Genre is like disease.
There are so many different forms and it doesn't seem to benefit anybody.
In the years that music has been an essential part of my life, I've grown dissatisfied with the need to categorize all music, as well as the need for people to identify themselves by dressing in a way that compliments their favorite music.
It has apparently become necessary to "genre-lize" everything.
Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse.
When did music and its way of life become so complicated?
Rock music is not just classified as rock now; it's punk rock, pop rock, indie rock, hard rock, soft rock, classic rock, modern rock, alternative rock, grunge rock, emo and probably 50 others.
What a great way to just destroy the whole idea of simply enjoying good music.
It doesn't matter what the genre is. If it's catchy, listen to it. Heaven forbid somebody stepped outside his or her comfort box - who knows what damage may result. My guilty pleasure happens to be a song or two by German techno queen, Cascada. You know, the writer of that 2006 radio hit "Everytime We Touch?"
Yeah, I said it. I dare you to judge me.
The interesting thing here is that even with these multiple subdivisions of music, there seems to be a general culture trend across the more prominent genre names such as rock and rap.
Everybody who feels loyal to a particular genre has a tendency to dress a certain way, which, over time, has been learned as the "style."
Now, more than ever, there is even more getting in people's way to just enjoy the simple qualities music has to offer.
People now seem to be getting into bands for one of two reasons: 1. The musician(s) represent mainstream pop culture and get an excessive amount of air time on the radio, or 2. Because the particular music group breaks away from the larger landmass of popularity to build their own mainstream microcosm, or "counterculture."
Yet even when all this clumping of sorts is taking place, there still manages to be a slew of unnecessary names to describe variations of the one thing that different bands have in common.
I'm not against diversity in music completely. There are some styles of music that probably shouldn't be given one general label. For example: Latino music. There are an array of different countries that speak different Spanish dialects, and have different forms of culture such as family traditions, dance and music.
We're the United States of America, and as per the American culture I have experienced, we tend to generalize on many things anyway, so why not our music genres as well?
Things are getting too difficult. What ever happened to the lost art of enjoying music on a simple level without attempting to aimlessly organize what and who falls in what category?
There seems to be a severe lack of individualism in the music world these days.
If you want a place in the music culture, does it require a certain amount of conformity on the listener's part?
That's just plain unfortunate and unfair.
If you're a scene kid, you're expected to dress the part. If you're an emo kid, you should probably be crying the part. If you're a rapper, you better reach back like a pimp and slap the part.
When did listening to music for the sake of enjoyment become nearly impossible?
Call to action here: Stop worrying about what you look like, and what bands belong to what category.
Wear the clothing that expresses you, put on some earphones and just listen to the music.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
