Let’s discuss any and all music here. Got a new artist who’s rocking your boat that you want to talk about? Post a video! Found out about that unearthed Coltrane album that has the jazz freak in you losing your mind? Lay it out for us! Have a theory about what your favorite band might do for their next album? Let’s hear it! Anything and everything music-related goes here.

This week’s discussion prompt: Problematic Faves

Are you the type of person who is able to separate the art from the artist, or does an artist’s real-life behavior have an impact on your ability to enjoy their work? Are there songs or albums you appreciate on any number of levels, but certain lyrics or themes sharply contrast with your personal opinions or beliefs? Are there artists that you used to love unreservedly, but getting older and/or becoming a more well-rounded person has left you realize how immature they were? And to what extent are you able to allow for an artist playing a character (as one would when watching an actor in a film or TV show)?

The Descendents made some great pop-punk in the eighties and influenced any number of bands that went on to become more commercially successful. Musically a lot of their songs are catchy as hell and still relatively fresh, but in the year 2021, holy shit: lyrically, some of it has aged terribly, to put it mildly. More accurately, it was terrible back then as well – sexist “nice guy” bullshit all over the place, with a smattering of homophobia to hammer home that this was made in “less enlightened” times (which again, is no excuse).

For anyone hoping the band outgrew this later on, the opening verse of the lead single from their 1996 comeback album Everything Sucks opens with the line “Nice guys finish last, no-one knows as good as me / We’re just good friends and you come to me for sympathy” (Karl Alvarez – who wrote this song – would have been in his thirties at the time). I may always have a soft spot for this band, and I can’t see Milo Goes to College or I Don’t Want to Grow Up ever leaving my collection either. But at the same time, I’m glad that I’m no longer the same lame-ass high schooler who blamed not getting more action on being “too nice”.

To be fair, it sucks at any age to have a crush on someone and have that feeling go unrequited. And maybe writing songs like this are a good way to deal with those feelings, though it’s still not a great look, and one that seems to betray a real lack of self-awareness on the part of our protagonist here. That said, in recent years the band seem to have finally matured, no longer playing certain songs live and reflecting on changing and evolving on their 2018 single “Who We Are”.

NOTE: I know this is a more serious topic than what we normally discuss here, but the fact that some artists who made work some of us might enjoy will probably continue to be revealed as engaging in awful behavior means this topic will sadly remain relevant for the foreseeable future. This is generally a pretty relaxed and welcoming place where we regularly agree to disagree about certain things related to music so I’m not particularly worried, but nonetheless I’ll just put out a friendly reminder to be respectful of your fellow commenters and not pass judgement on anyone here based on whether they are able or unable to separate the art from the artist.

As always, any and all music-related topics are welcome. Have fun, and rock out with yr guac out!