The
slogan on a
T-shirt available from
The Onion. It's clever and funny, but nothing more, until you start thinking about it.
It really speaks to the fact that taste in music is entirely subjective, and yet people have a tendency to get extremely offended when you can't stand the bands they listen to. To tell someone that you don't like their favorite band is akin to a personal insult.
One night at Maryanne's, "Son of a Son of a Sailor" by Jimmy Buffett came on the jukebox, and having enough alcohol in me, I started singing along. About a minute into the song, a girl turns to me and apologizes. "What for?" I asked. "Well, I was just making fun of this song... I didn't realize you liked it." I've never heard anyone apologize for this before. "Don't worry about it," I said, "I'm sure I hate half the shit you listen to." I've never seen anyone more offended in my life.
I told a kid today that I didn't like Korn, and he proceeded to start a ten minute argument designed to sway me from the Dark Side (as if he felt the conflict within me). "Sorry, kid, I just don't like Korn." "Yes, I have heard their older stuff." "No... not even 'a.d.i.d.a.s.'"
I wonder... if I bought the shirt and wore it around, would people see the humor in the blanket statement, or would I simultaneously insult everyone, prompting random people to come up to me and protest, "But Frankie Goes To Hollywood is awesome! You must have never heard 'Relax'!"