Author Topic: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?  (Read 4800 times)

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Offline WildRanger

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I already mentioned this in one of my threads (Is Rush more appealing and accessible than other classic prog rock bands?).
I find Rush and Van Halen to be vastly different styles of rock music, but there is a significant overlap between the likes of Rush and Van Halen. Lots of Rush fans tend to include Van Halen as one of their favorite rock bands.
How would you explain that? Give me your arguments.








Online HOF

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2020, 10:17:38 AM »
Objection, asked and answered!

Online Adami

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2020, 10:20:02 AM »
Wasn’t this already discussed at length? Why have a new thread?
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Offline pg1067

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2020, 10:28:11 AM »
Lots of Rush fans tend to include Van Halen as one of their favorite rock bands.

The following are also true:

1. Lots of Rush fans do not include Van Halen as one of their favorite rock bands.
2. Lots of Rush fans don't like Van Halen.
3. Lots of Van Halen fans include Rush as one of their favorite rock bands.
4. Lots of Van Halen fans don't like Rush.

Please present the foregoing in the form of one or more Venn diagrams.


How would you explain that?

I would explain it by pointing out that people have opinions that are as varied as can be.  For example, some people like both Dream Theater and Celine Dion.  How do you explain that?  HINT: The answer is the same as to your question.


Give me your arguments.

Arguments about what?
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Offline cramx3

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2020, 10:32:32 AM »
Because they were both huge rock bands around the same time?  it's really no surprise

Offline WildRanger

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #5 on: October 16, 2020, 10:35:56 AM »
Because they were both huge rock bands around the same time?  it's really no surprise

So, the popularity is a reason? Rush fans decided to be into Van Halen because they are very popular? If Van Halen were not popular, Rush fans would not care for them?

And I disagree about Rush being HUGE. They were never huge.


Offline pg1067

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #6 on: October 16, 2020, 10:40:21 AM »
And I disagree about Rush being HUGE. They were never huge.

How old were you in 1981?

Also, define "huge."
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Offline WildRanger

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #7 on: October 16, 2020, 10:46:20 AM »
And I disagree about Rush being HUGE. They were never huge.

How old were you in 1981?

Also, define "huge."

2 years old. Does it matter?
For me HUGE means a mass popularity. Rush never had a mass popularity. They were never one of the biggest rock bands. You just can't deny it. For example, compare Rush's success to U2's. You can say that U2 have/had a mass popularity, because they can fill stadiums, they sold 175 million records worldwide and they had a lot of top 10 hits on the charts, but you can't say the same about Rush.

 

Online hunnus2000

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #8 on: October 16, 2020, 11:11:44 AM »
For me, both of these bands hit me in high school. I very much had a Dazed and Confused high school experience. I remember vividly pulling into the high school parking lot blaring Limelight and the high school cheerleaders turning and dancing to the song. They did the same with VH so the two aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, I'll add Triumph to the mix. I guess that in my formative years, these bands were the soundtrack of my life.

One stupidly fond memory is during the stoner parties, people would argue the Rush needed to get rid of Alex and insert EVH so you would have the best guitarist, best bassist and best drummer in rock.  :D

Oh to be young and stupid again!

Offline emtee

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #9 on: October 16, 2020, 11:30:11 AM »
It's music. People like music. Is it any more complicated than that? I have well over 1K albums in my collection. Everything from Linda Rondstadt singing the classics to Opeth. That's not overlap, it's having a wide swath of taste in music.

Don't mean to be rude or short but why even ask the question?

Online HOF

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #10 on: October 16, 2020, 11:58:43 AM »
There are numerous answers (assuming for the sake of discussion the assertion about the overlap is true), but the most obvious one is they are both hard rock bands who had tons of commercial success and radio airplay especially in the years from 1978 through about 1995. If you were a fan of hard rock and classic rock you heard both a ton on the radio and it’s certainly not inconceivable that a lot of people liked both. There’s also the aspect of EVH being to guitar what Neal Peart was to drums.

But you can pick any two artists who were popular in the same circles from any era and probably find a lot of overlap.

Why do I like both the Pearl Jam and the Counting Crows? They were on the same radio station I listened to all the time growing up.

Online hefdaddy42

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #11 on: October 16, 2020, 12:30:18 PM »
Don't mean to be rude or short but why even ask the question?
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Offline Peter Mc

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #12 on: October 16, 2020, 12:41:37 PM »
Fans of one popular rock band like another popular rock band.  Don’t see the big mystery there.

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #13 on: October 16, 2020, 12:58:26 PM »
Because both were fronted by cool chicks?   


As for "huge", Rush were never as big as Van Halen in the day, but they were pretty damn big.   I've written about this before:  if you collected textbooks at random from my high school, you'd be able to count the books that DIDN'T have either Rush (the star), Van Halen (the VH wings), AC/DC, or Ozzy (with the lines through the Z like on Blizzard).  Those were the "Big Four" of people that liked rock and metal.  Not the ONLY ones, but the BIGGEST ones. 

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #14 on: October 16, 2020, 01:58:19 PM »
Rush was definitely big.  Everyone at my high school knew Rush.  They were all over our local rock stations.
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Offline pg1067

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #15 on: October 16, 2020, 03:00:48 PM »
And I disagree about Rush being HUGE. They were never huge.

How old were you in 1981?

Also, define "huge."

2 years old. Does it matter?

Sure does.  It impacts your credibility.  You weren't old enough to understand what was and wasn't "huge."


For me HUGE means a mass popularity. Rush never had a mass popularity.

You've just taken one "weasel word" and replaced it another.  You seem to be a big fan of weasel words, which strikes me as odd since I know English isn't your first language.  In any event, this is why you frequently get backlash over things you write.


They were never one of the biggest rock bands. You just can't deny it.

Sure I can.  I can deny it as easily as you can say it, and I'm confident that I can come up with more coherent arguments than you can.


For example, compare Rush's success to U2's. You can say that U2 have/had a mass popularity, because they can fill stadiums, they sold 175 million records worldwide and they had a lot of top 10 hits on the charts, but you can't say the same about Rush.

Ok, now we're getting somewhere because you're finally using facts.  I agree that it is beyond dispute that Rush, at the height of its popularity, was not as "huge" as U2 at the height of its popularity.  We can compare album sales, chart performance and chart performance objectively, and U2 will always come out on top.  THAT is not credibly deniable.  HOWEVER, unless you are defining "huge" to mean "at least as successful and popular as U2, it is still possible to say that Rush was "huge."  Moreover, if that's your definition of "huge," then Van Halen wasn't "huge" either.
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Online hunnus2000

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #16 on: October 16, 2020, 03:07:42 PM »
Yeah - Rush was HUGE in high school. It seems like every desk I sat at had RUSH engraved in the wood.
Fond memory - I kept seeing these Rush signs on desks everywhere I looked so I road my bicycle to the Melody Shop and went looking for a Rush album because I had to know - what is this Rush? I must know this Rush.
I came upon Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush and decided no, it must be Rush and the I came across All The World's a Stage and decided to get that because after all, evaluating a band's live performance is part of the experience. I was immediately floored when I heard Bastille Day but I freakinG blew a load in my pants when 2112 came on and I was HOOKED!

Offline cramx3

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #17 on: October 16, 2020, 03:10:48 PM »
Rush were still packing arenas and sheds until they retired.  That's pretty damn big if you ask me.  Maybe not HUGE by a some definition, but pretty damn popular of a band.   

And yes, I think the correlation is both being very popular around the same time.

Why do I like both the Pearl Jam and the Counting Crows? They were on the same radio station I listened to all the time growing up.

Bingo.  It's no surprise people who like rock music would like two of the more popular bands in the genre even if they aren't really that similar.

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #18 on: October 16, 2020, 03:31:54 PM »
I think the more pertinent question here may be "Does it bother you that there are (apparently) lots of Rush fans that are also Van Halen fans?"

I've noticed in other threads that you seem perplexed by "credible" (your words) music fans (I think that is those whose music taste just lines up with yours? Or prog fans, who listen exclusively to prog? I'm not sure which) who it turns out also like pop, or disco, or punk rock, or country or whatever.

It seems as though you need to deal in absolutes and for everything to be black and white. The fact that Rush fans like Van Halen (that you may not perceive to be "credible"?) seems to make you question your own perception of what it means to be a music fan? Or what "serious music fans" listen to.

This isn't meant as any sort of attack, and I apologise if it comes across that way. It seems that all you threads are designed to help you get a definitive 'answer' to what it means to be a real music fan.

Just my observation.

Offline Elite

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #19 on: October 16, 2020, 03:35:34 PM »
I would explain the big overlap between fans of this thread and that other thread you created as follows: they're both similar, also they were/are popular at the right time and they entertain people.
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Offline Fritzinger

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #20 on: October 17, 2020, 07:41:33 AM »
I am a huge Rush fan and I never cared for Van Halen's music  ;)
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Online SoundscapeMN

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #21 on: October 17, 2020, 09:39:40 AM »
I remember Alex Lifeson name dropping Van Halen a number of times in interviews from the 80's.

I forget the quote exactly, but he said something like "We've never been as heavy as Van Halen."

Offline WildRanger

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #22 on: October 17, 2020, 11:10:06 AM »
I noticed these are the most popular bands among Rush fans: Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Van Halen and probably I could add Black Sabbath, The Who and Iron Maiden to that group.

Any surprises?



Online Adami

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #23 on: October 17, 2020, 11:16:20 AM »
I noticed these are the most popular bands among Rush fans: Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Van Halen and probably I could add Black Sabbath, The Who and Iron Maiden to that group.

Any surprises?

I’m a big Rush fan and I only casually like a few of the bands you mentioned.
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Offline WildRanger

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #24 on: October 17, 2020, 11:23:17 AM »
I noticed these are the most popular bands among Rush fans: Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Van Halen and probably I could add Black Sabbath, The Who and Iron Maiden to that group.

Any surprises?

I’m a big Rush fan and I only casually like a few of the bands you mentioned.

You are you, one person.

Online Adami

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #25 on: October 17, 2020, 11:24:26 AM »
I noticed these are the most popular bands among Rush fans: Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Van Halen and probably I could add Black Sabbath, The Who and Iron Maiden to that group.

Any surprises?

I’m a big Rush fan and I only casually like a few of the bands you mentioned.

You are you, one person.

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Offline WildRanger

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #26 on: October 17, 2020, 11:42:40 AM »
I noticed these are the most popular bands among Rush fans: Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Van Halen and probably I could add Black Sabbath, The Who and Iron Maiden to that group.

Any surprises?

I’m a big Rush fan and I only casually like a few of the bands you mentioned.

You are you, one person.

I am many, and I am all.

For example there is an overlap between Rush and The Stooges fan in ME, but I know there is an incredibly small overlap between Rush and The Stooges fans in general.


Offline emtee

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #27 on: October 17, 2020, 11:47:31 AM »
Moe, Larry and Curly. They knew how to rock.

Offline WildRanger

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #28 on: October 17, 2020, 11:59:39 AM »
Moe, Larry and Curly. They knew how to rock.

The Three Stooges are not a rock band. I meant the band The Stooges, if you even know who they are.
They rock for sure.



Offline Lupton

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #29 on: October 17, 2020, 01:10:49 PM »
Let's see...kids in the late 70s blasting either "Xanadu" or "Runnin' with the Devil" from their rooms probably annoyed their parents just as equally?

Offline Elite

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #30 on: October 18, 2020, 02:34:04 AM »
I noticed these are the most popular bands among Rush fans: Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Van Halen and probably I could add Black Sabbath, The Who and Iron Maiden to that group.

Where and how did you notice this?
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Online HOF

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #31 on: October 18, 2020, 05:32:52 PM »
Listening to Counterparts right now after having listened to For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge a good bit over the last few weeks, and I’ll say the production and overall sound on both is awfully similar.

Offline pg1067

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #32 on: October 18, 2020, 05:50:45 PM »
I noticed these are the most popular bands among Rush fans: Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Van Halen and probably I could add Black Sabbath, The Who and Iron Maiden to that group.

Any surprises?

You've "noticed [that] these are the most popular bands among Rush fans."

Any surprises?  No, it's no surprise at all that you're making generalized pronouncements based on limited observations.

While I believe there is significant cross over between Rush and each of those bands, I would submit that there is greater crossover between Rush and other bands, including Yes, Triumph, Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Queensryche and many others.
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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #33 on: October 18, 2020, 06:09:43 PM »
Listening to Counterparts right now after having listened to For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge a good bit over the last few weeks, and I’ll say the production and overall sound on both is awfully similar.

Except for the quality of the songs. 1/2 the songs on F.U.C.K. are terrible.   Speed of Love is the only weak link on Counterparts.
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Online HOF

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Re: How would you explain the big overlap between Rush and Van Halen fans?
« Reply #34 on: October 18, 2020, 06:16:16 PM »
Listening to Counterparts right now after having listened to For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge a good bit over the last few weeks, and I’ll say the production and overall sound on both is awfully similar.

Except for the quality of the songs. 1/2 the songs on F.U.C.K. are terrible.   Speed of Love is the only weak link on Counterparts.

I like Speed of Love. There only about 3 songs on For Unlawful that I don’t care for.