The Requirements Of Being A Fan

How much of a band's catalog do you have to like in order to say you're a fan?

I saw a headline recently where a member of Candlemass said, "If you don't like this album, you don't like Candlemass." Aside from the fact it's an entirely disrespectful thing to tell your audience what they should and shouldn't like, it got me thinking about the relationship between people and their favorite music.

I have always considered myself rather fickle when it comes to music, as even my favorite bands and artists have less than perfect catalogs. In fact, only one of them has never put out a full album/EP that has disappointed me, although a member is currently in the process of doing just that. I can look at the music that has meant the most to me, and those same people have put out plenty of records I am not strong enough to force myself to like.

So the question I'm pondering is just how much of a band's career do I need to like?

It's an easy question to answer in the case of a band like Tonic, where I love all four of their records, and at least two of the solo albums therefrom derived. That is nearly everything, so there isn't any doubt to be had.

It's a harder question in the case of a band like Weezer, where I genuinely like the first five albums, and then don't care/hate everything that came after. That percentage grows smaller with every year.

It's a more curious question in the case of a band like Black Sabbath, where I like the era of the band with Ronnie James Dio, but I don't really care about any of the rest of it. I love everything one version did, but that is merely a blip in their lengthy career.

So what I am left to consider is who gets to define what being a fan means, whether it is up to each of us individually to express our affections in our own ways, or if the larger musical culture can write some rough-sketch rules for who does and doesn't get asked into the exclusive club. I get stuck here, because I do believe I should be able to make my own relationship with the music I listen to, but I also worry about including myself in the same breath as the die-hards who believe much more strongly than I do. I know I don't belong, and yet being excluded doesn't feel like the right decision either.

I don't have a real answer to any of this, other than this one; bands should not get to make the decision for us. Candlemass may be saying, in effect, "like it or leave it", but they are in the wrong. There is no such thing as unconditional love, and demanding certain kinds of affection is a hallmark of an abuser. I know they don't intend to be that way, but it is the connotation that comes across from their attitude. If we rephrase it as something more like, 'you don't love me if you don't love me the way I tell you to love me', I think it becomes clearer the way they are trying to manipulate us.

Ultimately, I feel like we should just do whatever feels comfortable for each of us. That might lead to a lot of confusion as our takes clash, but so what? If you're arguing with someone about whether or not they're really a fan of a band, you're losing at life anyway. The whole point of this is to have fun, come together, and listen to music we love.

Stop gatekeeping.