that eventually makes there way onto the radio.

    What you said kind of gave me the idea you thought someone with my points of views was someone who was trying to be different because it's :cool"...That's not true at all. I have this passion for music and it pisses me off that they would give something so made-up that just takes the beauty and art out of what music truly is...it really truly pisses me off and makes me cry sometimes.
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    I agree with most of what you said, however I find your first sentence to be peculiar to say the least: "I really dislike anything on the radio even if I would like it if it was completely obscure..."

    How can you justify this view? What you are saying is that if a band you liked began to get radio play then you would no longer like them, even if the quality of their music were to not suffer. What sense does this make? Equivalently, you're also saying that you let your own personal music preferences be determined by others. This is awfully similar to fans of "Top 40" radio stations; the only difference is that those people are being told what to like whereas you are being told what to dislike. Why not just form opinions for yourself and ignore the outside forces?

    Another thing you said made me cringe a little bit but not nearly as much as that first sentence: "Main stream music (to me, what's on the radio)..."

    First of all, I'll assume that by "the radio" you actually mean corporate radio station chains. Fortunately, there are still local independent radio stations out there that aren't in the pockets of the major record labels, and therefore don't feel the need to play popular hits. Some of these stations are actually good sources of music that can be considered non-mainstream. I do believe the number of these stations has dwindled over the past several decades, but they are not extinct yet.
    Even working under this assumption, I don't buy into the suggestion that everything on the radio is automatically mainstream. The first example to refute this notion that immediately comes to mind is the band Tool, but I'm certain there are many others.
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    One thing that this post proves is that you are better at expressing yourself in words than I'll ever be. Because this is along the lines of what I've been trying to say in most of my posts on OL. As a matter of fact, you probably understood what I was saying while no one else did and stole my ideas! You bastard!!

    I'm probably more "mainstream" than most of you reading this...yeah, I even went to see Nickelback (well, I went to see Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin AND Nickelback) and it was a completely self indulgent show of pyro fire where every Mom who brought their 13 year old was singing along to every song - and I really f'ing enjoyed it man! I don't own a Nickelback album, but yet I was there with all these people who LOVED it and whether it was their happiness that rubbed off on me or the fact that I could also sing out loud like the biggest dork alive and no one looked down on me - I had fun. I enjoyed it. There I said it. Now ban me from the site...if you guys are Anti-Mainstream punks that is...?
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    Well said. Lots to be said about music listened to in isolation versus in social context -- Seth Godin's recent post presents a decent middle-ground:

    In the '70s or '80s you listened to a song because "everyone else" was also listening to it. That's the definition of pop music... Now, "everyone else" is not defined by where you live or what radio station you listen to. It's defined by which horizontal or vertical slice of the world you connect yourself with... So you end up with all these silos and niches and lots and lots of ways to look at the world...
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    Much of listening to music is about inclusion into communities. Those who listen to mainstream music like feeling that they're apart of the majority and not weird. While those who have been trying to get out of the "normal" crowd thrive doing everything opposite because that's what makes them feel included in their social circles.

    I think what makes you a moderate Dan is that you can listen to music by yourself, completely away from people. That makes music less of a social thing and more of a personal pleasure. I won't say you always like music that way as I'm sure you enjoy the community of your friends when going to concerts, shows, etc.
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    Four completely unrelated thoughts:
    1) I'm reminded of the South Park episode where Stan tries to get the goth kids to join his dance crew. Check out this short clip - http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/154495 - it's funny stuff and it touches on the conformist vs. nonconformist viewpoints.
    2) You seem to imply that Mr. Cutright is somehow musically fallible - shenanigans I say!
    3) At the end there, you hit a point Ashwin made with his last editorial, What Do We Know?
    4) I hope you took a shower after finding that picture of the Nickelback guy
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    2) It seems that way, but he'd only be fallible if he continued to ignore my suggestion
    4) Actually, I have showered every time I've even seen that picture...
 
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