# Guilty Pleasures



## frankentomato (Feb 3, 2012)

Are there any composers/pieces you love but are embarrassed to admit to?

For me it's Wagner. Because I Hate him as a person (everything about his awful personality) but love his music.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Joe Jackson.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I used to think that it was a guilty pleasure to like the 1812 Overture or a handful of the Strauss Waltzes, but the whole notion of guilty pleasures is really just snobbery. I like what I like, and that's that.


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

I see no reason to be embarrassed about my personal taste in music. I'm comfortable with who I am and I gave up caring what people think a long time ago. If I like something I like it, and if you don't that's OK with me, and if you like it too then great. I certainly am not bothered by what other people like or don't like either. I respect people's opinions but I also don't feel obligated to like what someone else likes. Personally I hate most modern country and western, rap, hip hop and other styles I consider "obnoxious". I suppose that makes me a snob by some people's reckoning but I really am not a snob. I just like what I like and don't what I don't and for most of what I like I REALLY like and what I don't I usually REALLY hate. There are few pieces of music I am neutral about.

Kevin


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Are there any composers/pieces you love but are embarrassed to admit to?

For me it's Wagner. Because I Hate him as a person (everything about his awful personality) but love his music.

What on earth does the personality (or biography) of the composer have to do with the merits of the music?


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

No, nothing embarrasses me , but sometimes some of the nonsene on these pages does.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Happy Shostakovich music. Forget the gloomy symphonies, listen to the Ballet Suites and Jazz Suites!


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

frankentomato said:


> Are there any composers/pieces you love but are embarrassed to admit to?


Not really embarrassed. I've posted, in the past, the likes of Mantovani & Andre Rieu on current listening thread. A positive thing about this forum as it's very eclectic, there is no judgement from people here of what one does or doesn't listen to. WEll, that's been the norm, but lately there's been a bit of negativity of what I call highbrow nature from fans of this -



> For me it's Wagner. Because I Hate him as a person (everything about his awful personality) but love his music.


...which I won't comment on, I have enough. Gave all my cd's of this composer away last week, to an acquaintance who was happy to receive them. Partly a reaction to stuff on this forum, I'm very emotional. But on the whole, I also associate this composer's music with various extreme ideologies I detest, so goodbye to him and his fans, once and for all. I don't need it in my life, plenty of other music to go around which is of much more interest to me personally. So I don't waste time of things (some people say) I_ should _get, as people above have suggested, I just go for what I like, or have a fair chance of liking/enjoying, that's it.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Oh man, _*Sid James*_. I'd have taken the Wagner off your hands


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## Dodecaplex (Oct 14, 2011)

What in the name of Lenin's bald spot does KV have anything to do with this?


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

I have no idea why I typed that...


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Nah! I'm Shamelessly catholic in my musical tastes. Might be Emma Kirkby one minute - Donna Summer the next. Music is fantastic! ( Apart from Rap) I feel no need to exhibit embarrassment of any kind. My dress sense however is a different case...


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## tgtr0660 (Jan 29, 2010)

It embarrasses me to remember that I used to be embarrassed for some of the music I enjoy listening to.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

I once admitted to liking Tchaikovsky. The person with whom I was talking looked at me sternly before saying: "You are young! You will grow out of him." I never have. I still like Tchaikovsky.


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Classical music.


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

No because no pleasure should be guilty and also thdkkdkdjdskklsdlsclicheclichedjskdclichekjsd sdkjsdksjclicheskjdssavoidingthetopicskjdksdj


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Opera for sure. I know that others at my house hate that type of music. I still feel guilty for listening and maybe that is why I don't listen to Opera much.


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## Raymond (Apr 29, 2012)

I love Masenet operas, but even I recognize that there is a formula at work and the music is way over-the-top sentimental at times. But like bon-bons for a diabetic, just pass the tray!


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Argus said:


> Classical music.


Don't worry, here we won't judge you.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

neoshredder said:


> Opera for sure. I know that others at my house hate that type of music. I still feel guilty for listening and maybe that is why I don't listen to Opera much.


Boooooooooo. Put on headphones and rock away.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

This thread, eh? Well, here goes: 

Film music--especially Michael Giacchino and Hans Zimmer. Oh, and these:













(The whole cartoon series is a guilty pleasure, really. It really is a much better cartoon than anyone would've thought it could be.)


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Sid James said:


> Partly a reaction to stuff on this forum, I'm very emotional. But on the whole, I also associate this composer's music with various extreme ideologies I detest, so goodbye to him and his fans, once and for all.


Was it something _I_ said?


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Couchie said:


> Was it something _I_ said?


The issues were/are at my end. It started with this thread, way before my disagreements with you.

http://www.talkclassical.com/18533-post-ww2-composers-who.html

I see now that this thread is not locked anymore. Looks like that it's been cleaned up of the posts breaking forum rules. I don't think you were involved in this thread. It was a bunch of our members attacking the OP for various reasons. It got ugly.

Which brings me to, we should maybe talk about *guilty un-pleasures*.

What I mean by this if someone doesn't enjoy Dutilleux as the OP of that thread, or doesn't enjoy whatever composer or music they _should_, do they need to be guilty of this? Is it a crime to have different taste? It seems some people think so, and I'm aghast of this thinking. It doesn't match what I see as being realistic about diversity of taste.

Anyway, this is off topic, but in a parallel way, it's not far off topic. Hope it's food for thought.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I feel guilty about my love of Medtner, Telemann, and CPE Bach sometimes because no one else seems to care like I do about them...


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

clavichorder said:


> I feel guilty about my love of Medtner, Telemann, and CPE Bach sometimes because no one else seems to care like I do about them...


You've inspired me to look into those composers more closely. Don't feel guilty about it. But comparing them to what many consider the greatest composer ever is a tough one for people to agree with.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

You'll find more in common with Telemann and CPE Bach than you will with Medtner. He's a different phase for me. His music is built to government specifications as they say, in other words, almost overdone on the construction. I like that.


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