Current Events > Why does it seem like NERD nerds don't listen to music?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like the ones that are all into video games and anime and shit, usually they only listen to video game soundtracks and theme songs.
---

What about NERD nerds who like N.E.R.D?
---

This is something that only someone who is overly concerned about how cool they look would actually worry about.
---

PostCrisisJ2 posted...

This is something that only someone who is overly concerned about how cool they look would actually worry about.

It's just an observation. Why don't they listen to real music?
---

PostCrisisJ2 posted...

This is something that only someone who is overly concerned about how cool they look would actually worry about.

It's an observation. It's not just a guy thing either. The really nerdy girls i've met ok OkCupid are this way too.
---

idk I've never really been that interested in seeking out music to listen to by itself. I might throw the radio on while driving to work, but otherwise I just don't care about having a music playlist or whatever. I certainly enjoy when good music is in the background of some anime or video game, but going out of my way to play it repeatedly through headphones would just make me sick of it.

MorbidFaithless posted...

PostCrisisJ2 posted...

This is something that only someone who is overly concerned about how cool they look would actually worry about.

It's just an observation. Why don't they listen to real music?

I don't care about VG music but it definitely is real music. Do you even know what music is?
---

Sometimes I feel that not liking anime much makes me a second-class nerd. But then I was listening to obscure video game musics when I clicked this topic, so...
---

MorbidFaithless posted...

PostCrisisJ2 posted...

This is something that only someone who is overly concerned about how cool they look would actually worry about.

It's just an observation. Why don't they listen to real music?

Maybe they just enjoy the music. It's not rocket science.
---

EffectAndCause posted...

Like the ones that are all into video games and anime and shit, usually they only listen to video game soundtracks and theme songs.

oh damn that's me.
---

Yeah but why is that all they listen to... its good to have interests outside of gaming and anime
---

I find that nerd nerds have stereotypically nerdy taste in music. Usual artists that pop up in that list:

Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Buckethead
Yngwie Malmsteen
[Insert any musician who's primary focus as an artist is to impress you with his chops]

And then the dad rock bands usually make an appearance:
Led Zeppelin
Rush
Pink Floyd

And then sometimes some classical music, but always the same ones:
Bach
Beethoven
Mozart

And then they quite often listen to music you'd find in video games and anime, so some of the topfat jpop and trance/techno stuff you hear quite often or video game soundtracks etc.
---

pinky0926 posted...

I find that nerd nerds have stereotypically nerdy taste in music. Usual artists that pop up in that list:

well that's not the worst taste in music. dad rock and classical music have instrumental skill on display with the core bass line and melody intact. 4 timing phrases and such. what i find concerning is the guys into today's hip hop and metal music. that's just lowest common denominator garbage on one hand and the other is chaotic noise.
---

MorbidFaithless posted...

Yeah but why is that all they listen to... its good to have interests outside of gaming and anime

because other hobbies require some form of socializing or aren't as simulating

myzz7 posted...

pinky0926 posted...

I find that nerd nerds have stereotypically nerdy taste in music. Usual artists that pop up in that list:

well that's not the worst taste in music. dad rock and classical music have instrumental skill on display with the core bass line and melody intact. 4 timing phrases and such. what i find concerning is the guys into today's hip hop and metal music. that's just lowest common denominator garbage on one hand and the other is chaotic noise.

Most of those artists in the list I gave are good and important artists, yes (with the exception of the guitar wankers). What strikes me though is that there seems to be an excessive preoccupation with artists who represent some level of historical significance or technical skill. Nerds like that sometimes seem to be more interested in the perceived idea of being superior than in the actual music they're listening to, a bit like wearing a fedora for the perceived idea of being "classy" without actually having a clue. The giveaway is that their music tastes read like a Top 10 list of whatever dad listened to or whatever history said is important. Concerning the classical music part, it's hard to take their interest all that genuinely because they seem to like the idea of classical music and how sophisticated it should seem to others, more than classical music itself.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm suspicious of you also if you can throw out entire genres such as hip hop or metal on the basis of comments like "chaotic noise" or lack of musicianship, when there's really so much within those genres that's stunningly beautiful, lyrical, clever, expertly constructed etc. but rarely reaches the charts. To not like hip hop is one thing, but tonot like it on the basis that it seems to inherently lacks sophistication is just plain wrong. You couldn't listen to say Gift of Gab rap and not say that his level of technical skill is really up there with the greatest guitarists around, not if you understood it.

The overall idea seems to be like "I listen to REAL music, none of that electronically produced crap", which I've only ever heard people with the most puddle deep appreciation of music say.

I feel I can say all this because that was totally me in high school. I listened to a lot of music for the pretentious reason of how sophisticated I thought it made me. Turns out no one gives a fuck if you can name 10 legendary guitar players and their greatest solos, and that comparing musical artists as if it's a sports competition is really missing the point.
---

pinky0926 posted...

myzz7 posted...

pinky0926 posted...

I find that nerd nerds have stereotypically nerdy taste in music. Usual artists that pop up in that list:

well that's not the worst taste in music. dad rock and classical music have instrumental skill on display with the core bass line and melody intact. 4 timing phrases and such. what i find concerning is the guys into today's hip hop and metal music. that's just lowest common denominator garbage on one hand and the other is chaotic noise.

Most of those artists in the list I gave are good and important artists, yes (with the exception of the guitar wankers). What strikes me though is that there seems to be an excessive preoccupation with artists who represent some level of historical significance or technical skill. Nerds like that sometimes seem to be more interested in the perceived idea of being superior than in the actual music they're listening to, a bit like wearing a fedora for the perceived idea of being "classy" without actually having a clue. The giveaway is that their music tastes read like a Top 10 list of whatever dad listened to or whatever history said is important. Concerning the classical music part, it's hard to take their interest all that genuinely because they seem to like the idea of classical music and how sophisticated it should seem to others, more than classical music itself.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm suspicious of you also if you can throw out entire genres such as hip hop or metal on the basis of comments like "chaotic noise" or lack of musicianship, when there's really so much within those genres that's stunningly beautiful, lyrical, clever, expertly constructed etc. but rarely reaches the charts. To not like hip hop is one thing, but to like it on the basis that it inherently lacks sophistication is just plain wrong. You couldn't listen to say Gift of Gab rap and not say that his level of technical skill is really up there with the greatest guitarists around, not if you understood it.

The overall idea seems to be like "I listen to REAL music, none of that electronically produced crap", which I've only ever heard people with the most puddle deep appreciation of music say.

I skip over predominately electronic music. The lack off touch and breath within the instrumentation, as well as the dominance of gimmicks is something people of any musical appreciation could be turned off by.

All music is real music bruh. Devil May Cry 3 soundtrack is dope af.

And I say this as someone who listens to "regular" music every day.
---

Jerry_Hellyeah posted...

I skip over predominately electronic music. The lack off touch and breath within the instrumentation, as well as the dominance of gimmicks is something people of any musical appreciation could be turned off by.

Sure, but that's a different thing. If I hated the sound of the Clarinet then there's nothing that could make me listen to Benny Goodman or Glenn Miller or really much of any of the old swing dance bands that prioritised that sound. That's just preference really, with a fairly coherent reason for not liking it.

Very different from saying "I don't listen to cRAP because it's for simpletons". Not that I was saying that about myzz7, but it's the kind of thing you hear a lot of people say.
---

Of all the people I know IRL I easily have the most diverse taste in music. I listen to everything from old country to black metal. I do listen to nerd stuff but it's only a small part of my collection, like only 20% or so. But that's out of like 2,500 full albums.
---

Because music is boring and one dimensional. It doesn't engage you, and you can't engage with it. Its the equivalent of a pretty vase of flowers, only for your ears. If staring at a vase of flowers is you need to feel fulfilled, good for you, but nerds need something more stimulating.
---

FroMan posted...

Because music is boring and one dimensional. It doesn't engage you, and you can't engage with it. Its the equivalent of a pretty vase of flowers, only for your ears. If staring at a vase of flowers is you need to feel fulfilled, good for you, but nerds need something more stimulating.

lol, oh my god
---

Lot of my gamer friends are into EDM.

Trance/techno mostly, then again, that style of music isn't too far of a leap from VGM
---

I'm not a NERD nerd, but I don't really care for music in general. Not even anime or game soundtracks.
---

"Edgy" is FroMan in a nutshell.
---

A lot of them think they're above pop music, and many are too dumb to """get""" more obscure music tbh
---

hyperpsycho posted...

"Edgy" is FroMan in a nutshell.

Is he for real or a troll? Going through his post history feels like a parody of neckbeardism.
---

butthole666 posted...

A lot of them think they're above pop music, and many are too dumb to """get""" more obscure music tbh

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/Qwerty100/the-hipster-collection/
---

If a person doesn't listen to ANY music they are a complete fucking weirdo. It's not up for debate.

Look at this way: Video games stimulate you on three levels, they give you something to look at, something to listen to, and best of all, something to do. Down a peg from that are the visual mediums like tv shows, movies, and such. Those only offer you 2 levels of stimulation, something to look at, and something to listen to. Music is on the very last peg, as it only offers a measly1 form of stimulation, something to listen to. Lame.
---

FroMan posted...

Look at this way: Video games stimulate you on three levels, they give you something to look at, something to listen to, and best of all, something to do. Down a peg from that are the visual mediums like tv shows, movies, and such. Those only offer you 2 levels of stimulation, something to look at, and something to listen to. Music is on the very last peg, as it only offers a measly1 form of stimulation, something to listen to. Lame.

Because as we know, the key to fulfilling art and culture is the quantifiable amount of sensory load it taxes on your CNS.

(That is a joke, by the way. I feel I need to explain that.)
---

Now with the song Sound of Silence do we judge that a 1 or does the subject matter qualify that as a 0?

FroMan posted...

Because music is boring and one dimensional. It doesn't engage you, and you can't engage with it. Its the equivalent of a pretty vase of flowers, only for your ears. If staring at a vase of flowers is you need to feel fulfilled, good for you, but nerds need something more stimulating.

This combined with the link to a youtube board in your sig is amazing. Can't appreciate one of the most beautiful and meaningful art forms but you love one of the most vapid institutions of the last 20 years.
---

Question @FroMan. How do you feel about sports? Like playing soccer or tennis or basketball, for example. Surely within the contexts of your argument, sports must be the most culturally rich medium of entertainment.
---

Conflict posted...

Like if you need 'active stimulation' to be engaged by something then I'm just going to assume your brain isn't completely developed

The problem is an over devolved brain.

Conflict posted...

I guess words can't engage you since all you're doing is looking at them

Yeah, books are pretty boring like that, but I'd still rank them higher than music. There is some intangible value to be had in the story a book tells you. And sure, some music does tell a story, but songs like that are few and far between. Music as a whole is not striving for anything more than to be aesthetically pleasing. Obviously there is still value in simply being beautiful, but why seek out such simple desires when there is so much more to be enjoyed?

I understand how some of you find deeper meanings in songs, meaning that elicit genuine emotional responses, so to understand how not everyone can do that, think about art, specifically paintings. There are people who can look at a Jackson Pollock picture and insist it gives them similar emotional responses. Where you or I would only see messy splattering, some one else may see the artists childhood. They'll see things such as pain, sorrow, or hope. Things you'll never be able to see in that painting yourself. That is how many of use feel about music.
---

pinky0926 posted...

Question @FroMan. How do you feel about sports? Like playing soccer or tennis or basketball, for example. Surely within the contexts of your argument, sports must be the most culturally rich medium of entertainment.

Playing sports would rank higher than simply viewing sports.
---

If you think metal is chaotic noise, you may just not like metal :P

I never thought I'd be into death metal but lo and behold, here we are. No, fuck that. I'm not into death metal. Death metal has flat ass fucking vocals. Deathcore, my friends. It's what death metal should've been.

Notable deathcore acts:

* Infant Annihilator
* Acrania
* Rings of Saturn
* AngelMaker
---

EffectAndCause posted...

they only listen to video game soundtracks and theme songs.

That is music?

My guess would be exposure. Can't like things you don't hear...
---

FHubaldo posted...

FroMan posted...

Because music is boring and one dimensional. It doesn't engage you, and you can't engage with it. Its the equivalent of a pretty vase of flowers, only for your ears. If staring at a vase of flowers is you need to feel fulfilled, good for you, but nerds need something more stimulating.

This combined with the link to a youtube board in your sig is amazing. Can't appreciate one of the most beautiful and meaningful art forms but you love one of the most vapid institutions of the last 20 years.

I am the kind of person who would rather have a bag of Lay's potato chips than a bowl of homemade stew.
---

FroMan posted...

I understand how some of you find deeper meanings in songs, meaning that elicit genuine emotional responses, so to understand how not everyone can do that, think about art, specifically paintings. There are people who can look at a Jackson Pollock picture and insist it gives them similar emotional responses. Where you or I would only see messy splattering, some one else may see the artists childhood. They'll see things such as pain, sorrow, or hope. Things you'll never be able to see in that painting yourself. That is how many of use feel about music.

Hang on, this is a complete contradiction. By your estimation the worth of entertainment is how much it bombards your senses. Books are entirely a visual medium, in fact only in an abstract way at that. They offer nothing visually interesting so mostly it's just the dissemination into thoughts.

By your logic, books are the lowest form of entertainment. They stimulate no tangible senses at all.
---

FroMan posted...

FHubaldo posted...

FroMan posted...

Because music is boring and one dimensional. It doesn't engage you, and you can't engage with it. Its the equivalent of a pretty vase of flowers, only for your ears. If staring at a vase of flowers is you need to feel fulfilled, good for you, but nerds need something more stimulating.

This combined with the link to a youtube board in your sig is amazing. Can't appreciate one of the most beautiful and meaningful art forms but you love one of the most vapid institutions of the last 20 years.

I am the kind of person who would rather have a bag of Lay's potato chips than a bowl of homemade stew.

Ah, you're just a child!
---

You do seem like the sort who really enjoys his potato chips.