Hulk Smash

I overheard a coworker talking about rock music today. Now I don't always agree with my coworkers' taste in music but I've come to a healthy place where I just swallow myself and allow the conversations around me to unfold as they normally would. No one wants a wet blanket always piping up saying, "You like this song?!?! Are you f-ing serious?!?! What could you possibly like about it? It is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever heard in my entire life and I grew up in a house where the Manheim Steamroller Christmas album was played on repeat!" So I keep my thoughts to myself. Actually, I quite like overhearing the conversations and though I occasionally disagree with their picks, they will often call me over saying, "They're playing your favorite song!" so I get up and run over the radio only to be pleasantly surprised that "Karma Chameleon" is getting some airtime. Yes, "Kokomo" does show up more often than I'd like but I've learned to enjoy the musical discussions of my coworkers and resist the urge to kill.

Until now, that is. Now, I grew up listening to rock but over the years I learned to appreciate most any genre of music and have a rabid obsession with music in general. But rock is my true love and I've re-realised that this past year as jazz and blues and more fall away and I watch rock rise to the top of my musical pile. I'm completely enamored with it in a way I haven't been in years. There was a fantastic Random Rules in the Onion A.V. Club a while back where they interviewed the drummer for Nada Surf about what was on his iPod. He describes himself as a "rock 'n' roll defender" and that's how I've felt lately. Maybe it's the countless hours spent playing the Guitar Hero collection and Rock Band but even cheesy classic rock sounds great to me now. Boston? Yes sir! ZZ Top? Gimme some more! Aerosmith? Mountain? Well, I didn't say I've lost all objectivity. Anyhow, I'm in love with rock and don't want anyone besmirching its good name.

So I overhear my coworker dismissing rock music as worthless. "There have been so many great essay written about the utter dreck that is rock." "It's just 2 chords over and over and appeals to the lowest common denominator." "The only reason it's written is for commercial purposes and therefore it's another example of the sad decline of humans." I was ready to kill. I spent the next 20 minutes stewing in my seat, creating arguments in my head about the various intelligent people who have fought for the respect of rock music, the numerous nerdy, math rocky, proggy bands that know 3, possibly 4, chords or the musicians who turn complex short stories into song lyrics and concept albums. How dare this person say such hurtful things? Then I realised that rock music doesn't care and these stupid statements weren't aimed at me or my record collection so I should just let it go. It was just another example about how the things that stress me out in life are typically the silly issues like this and the real problems of the world barely enter my consciousness. While the world frets about genocides and viral epidemics, I wage war against people who badmouth reality tv and anyone who even considers seeing "Be Kind Rewind." It was a good chance to check myself before I wrecked myself and accidentally fired someone. I've since calmed down a little bit about it but writing this entry has me all fired up again. I mean, seriously, who in their right mind would say something so hurtful like that?