Anyone else (say they) listen to/like "everything"?

Terrapin_Station · 09-14-2016, 01:02 PM

I do. It always seems weird to me when I run into people who seem to believe that no one can listen to or especially like "everything."

Obviously, that doesn't mean that one has heard every album, every artist, etc.--there's too much music in the world for anyone to have heard literally everything.

And I know that a lot of people who aren't big music fans will answer "everything" when you ask them what music they listen to or like.

Also, I have preferences of course.

But I listen to a like a huge variety of music, stuff from every genre, really, maybe with the exception of some genres that are extremely obscure that have only a few artists in them. In those cases, I just don't know about the genre. But I'm familiar with a ton of obscure stuff, too.

I regularly, equally collect music from 39 to 50+ genres depending on how you count them--those are my favorite genres, and I listen to and like plenty of music from plenty other genres aside from those, too. Some of my favorite genres are extremely broad--they have tons of subgenres. I like all of it.

I have thousands of artists in my collection and many thousands of albums. I've yet to run into a genre where I don't like some music that falls under it. I like the vast majority of music I hear at least a bit. There are really no artists I hate. Even the few things that I'm more indifferent towards I regularly listen to if they're in my collection, because almost everything grows on me/I've gone from not caring very much for something to liking it a lot plenty of times in the past. In fact, that almost always happens.

I also don't really have any clear hierarchy of favorites. I tried to make a list of all of my favorite artists one time and it ended up being somewhere around 2000 different artists. If I try to say my "top 100" of those, it ends up being at least a few hundred. I can't narrow it down more. I like a ton of stuff equally. I can't really name favorite albums by particular artists because if I like them, I usually like all of their albums about the same amount. There are a bunch of artists I like with large discographies where I'd give every album a 10/10. It's the same for songs. It's impossible for me to name favorites. I'd have to just randomly list songs. I tend to get into whatever music is playing at the time. My only requirement is variety.

So it's way easier to just say that I listen to/like "everything" when someone asks, because it's pretty accurate--and who wants a list of 50+ genres and thousands of artists?

duga · 09-14-2016, 01:06 PM

I can say I'm open to everything. Chances are, I will find a way to appreciate it even if it's something I won't reach for everyday. For example, country is still the one genre I have the hardest time getting into, but I definitely have a handful of country albums that I think are pure classics.

Personally, I think this is what separates an audiophile from - say - a metalhead or hipster. Those labels apply to people who like a particular type of music and close themselves off to others (exceptions exist, but this is true for the most part). I pride myself in being an audiophile and if I find a style of music I've never heard before, I will most definitely give it a chance.

**Frownland** · 09-14-2016, 01:07 PM

I think that a lot of casual music listeners will say that they listen to everything simply out of ignorance of the many genres outside of what they hear on the radio. I have preferences as well and there are a few genres that I don't know of anything that I like in them, but I say everything for pretty similar reasons to the last paragraph of the OP.

Terrapin_Station · 09-14-2016, 01:09 PM

Haha--I like the graphic

**Frownland** · 09-14-2016, 01:10 PM

Got that one from Innerspaceboy.

duga · 09-14-2016, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

I think that a lot of casual music listeners will say that they listen to everything simply out of ignorance of the many genres outside of what they hear on the radio. I have preferences as well and there are a few genres that I don't know of anything that I like in them, but I say everything for pretty similar reasons to the last paragraph of the OP.

I say everything unless I'm talking to someone I know will understand what I'm saying. Most acquaintances probably don't realize just how into music I am. The few times I've attempted to explain what my favorite music is, their eyes glaze over.

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 09-14-2016, 01:11 PM

I can't stand when the topic of music is brought up, and the person replies with "oh, I listen to everything."

Not only is that statement highly unlikely, but it also makes it basically impossible to progress the conversation.

What the **** am I supposed to say next?

"Oh, well if you've heard everything, what are your thoughts on TMR?"
"Everything? Huh. What's your favourite Eric Dolphy album?"

Nah bitch, give me a few bands/genres/artists that you're particularly fond of and we'll go from there.

CJ21 · 09-14-2016, 01:12 PM

I don't. I only listen to hip hop, dancehall, reggae, r & b and a little pop. I also listen to some Drake from time to time

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 09-14-2016, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJ21

I don't. I only listen to hip hop, dancehall, reggae, r & b and a little pop. I also listen to some Drake from time to time

.

~~MicShazam~~ · 09-14-2016, 01:28 PM

I am pretty damn selective about what I actually let into the holy temple that is my album collection. I spend most of my time listening to stuff that I know I like. Currently, that means 128 different artists, just under half of which I consider my favorites.
On top of that there's the many artists I know of and maybe did own albums with at some point, but who I got a bit bored with. There are tonnes of bands like that, which I like in small doses but don't need to actively seek out.

In terms of genres, it slowly grows wider year by year and I wouldn't say there's all that much that I'm missing in my collection (unless we're getting into specific sub genres, of which there are thousands). I've got no screamo, no country (I like a bit of Neko Case, though: Exhibit A), no rap (although I have stuff that contains rap elements). Can't stand surfer rock, rockabilly or ska. Then there are some of those contry-specific crap genres that old people listen to (exhibit B). I avoid that stuff when possible. Mostly though, I'm open to new sounds and I do enjoy variety. Life would be very boring if one never looked to new horizons, but I can't say that I'm listening to thousands of artists. I strongly prefer to dedicate a good amount of time to the music that fascinates me the most.

EDIT: Forgot ambience. I have no interest in ambient, probably never will have.

Exhibit A: I like this song. Its... partially country at least.

Exhibit B. Danish band called Kandis. Horrible old-people-muzak.

09-14-2016, 01:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
Terrapin_Station Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: NYC Man Posts: 877	Anyone else (say they) listen to/like "everything"? I do. It always seems weird to me when I run into people who seem to believe that no one can listen to or especially like "everything." Obviously, that doesn't mean that one has heard every album, every artist, etc.--there's too much music in the world for anyone to have heard literally everything. And I know that a lot of people who aren't big music fans will answer "everything" when you ask them what music they listen to or like. Also, I have preferences of course. But I listen to a like a huge variety of music, stuff from every genre, really, maybe with the exception of some genres that are extremely obscure that have only a few artists in them. In those cases, I just don't know about the genre. But I'm familiar with a ton of obscure stuff, too. I regularly, equally collect music from 39 to 50+ genres depending on how you count them--those are my favorite genres, and I listen to and like plenty of music from plenty other genres aside from those, too. Some of my favorite genres are extremely broad--they have tons of subgenres. I like all of it. I have thousands of artists in my collection and many thousands of albums. I've yet to run into a genre where I don't like some music that falls under it. I like the vast majority of music I hear at least a bit. There are really no artists I hate. Even the few things that I'm more indifferent towards I regularly listen to if they're in my collection, because almost everything grows on me/I've gone from not caring very much for something to liking it a lot plenty of times in the past. In fact, that almost always happens. I also don't really have any clear hierarchy of favorites. I tried to make a list of all of my favorite artists one time and it ended up being somewhere around 2000 different artists. If I try to say my "top 100" of those, it ends up being at least a few hundred. I can't narrow it down more. I like a ton of stuff equally. I can't really name favorite albums by particular artists because if I like them, I usually like all of their albums about the same amount. There are a bunch of artists I like with large discographies where I'd give every album a 10/10. It's the same for songs. It's impossible for me to name favorites. I'd have to just randomly list songs. I tend to get into whatever music is playing at the time. My only requirement is variety. So it's way easier to just say that I listen to/like "everything" when someone asks, because it's pretty accurate--and who wants a list of 50+ genres and thousands of artists?

09-14-2016, 01:06 PM	#2 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	I can say I'm open to everything. Chances are, I will find a way to appreciate it even if it's something I won't reach for everyday. For example, country is still the one genre I have the hardest time getting into, but I definitely have a handful of country albums that I think are pure classics. Personally, I think this is what separates an audiophile from - say - a metalhead or hipster. Those labels apply to people who like a particular type of music and close themselves off to others (exceptions exist, but this is true for the most part). I pride myself in being an audiophile and if I find a style of music I've never heard before, I will most definitely give it a chance. __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph...

09-14-2016, 01:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	I think that a lot of casual music listeners will say that they listen to everything simply out of ignorance of the many genres outside of what they hear on the radio. I have preferences as well and there are a few genres that I don't know of anything that I like in them, but I say everything for pretty similar reasons to the last paragraph of the OP. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

09-14-2016, 01:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Got that one from Innerspaceboy. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

09-14-2016, 01:28 PM	#10 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,634	I am pretty damn selective about what I actually let into the holy temple that is my album collection. I spend most of my time listening to stuff that I know I like. Currently, that means 128 different artists, just under half of which I consider my favorites. On top of that there's the many artists I know of and maybe did own albums with at some point, but who I got a bit bored with. There are tonnes of bands like that, which I like in small doses but don't need to actively seek out. In terms of genres, it slowly grows wider year by year and I wouldn't say there's all that much that I'm missing in my collection (unless we're getting into specific sub genres, of which there are thousands). I've got no screamo, no country (I like a bit of Neko Case, though: Exhibit A), no rap (although I have stuff that contains rap elements). Can't stand surfer rock, rockabilly or ska. Then there are some of those contry-specific crap genres that old people listen to (exhibit B). I avoid that stuff when possible. Mostly though, I'm open to new sounds and I do enjoy variety. Life would be very boring if one never looked to new horizons, but I can't say that I'm listening to thousands of artists. I strongly prefer to dedicate a good amount of time to the music that fascinates me the most. EDIT: Forgot ambience. I have no interest in ambient, probably never will have. Exhibit A: I like this song. Its... partially country at least. Exhibit B. Danish band called Kandis. Horrible old-people-muzak. Last edited by MicShazam; 09-14-2016 at 01:38 PM.

09-14-2016, 01:09 PM	#4 (permalink)
Terrapin_Station Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: NYC Man Posts: 877	Haha--I like the graphic

09-14-2016, 01:12 PM	#8 (permalink)
CJ21 Groupie Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: The Interwebs Posts: 16	I don't. I only listen to hip hop, dancehall, reggae, r & b and a little pop. I also listen to some Drake from time to time