How to handle friends and acquaintances with a *very* narrow musical taste?

[Jaq]

I'd like to think that somewhere, on a Metallica forum, some kid is yelling about how someone who likes music he can't stand is trying to sway him away from listening to Metallica. 

Honestly, any attempt to make someone listen to music when they're not in the frame of mind to will always backfire. Hell, my musical interests are from Miles Davis to Slayer, and if someone starts lecturing me about what I should listen to, I'm shutting them down right there.

[MoraWintersoul]

Lisa Simpson of prog metal? 

Out of cool, ridiculous things people have said about me, this is one of the best ones.

[Perpetual Change]

I'd like to think that somewhere, on a Metallica forum, some kid is yelling about how someone who likes music he can't stand is trying to sway him away from listening to Metallica. 

On the flip side, I'm sure that, somewhere, on a Metallica forum, some kid is yelling about how someone who likes music he can't stand is refusing to become a Metallica fan no matter how hard he tries.

[kirksnosehair]

Different strokes for different folks. There are people who would think I'm a one trick pony because well over half of my music listening time over the last decade has been comprised of only 30-50 bands and there are also folks that would be shocked to know I have like 10,000 songs on my hard drive. Live and let live. Anyone can become great at anything even if their influence pool isn't as esoteric as some may deem acceptable.

If the dude's satisfied with the material he surrounds himself with and has no interest in what you're selling, you aren't doing him any favors by pushing the issue.

I agree with da floyd that be black

[philmcson]

Lisa Simpson of prog metal? 

Out of cool, ridiculous things people have said about me, this is one of the best ones.

D'awwww, so glad and proud now :3  hopefully you feel 0% ridiculed and 100% cool now 

[MoraWintersoul]

D'awwww, so glad and proud now :3  hopefully you feel 0% ridiculed and 100% cool now 

Yeah

[Ultimetalhead]

My experience with people like this is that they eventually grow out of it. I spent my entire high school years trying to expand my musical horizons and find some really cool stuff, but everyone in my social group was content to sit around listening to really shitty metalcore. I've had a few of those friends come back to me and say how awesome Slayer and Megadeth are and how they wish they could have gotten into them sooner.

Of course, I had a really narrow musical taste when I was in middle school. I only listened to Metallica, and maybe a few other bands like Megadeth, Pantera, Slipknot, Anthrax, whatever. It wasn't until I got sick of those bands that I began to explore further. It really depends on how early you get into it, and how long you've known the bands. Eventually, Metallica WILL get boring, and if you're lucky enough to tolerate him until then, you can be the cool dude who knows all the awesome bands.

tl;dr: Let him listen to his boring metal until it gets boring to him, and then go nuts.

[philmcson]

Of course, I had a really narrow musical taste when I was in middle school. I only listened to Metallica, and maybe a few other bands like Megadeth, Pantera, Slipknot, Anthrax, whatever. It wasn't until I got sick of those bands that I began to explore further. It really depends on how early you get into it, and how long you've known the bands. Eventually, Metallica WILL get boring, and if you're lucky enough to tolerate him until then, you can be the cool dude who knows all the awesome bands.

tl;dr: Let him listen to his boring metal until it gets boring to him, and then go nuts.

Yes, this is exactly what I'm thinking, although I've discovered a good tactic now, he's asking for some drumming technique advice and I'm introducing him to some more or less sick stuff on drums that Lars doesn't do (blast beats, for example) - then I show him a few Gojira songs AND even a jazzy Aristocrats song with blast beats and he's like: wow, that's sick 

Feeling so influential now! 

[Ultimetalhead]

The first time I heard a blast beat in a Cannibal Corpse song, I was floored. Of course, they're second nature now, but god damn that was a good moment.

[theseoafs]

It isn't prejudiced or lame to frequently choose to listen to the same few bands, but it is prejudiced and lame to say things like "all new bands are bad" and "any band from Sweden must be bad".  Anyway, this is the mark of a person who hasn't completely matured yet, and they will indeed grow out of it.

[philmcson]

Indeed.

Seems there's gonna be some happy end! He contacted me yesterday and said he started listening to Sabaton and Motörhead and really digs them. Hooray 

[Ben_Jamin]

Indeed.

Seems there's gonna be some happy end! He contacted me yesterday and said he started listening to Sabaton and Motörhead and really digs them. Hooray 

To be a good drummer, or musician, you need to listen to many styles of music, even ones you dont like.

Bassists are more known in Jazz and Funk
Guitarist Rock and Metal
Drummers....hmm...this one is tough id say metal, but groove and rhytmn arent well incorporated...the modern bands are combining styles now so it may be one of those.

[Dream Team]

Also, depth > breath. Really appreciating a few artists deeply is better than "discovering" as many as you can each year.

Why? Not that I think the reverse is true, but that seems like a silly thing to say.

Nope, he's right. Back in the day before MTV (among other things) ruined music, you had hundreds of great artists selling millions of albums, and you could absorb their entire discography and genius. Now it's millions of "artists" selling hundreds of albums, and they're just blips on someone's mp3 player.

[WindMaster]

Most people nowadays who listen exclusively to top 40 music never bother checking out the rest of the artist's discography or even listening to a full album... they just listen to the songs that are hits. at least in America I feel like that's what the masses who listen to music passively do. They could be discovering so much more.