Dissent against Dream Theater fans? What's your take on it?

[Aniland]

As somebody who has been a part of a few music communities, I find that liking Dream Theater is an almost laughable offense to a great majority of outsiders. Does anybody else get this? And if so, what do you think about it? Where do you think that comes from? Your attitude on the whole thing?

Mine is basically this.

[Vivace]

I'm not too sure I understand why that is but I do find the opposite effect though. That is, if you listen to Dream Theater and you tell a certain group of Dream Theater fans you listen to say, Linkin Park or Coolio, you get a lot of rolling eyes and unsubtantiated opinions stated as fact. In other words a lot of prog-snobbery. Most of time when I tell people about Dream Theater they go, "who?". One person I played Dream Theater for said, "who's the drummer? He's incredible!". However a few specific bands might have this dissent you speak of, like Queensryche due to the fist-a-cuffs between the two bands. Perhaps A7X due to a few issues there.

My take on it is the same as my take on those who roll their eyes because I listen to Linkiin Park or Depeche Mode or Madonna. Just because I like it doesn't mean you have to listen to it. My tastes. My music. My life.

[yeshaberto]

I mostly get "who?" but of course I am an active member of the old fogey club

[Perpetual Change]

Most dream theater fans I've met in real-life are obnoxious "Dream Theater are the best ever the players are so much better than your favorite band's" type people. They're also usually morbidly obese and don't shower. More times than I would have liked, I've overheard Dream Theater fans talking to people or saw people wearing Dream Theater shirts, thought twice about entering into conversation with them, and then said "forget it."

But I've had nothing but positive experiences at Dream Theater shows and interacting with Dream Theater fans here. Fans here are a lot less zealous than some DT fans who are out there.

Oh, it looks like I answered the wrong question. Anyway, I get different reactions from different people. The only people who I ever hear the 'laughing off' stuff from is metalheads who are into thrash and other boring genres of metal like it.

[TL]

Aside from a few specific people where we regularly tease each other lightheartedly about each others' music, I've never really had anyone react at all negatively when I mentioned listening to Dream Theater.

[hefdaddy42]

Basically what Vivace said.  Prog fans who make fun of "pop" music are doing exactly the same thing that your friends who like "pop" music do to you.

[ReaperKK]

Most dream theater fans I've met in real-life are obnoxious "Dream Theater are the best ever the players are so much better than your favorite band's" type people. They're also usually morbidly obese and don't shower. More times than I would have liked, I've overheard Dream Theater fans talking to people or saw people wearing Dream Theater shirts, thought twice about entering into conversation with them, and then said "forget it."

But I've had nothing but positive experiences at Dream Theater shows and interacting with Dream Theater fans here. Fans here are a lot less zealous than some DT fans who are out there.

Pretty much this, I remember I used to start convo's with a lot of people on campus who I would see wearing DT shirts. DT is everything and god help you if you try to suggest another band.

[skydivingninja]

Basically what Vivace said.  Prog fans who make fun of "pop" music are doing exactly the same thing that your friends who like "pop" music do to you.

This is a big truth.  Better to avoid it altogether.

All the DT fans I've met in real life have been very well spoken about it.  Sure they like Dream Theater, some of them love them to death, but they never say stuff like "its so much better than that Lady Gaga or Nickelback crap."  Whenever I mention DT on a list of bands I like, I usually get "who?" along with Porcupine Tree and sometimes Rush.

[Gorille85]

Some DT fans can be really annoying it's true. Like "OH BUT IT'S SO TECHNICAL IT'S MUCH BETTER THAN EVERYTHING LOL"

[glaurung]

Some DT fans can be really annoying it's true. Like "OH BUT IT'S SO TECHNICAL IT'S MUCH BETTER THAN EVERYTHING LOL"

Or things like "There's more atmosphere in the first second of Home than other bands entire discographies!"

[pain of occupation]

my local metal community:

10 years ago, when DT were still a little more 'underground', most people didnt know of them, but those that did were likely to be fans and would get excited to hear of another person being a fan...

last several years, its more of what you describe...everyone in the metal community seems to atleast know who they are...and most of em would laugh at you for being a fan. DT musta got too popular to be considered cool anymore.

[DeanTheater]

Basically what Vivace said.  Prog fans who make fun of "pop" music are doing exactly the same thing that your friends who like "pop" music do to you.

yeah, but The pop fans are wrong.

[robwebster]

I kinda figured the OP was more talking about prog rock fans who are snobby about Dream Theater. Quite a lot of people who dig obscure music aren't exactly keen on DT. Go to a Porcupine Tree message board. Or Rush. I imagine most post-rock fans are dismissive of them. "They can't write songs," "They just wank for hours," "They have no soul," "Dream Theater aren't very creative," "blah blah blah," "waffle waffle," "etc. etc.," and if I didn't mention "yawn" I'm really sorry.

I think most of the ire aimed at DT comes from a fairly pretentious place, mind, so I'm not exactly fussed either way. Anyone who views DT as disposable or low-culture is totally welcome to their opinion; all the easier for me to buy tickets, PLUS it means I don't have to stand next to some poncey git for three hours. Score!

[DeanTheater]

I kinda figured the OP was more talking about prog rock fans who are snobby about Dream Theater. Quite a lot of people who dig obscure music aren't exactly keen on DT. Go to a Porcupine Tree message board. Or Rush. I imagine most post-rock fans are dismissive of them. "They can't write songs," "They just wank for hours," "They have no soul," "Dream Theater aren't very creative," "blah blah blah," "waffle waffle," "etc. etc.," and if I didn't mention "yawn" I'm really sorry.

I think most of the ire aimed at DT comes from a fairly pretentious place, mind, so I'm not exactly fussed either way. Anyone who views DT as disposable or low-culture is totally welcome to their opinion; all the easier for me to buy tickets, PLUS it means I don't have to stand next to some poncey git for three hours. Score!

THIS.  well said Rob.  I find those other Prog boards somewhat tedious with its constant annoyance at DT.  especially the RUSH fans.   Many of them dont seem rather accepting. 

[CountVoorhees]

Humans are ignorant creatures most of the time so just smile and learn to pretend.

[jsem]

Every1 is a genre snob to some extent. Remember that music purely subjective though.

[j]

I do not care if other people don't like the same things I do.  They're as entitled to like terrible music as I am.

-J

[Kosmo]

Never got flak for liking Dream Theater. But Stratovarius on the other hand...  

[Metabog]

I get that all the time. I met one person when I went to university that happened to like DT. A lot of people, though, seem to love prog and experimental music but they're almost invariably like "Meh.", or they laugh when they hear about DT. It's because the majority of people, at any point in time, will only like what's popular right now, and to be fair, DT was popular around the time Pull Me Under came out, and now it just has some fans, but it's not widely liked.

Things like Between The Buried And Me seem to be very hot right now. 

This is the only reason I can see for this. I guess sometimes we forget we're a rather small group of fans in a huge sea of people who like diverse music. (surprise, lol).

[andreas_adelek]

I used to get that because Im hanging mostly with people who listen to... erm... lets say non-mainstream bands such as Cynic, Mars Volta, Animal as Leaders, and evan more Jazz oriented people, so to them Dream Theater is mainstream-ish. And frankly i think they were for the last 2 albums...

[LCArenas]

I only personally know one friend of mine who knows Dream Theater. The other people I know are say "Who?"

[Ultimetalhead]

Oh, it looks like I answered the wrong question. Anyway, I get different reactions from different people. The only people who I ever hear the 'laughing off' stuff from is metalheads who are into thrash and other boring genres of metal like it.

[jsem]

I used to get that because Im hanging mostly with people who listen to... erm... lets say non-mainstream bands such as Cynic, Mars Volta, Animal as Leaders, and evan more Jazz oriented people, so to them Dream Theater is mainstream-ish. And frankly i think they were for the last 2 albums...

Animals as Leaders.. FTW

[dethklok09]

I used to get that because Im hanging mostly with people who listen to... erm... lets say non-mainstream bands such as Cynic, Mars Volta, Animal as Leaders, and evan more Jazz oriented people, so to them Dream Theater is mainstream-ish. And frankly i think they were for the last 2 albums...

Animals as Leaders.. FTW

yeah i would have no problem if my friends liked these bands.

[andreas_adelek]

well i have no problem to because it was I who actually introduced them to AAL for example. And i love the other bands as well as DT but the guys just dont like DT... its kinda weird... maybe its because im an musician and look at music from a diferent perspective...

[wkiml]

I've got nothing to add to this thread other that COUNT your signature is awesome   

[Bombardana]

Not metal enough for true metal fans.
Not prog enough for true prog fans.
Not popular enough for pop listeners.
Not obscure enough for hipsters.

Atleast, that's what they say

[lonestar]

I like what I like, if someone wants to take issue with it, they can kiss my hairy white Irish ass.

[SnakeEyes]

The thing that pisses me off the most about this type of thing is when people say things that are blatantly untrue:

"Oh, Dream Theater is an 80's hair band."  WHAT? 

"DT writes songs about castles, warlocks and killing dragons!"  WHAT? 

"All they play are really fast scales and they don't write real songs."  WHAT? 

I mean, some of the criticisms of DT are true, but these three are just stupid. 

[jsem]

Not metal enough for true metal fans.
Not prog enough for true prog fans.
Not popular enough for pop listeners.
Not obscure enough for hipsters.

Atleast, that's what they say

Summarized very well.

[orcus116]

"All they play are really fast scales and they don't write real songs."  WHAT? 

I mean, some of the criticisms of DT are true, but these three are just stupid. 

To be fair that above comment is somewhat true. Many of their recent solos and unisons sound more like glorified technical exercises than something unique.

[SnakeEyes]

Well, the problem is that DT DOES write songs without that stuff.... and, the common misconception is that every single song is 20 minutes of fast scales or something. 

[toro]

"All they play are really fast scales and they don't write real songs."  WHAT? 

I mean, some of the criticisms of DT are true, but these three are just stupid. 

To be fair that above comment is somewhat true. Many of their recent solos and unisons sound more like glorified technical exercises than something unique.

But only from TOT and SC.

[jsem]

Well, the problem is that DT DOES write songs without that stuff.... and, the common misconception is that every single song is 20 minutes of fast scales or something. 

Some1 said to me when I sent them Learning to live, that they sounded like pop with distorted guitar... He obviously wasn't listening carefully at all.

Or maybe his perception of what popular music is distorted (pun intended).

"All they play are really fast scales and they don't write real songs."  WHAT? 

I mean, some of the criticisms of DT are true, but these three are just stupid. 

To be fair that above comment is somewhat true. Many of their recent solos and unisons sound more like glorified technical exercises than something unique.

But only from TOT and SC.

8vm unisons =

[orcus116]

Probably the production. It's got that very crisp, synthy type sound overall which I could see someone attribute to pop music.