Changes are happening daily whether you like them or not.
 |
| Rhynchophorus ferrugineus larvae (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Recently I was watching a PBS documentary about exotic adventures. In one segment, the featured adventurer was hunting with a group of indigenous people in Paraguay. At one point the group came upon a cache of grub worm larvae which is considered a delicacy among those people and they started popping them live into their mouths and gobbling them down happily. The lady who was hosting this segment (yes, the adventurer was female) warily held a squirming white larvae between her fingertips to display before the camera and then proceeded to pop it into her mouth and chew it up. It was thoroughly disgusting to me, but she seemed to handle the experience well.
Okay, so there are some things that I am reluctant to try and perhaps would probably not try. I seriously doubt whether you'll ever find me eating brains out of a monkey skull or snake in some marketplace in China (though actually I have eaten rattlesnake meat). I tend to be a fairly adventurous eater compared to many people, but certain preconceptions and cultural aversions put some things off limits. Besides, if food is overly disgusting to us it's because you've got certain issues of taste and aftertaste, appearance, smell, texture, and even sound (like if something squeals when you bite into it). Otherwise, if I'm not just totally turned off from the start and other people seem to be enjoying the food, then I'm likely to at least give it a try.
Now music is very different than eating stuff. I'll try music that is new to me, even when I'm pretty sure that I don't like the genre. Especially if the music is popular, then there must be a reason for that popularity so I'm willing to give it a chance. For example, as I write this I'm listening to Kanye West. I've never paid attention to his music and I've tended to reject it based on the person doing it and the genre. Actually, what I'm hearing now is not too bad. Kind of catchy as they say. I probably won't be listening to Kanye's music on a regular basis, but I will acknowledge his talent (yes, I would call it talent--I haven't created anything like he has and he's got millions of fans who appreciate what he does).
Years ago I dismissed genres like jazz, country, gospel, and other styles as music that wasn't of interest to me because it sounded crappy. Jazz was just a bunch a silly annoying noise produced by weird musicians who were probably heroin addicts or something. Country was twangy garbage performed by a bunch of backwoods hicks and hillbillies. Gospel was something that was screamed and moaned more than actually sang. If I didn't like a genre I would dismiss it as something not worth my time to listen to.
At some point I began to come to a realization that I was already listening to a lot of music in all of these genres and enjoying it. Somehow certain music like recordings of Johnny Cash, Stan Getz, and the Staples Singers were charting and getting radio play mixed in with the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Simon & Garfunkel songs. Then, once I realized that Johnny Cash, the Statler Brothers, Skeeter Davis, and the like were country I started exploring other artists like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and the Stoneman Family. I was missing out on tons of interesting music just based on my own resistance to changing what I was willing to listen to, but at the same time I realized that I had always had some innate curiosity about all types of music that opened my mind to new possibilities when I was willing to give it a chance.
I guess I've always had a stubborn streak in me that made me resistant to change. At times I still do show that stubborn side, but I also try to listen to what others have to say about what they like and be reasonable in my response to them. It's not likely that I'm going to try any wiggling larvae and I'll probably never become a huge sports fan. But I will consider the idea of anything that others enjoy and hopefully be nice in my response to them. I enjoy sharing the music I like and hope that others enjoy it. I'll listen to the music other people like and try to figure out what they see in that music and ask them to turn it down if it's playing to loud or turn it off if it contains too much language that offends me. But I'm open to giving music I normally don't listen to a chance. At least that's the way I like to see myself--less resistant to change than I used to be, but I know I'm not always successful at appearing so.
Battle of the Bands Results
Bieber obviously has some real haters out there who were unwilling to separate the music from the artist. Arguments were posed as to what was wrong with the song or the delivery or whatever, but I wasn't convinced by those arguments and I still think "The Feeling" is an excellent song. And by the way, if you noticed the Billboard Music Awards which were televised last night (Sunday May 22nd), Bieber didn't do too badly with 12 nominations and the award for Top Male Artist.
One surprise in the comments was the appearance of Braden Hallman, one of the band members from Kingdoms. This in turn opened up an exchange with Mary Burris from Jingle Jangle Jungle who may be featuring Kingdoms in an upcoming article so you might watch for that. Keep us posted Mary.
I had a tough time choosing between the two artists in the contest as I felt both were excellent. To me the Kingdoms version was entertaining and innovative, but as many of you indicated the heavy metal growling was a bit of a tough listen. However I also saw it as a bit of cheeky fun on behalf of the performers--and this video was indeed a performance. The Mayven version is beautiful and over the long run a version that might hold up better for me under repeated listenings. But in this Battle my vote is going to Kingdoms. Doesn't help them with the win though.
Final Vote Tally:
Kingdoms 12
Mayven 26
Next Battle on Wednesday June 1st
Seriously? June already? I guess so and I hope you'll be here for that Battle of the Bands installment. After offending so many this time around maybe my next effort should be an offering of atonement. Or maybe I should just continue with my typical adventures in music. I don't have to give this much thought actually as I already have my next Battle in place. What will it be? Here's a clue: It's a huge hit. Also, be here on Friday as I participate in Flashback Friday (which will be another BOTB clue).
Do you like to give new things a chance or do you tend to resist change? Did my Bieber song Battle disturb you, annoy you, or affect you in any other negative way? What do you think I should do for my next Battle?
Thought provoking post. I think the only time I would even consider eating a live larvae is if the option were 'eat it or die'. But other than that YUK! no way. With regards to music, it really does depend on my mood. However, I can't abide loud noise. I once bought my husband 2 tickets to an ACDC concert. I thought it would be nice for him to enjoy his music with a friend. BUT NO!! I had to go with him! Let's just say, I was a really party pooper - sat with my fingers in my ears the whole time. The best part of that outing was the journey back. We were on my hubby's motorbike and the heavens opened. "Thunder, bolts of lightening, very very frightening..." It was fab! And we laughed so hard when trying to get our of our soaked jeans. Nevertheless, my hubby enjoyed the concert :)
ReplyDeleteNicola, when considering how receptive we are to anything new I think mood plays a huge factor. Funny the things that can evoke great positive memories, can be really annoying in other circumstances.
DeleteLee
Yes, you'll have a double next time, as that is also IWSG post day.
ReplyDeleteNot eating grubs. Ever.
Still not listening to country music either.
Alex, my next #IWSG topic will blend in easily with my song choice. I always do pretty well in blending these posts together.
DeleteHi, Lee!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you for sampling the wiggling larvae on my blog this week! :)
Like you I had a stubborn streak. I put inaccurate, unfair labels on styles of music that I decided were not "my thing" and dismissed them without actually listening. Like you I had difficulty in some cases separating an artist's image and personal life from his recorded output. In recent years I have become much more willing to dabble and experiment. In the process I have found a lot to like in genres I never before dared to try.
I am happy to see that your ears matched mine in your band battle, that you weren't turned off by the death growls and that you appreciated the touch of humor added to the video. I look forward to seeing more of Kingdoms over at Mary's place.
Thanks, Lee, and have a wonderful week!
Shady, something was wiggling on your blog, but I wouldn't say it was larvae by any means.
DeleteI still am sometimes influenced by my preconceived notions, but I try to enter into things like music with more openness than I used to. For years I missed some pretty good music that I discovered later when it was considered old stuff that had passed out of popularity. We can't appreciate anything until we give it a reasonable chance.
Lee
I like to keep an open mind, but there are certain things I won't eat. Larvae would be at the top of that list! :P As for music, I can appreciate someone's talent even if I don't like their voice or style, which is the case with Justin Bieber. Seems he's well on the way to redeeming himself, after last night's awards. The death growls from Kingdom's version of the song didn't thrill me either, but the guitar work trumped those. Too bad they lost! I'll be looking out for Mary's post. "Flashback Friday" looks interesting. Might join you there.
ReplyDeleteDebbie D, I can't say that I would have been won over by Bieber's performance at the Billboard awards, but it was okay. Obviously though a lot of people appreciate what he's done especially on his recent recording.
DeleteFlashback Friday is one of those easy to do blog events that allows us to recycle stuff from the past that many new readers never saw when it first was published on our sites.
Lee
I'm guilty on both parts. I remember reading about our eating eggs would turn the stomach of many people in the world. When you think of the consistency of a raw egg, I get it.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was a big country music fan and none of his kids liked it. I find myself enjoying Willie's Roadhouse on Sirius which plays all those tunes my dad loved. They filled our house when I was growing up.
Ann, I think what we often reject in our youth we later embrace as we get older, perhaps in some attempt to recapture those memories of what seemed to be better times. There are probably a lot of other reasons we embrace old dislikes--sometimes it's just a matter of becoming more educated and better aware.
DeleteLee
I'm willing to try most things at least once. If I don't like it, I won't try it again. I'm really glad being a vegan prevents me from trying bugs though.
ReplyDeleteL.Diane, if somebody else is eating something and it's not affecting them adversely, I'll usually give it a shot. But there would be limits.
DeleteLee
Karen, I'm the same way. At least the music you can usually turn off or just wait until it's finished playing. It's disgusting to spit out food you've started eating or even worse to throw up because it's so gross. No music has ever affected me to that extent.
ReplyDeleteLee
Great post Arlee! I missed the Bieber battle, but I will admit to having an attitude to his music because of the press surrounding him. However, I did hear one of his songs performed on "The Voice" France, and I thought it was pretty good! I only discovered it was a Bieber song later! But to answer your question, yeah, I will generally try most things once. Except sports. I'm terrible at sports :-)
ReplyDeleteJGCs, it's funny how we can become so jaded by the artist in relation to the actual output of what that artist produces. If appreciate something for what it is without knowing anything about who produced it then there is a logic to that thinking, but when we reject the product because of something about the producer that I think that can be weird. Now, if we don't want money to go into that person's pocket on moral or some other grounds then I can understand that perhaps. There can be so many variables that each case needs to be addressed separately. For me sometimes I'd rather not know anything about an artist if I like the work produced.
DeleteI've never been good at sports and I never seem to grasp what's going on in many of them. I'm more of an arts person than a sports person.
Lee
Trying out new music is very low risk, like virtually no risk, and the change involved in listening to new music is also virtually non-existent. It's very unlikely that switching music genres will result in lifestyle change. After all, if people can't see the change, there was, effectively, no change.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, music is easy unless it's like the longest piece in the world like a Wagner Ring Cycle or something. And even then you usually can turn it off or leave or whatever. A movie or book requires a bigger investment of time if you're going to give it a full and fair examination. As far as the lifestyle change in music, just listening doesn't do much but becoming immersed in the music culture might result in definite change. I'm thinking like Deadheads or hard core headbangers or something, but then again the proclivity for "change" probably was already there and just brought out into the open by embracing the genre.
DeleteLee
I will never eat live grubs...ick, ick, ick! I think you should choose whatever grabs you because that's what makes it interesting and if people don't like it, they don't have to listen.
ReplyDeleteBirgit, I hope everyone does listen to the songs that I offer on my BOTB posts because in my opinion they are all good and I want to share them with others. It's one thing for someone to say they don't like a song as opposed to saying that my song pick is a bad song.
DeleteLee
Lee, I won't eat grubs... I appreciate dead fun, thanks.
ReplyDeleteAs for Bieber... I see no reason not to showcase his work. I enjoy your battles. Usually I come away with new wisdom. (Can't say that about other participants.) Then again, I'm here for the music, and to discover new things that make "Arlee" tick.
I'll keep an eye out for Mary's post. thanks for letting us know.
Dixie, I hope Mary gets something good on her site about Kingdoms. If I've entertained or informed in some way in my posts then my mission is accomplished. I never set out to intentionally annoy or anger anyone with my song picks.
DeleteLee
No grubs, spiders, or brains for me. The music genres are fun to sample--not one has ever made me vomit.
ReplyDeleteHR, if I ever vomit when the music is playing it because of some other influence and not the fault of the music per se.
DeleteLee
Most interesting to read Lee.A wee bit late for me commentiing due to a busy day.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Yvonne, hope all is well for you.
DeleteLee
I have no adventure when it comes to food. I seldom try new things. With music I will listen but I seldom bother when it is an artist I don't like as a person. Do no Beiber or West for me.
ReplyDeleteSusan GK, but people can change. I don't know anything about West, but I've heard that Bieber has proclaimed a Christian upbringing and frequently alludes to God. His album has some pretty good messages as well. But I don't pay much attention to a person's background until it starts getting attention in the media. I would not support the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens because of what he supports, but on the other hand I never cared for his music anyway and never bought any of his earlier albums.
DeleteLee
I'm way too picky an eater to try anything weird. I won't even eat Thai or Vietnamese food, so forget bugs and meat. Bison burgers are about as adventurous as I get. I won't touch venison either!
ReplyDeleteJoJo, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines are among my favorites. Bison is almost like venison I guess, but it's also like beef. My wife wouldn't try bison either and when I was going to order a bison burger last summer she requested that I not do it so I complied to her wishes. We were in Yellowstone and had seen bison roaming around so eating the meat bothered her.
DeleteLee
I can't even imagine eating live grubs or any live insects like so many cultures do. I would never in a million years do it. No way, no how. Well, maybe for a few million dollars I might... But that's unlikely to happen so suffice it to say that I will never ever eat anything live!
ReplyDeleteI'm not very adventurous in music. The Battle of the Bands has introduced me to so many new-to-me bands and I'm grateful for the introductions. I'm stuck in the 70s. That's no surprise to many people.
I can't stand Kanye West. I think he's an ass. I haven't really heard his music and don't have any desire to check it out really.
Was an interesting battle you had Lee. Bieber is very polarizing it seems...
Michele at Angels Bark
Michele, for a few million dollars there are many things that I'd do that normally I wouldn't do.
DeleteI don't like what I've heard about Kanye West, but I decided to give his music a listen for the purpose of writing this post. I'm still not a fan, but most of the music didn't really turn me off.
I expected some polarization in my Bieber battle, but I think there were more voters with a more positive opinion than I thought there would be.
Once I started college my musical tastes expanded at a rapid place and have continued to be more open to newer music as well as older music and music from other countries.
Lee
Some tastes are acquired, and most appreciated when we've come to discover them on our own, over time, instead of because everyone told us to try such and such a food, movie, singer, or book. Foods I love now but used to find disgusting include stuffed grape leaves, eggplant, mustard, and certain ways of preparing cabbage. Probably the most obvious off-putting food which tastes pretty good when given a chance is durian fruit. It really does smell like rotting meat when cut open and exposed to the air, but the actual taste isn't anything like that.
ReplyDeleteCarrie-Anne, so true! I wish I could convince my wife of this. For me one of these types of foods was menudo. My first attempt to eat it I found it totally disgusting. Over the years I continued to try it and now I love it and often crave it. I always keep a big can of menudo in my cupboard for when the craving hits and then I'll eat all 3 1/2 servings after I open it since my wife won't touch the stuff.
DeleteI've heard about the durian fruit, but I don't think I've tried it. Though it may have been cooked into a Thai dish I had one time. The dish smelled weird, but it tasted good.
Lee
I have a love-hate relationship with change. Just the nature of being alive and kicking I guess.
ReplyDeleteI'm more eclectic with music, reading, travel, people, than I'll ever be with food. Eeeek; I do not ever intend to eat food that is squeeling, crying, or looking at me. Had to laugh at your comments though, thank you for that :)
Dolorah, some change I do like a lot while some that is overly disruptive to my comfort level I don't especially welcome. I'm pretty eclectic with most things, but there are always some limits.
DeleteLee
I like change as long as the changes don't come so fast and furious I can't keep up...but I don't think I'll be trying to eat grubs or anything like that.
ReplyDeletePatricia, one change at a time or very insignificant changes are about my speed. Unless it's something really good then I can take big changes.
DeleteLee
I'm really looking forward to doing a more indepth introduction to the Kingdoms. I'm hoping to have that post ready soon.
ReplyDeleteMary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Mary, let me know when you post it so I don't miss it and can help you promote it.
DeleteLee
Being a vegetarian, I definitely wouldn't be one to eat those things, but I love music and like to experiment with all different kinds.
ReplyDeleteChrys, I agree. Certain things I'm very unlikely to try when it comes to food, but music I'll at least try for a while.
DeleteLee
I rarely had a salad up until the last decade - Meat and potatoes for this gal ;-) But that by no means equates to eating bugs - ever. One episode of Survivor was when they had to eat really nasty stuff, made me quite ill and I was only watching T.V.:-)
ReplyDeleteI didn't/don't mind Bieber's music, it's his persona and the fixation he seems to have with his, uh, zipper that I'd just as soon not watch.
I enjoy a wide range of music but you have to be the most versatile person I've ever met - thanks! Your posts are always interesting :-)
Diedre, I have a kind of weak stomach watching people eat certain things or for that matter just looking at things that some people might consider to be food that I wouldn't.
DeleteI don't keep up with Bieber's antics except when they're so much in the forefront that you can't miss them. I'll be watching for his next album though to see if he can meet or surpass this last effort.
Thank you for what I consider to be a great compliment. I've loved music since I was a kid and have continually opened myself up to more new styles.
Lee
I don't think my stomach would let me eat anything buglike, I couldn't even stomach stewed okra. Anything crawling or with legs and antennae - forget it. I'd likely starve or eat roots first. I like the cooler weather up north as we get fewer 'bugs' to bug me. Bieber, like Brittany, and a few others just don't match up to other performers (think Springsteen, or SRVaughn). Those awards are usually presented by others in the industry or voted on by the fans. Doesn't impress me as I dislike that type of EMO music. But a BOTBs choices is up to the blog owner, and does introduce us to things we might avoid. . .
ReplyDeleteDG, I'll eat stewed okra, but my preference is the fried variety. There is a new generation of music performers that are coming along to replace the old favorites that you and I used to listen to. I'm willing to give some of the new stuff a chance.
DeleteLee