There is bullshit that goes in one ear and out the other, and then
there is bullshit that is so toxic it starts to roil something in our
core. Or at least in mine. That happened recently as I was listening to a
music commentator talking about shred, and defending it from those who
criticize it as a musical form. I consider myself to be one of those
critics, but I am fully cognizant of the reasons why certain people
(almost exclusively musicians themselves) enjoy listening to and/or
playing shred. There are good reasons why someone would want to dive
into that genre. It isn't for me, but I can understand why it is for
others.
However, there are ways of defending something
you enjoy that go beyond the realm of decency, and instead undercut any
point you might possibly have. That is where this conversation went.
This commentator's discussion began with him philosophizing about how
shred is, as music, a form of 'dominance'. He also said that shred,
being a male-dominated genre, is largely an exercise in proving yourself
to be more of a man than lesser players.
No. Just goddamn no.
Shred
is many things. It is impressive as hell, it is insanely difficult to
become proficient at, it might even be the outer limit of what is
capable on the guitar. What it isn't, what any form of music isn't, is a
measure of manhood.
People have been claiming for as
long as there has been society that the concept is crumbling around us.
This is an instance where the naysayers might have a point. The idea of
manhood has been so thoroughly corrupted that to believe in what we are
sold on a daily basis would turn us into wretched human beings. Being
able to play a guitar faster than someone else is not an indicator of
anything except that you spent more time holed up with a guitar trying
to do that exact thing. Manhood is not defined by being better at a
skill that someone else, whether that's guitar playing, weight lifting,
or shooting defenseless animals in the woods. Manhood cannot be proven,
because it isn't something that can be seen or quantified. Being a man
is about how you behave and what you believe.
I'll say
this; if you believe being good at guitar makes you a man, you need to
seriously re-evaluate your priorities. Ted Nugent is a racist asshole
who wrote a song about being sexually attracted to a thirteen year old
girl. The fact that he's a better guitar player than me doesn't prove
anything about which one of us is or isn't a better man. The mere fact
that someone thinks they can prove to another person that they are so
manly seems to me to be a pretty good indicator that they don't have a
clue what they're talking about.
It's now 2020, and I
was hoping that the trends were moving in the right direction in terms
of making women feel more accepted as part of the rock and metal world,
where their presence is so natural it makes no waves. But that's not
going to happen as long as we have people in the guitar world who still
treat their guitars as phallic extensions, and who don't have the
self-awareness to see that their attitude pushes away anyone who doesn't
want to be party to that dick swinging contest. It might be natural,
but we're supposed to have evolved beyond that. We're supposed to be
capable of reason, but that hasn't seemed to have reached everyone just
yet.
I very well might be overreacting here. Going from
a flippant comment to a full-on commentary about the construct of
manhood is extreme, but I'm tired of having to think about these topics.
Music should be a safe haven from the more toxic parts of our society,
and it frustrates me to see such small-minded, discriminatory thinking
find its way into what is supposed to bring me happiness.
Between
this thinking, Manowar's quiet reaction to having a pedophile in their
ranks, and As I Lay Dying asking me to forgive a man who tried to have
his wife killed, it's no wonder I've been in such a miserable mood most
of the last year. Music is supposed to be a refuge, but at every turn
I'm confronted by horrible people doing and saying horrible things, all
of whom see nothing wrong with their actions. And all of that is without
even touching the more mainstream artists who are currently in jail, or
the fact that Chris Brown hasn't been black-balled from the industry.
On
top of that, more and more bands are imploding in lawsuits fighting
over the money they bring in, going so far now as to strong-arm a widow
into handing over tapes in return for her rightful share. Non-essential
members of bands get kicked out so cheaper replacements can be brought
in. Labels continue selling us the same product multiple times, gouging
every last dollar they can out of the fans they claim they appreciate.
It
feels like every year, being a music fan and being a good person are
increasingly incompatible. I don't know how to reconcile all of this. I
don't know if it can be done. Or even if it should.
The breaking point is getting closer every day.
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