In this Discussion
- BeckiWitte October 2011
- beckysioux August 2011
- daisychains June 2011
- DJRose October 2011
- Hiding_In_The_Dark October 2011
- laeticia June 2011
- laydeejol June 2011
- magnoliamaggiemag October 2011
- silver12 October 2011
- Totalgeek42 October 2011
- violetchaos364 October 2011
Dealing With the Non-believers
I was looking around the topic and I noticed there was no thread for dealing with people who think OK Go is, dare I say it, "b.a.d". So this place is for all the OK Go fans who have people who bring down their mood to share stories with boardies and bounce back from all the hate.
This is in no way a thread to endorse converting people against there will (as tempting as it is). I just want to see if there's other people out there with the same dilemma, and maybe we can find a way to defend ourselves from the NB's.
This is in no way a thread to endorse converting people against there will (as tempting as it is). I just want to see if there's other people out there with the same dilemma, and maybe we can find a way to defend ourselves from the NB's.
Comments
Those people are probably saying something they have been taught to say by some too-cool-for-school-blogger or somesuch. They have not listened to the music. In this case, it's probably something along the lines of "if only OK Go would put the effort into their music that they put into their videos." Usually I let them run their mouths, because they're saying it to get a rise out of me. If that doesn't stop them, just say something like "did you pull that word for word off Pitchfork, or did you come to that conclusion yourself?" The lengths these guys go to in their recording practices (if you don't already realize this) is one of the reasons why we only have 3 OK Go albums released in the last 9 years (that and the incessant touring). They take FOREVER to write and record their music and they are perfectionists about it. I mean go listen to the interviews with the guys and David Fridmann from the ENE. They spent four days trying to decide whether or not to use a Superkick. Four Days. That is some seriously hardcore dedication to the music.
In the end, you know that OK Go is the best, most creative band out there. Smile, because you're one of the smart ones.
I know they're definitely wrong, though. I mean, we're all here, right? We're an OK Go lovin' COMMUNITY, and they say nobody listens to our favorite band anymore? Nope.
iunno if it's coz i hv too much time on my hands, or if ppl juz hv no patience or intrigue whatsoever, but i find it so difficult to impart good music on frenz these days. It annoys me how ppl would much rather listen to the typical boring standardised commercial crap fm those standardised mediocre artists (dont even get me started on JBiebs) rather than give a listen to some new emerging talents that've poured their hearts and souls into their products.
Rant over. I juz wish ppl still gave a crap abt music is all. x
I completely agree with laydeejol, I know so many people that don't seem to care about the effort artists put into their music and listen to whatever's "popular." And then they look at me and tell me I'm weird because I listen to bands/artists that "no one's ever heard of."
In the end, I try to ignore it. I have people in my life that understand and put up with my obsession and they greatly outnumber the people that try to make me feel bad about it. Plus, I know that OK Go is amazing and makes me happy and that's all that really matters.
On the up side, I have gotten a few honest inquiries and do have a few friends who are listening to OTBCOTS so there is hope for the world after all.
Laydeejol, I feel your pain. That issue can be applied anywhere. It's exactly the same as the Metallica scenario. It's a blessing and a curse. OK Go is lucky enough that even though the media doesn't pay too much attention to them, they're still able to make the things they want to.
I second to your suggestion, Becki. People only pay attention to what the media gives them. And the media wants a garunteed success, but the truth for music is if it feels good, it feels good, yet that kind of music doesn't appeal to the whole public, so they take the easier route... I'm sure you've heard the story from Damian a bagillion of times (I know I have...)
Ummm.......... Refresh my memory.
Oh hey interview where Damian makes fun of me. Haven't seen you in awhile. LOL.
I always remember that interview for some reason. I guess I enjoy the fact that he recognizes the need of communication between fans. Don't you hate when celebrities talk to their fans as if we're not people? It annoys me at least. Yet the majority doesn't care or question the fact if it's good or not. The only reason hits exist is because the record company promotes it to no end, and if its good it sells more then it already did. Why not go look for good music or something new that actually has meaning? It just doesn't make sense to me...
Okay, the rants over. Needed to get that out of my system
That's actually one of the things I love best about them. The fact that they make an effort to remember our faces if not learn our names. It cannot be easy, with all the people they see over the course of a tour, to remember the faces they see.
And no worries about posting that interview. As much as I'll pretend to be bothered by Damian giving me shit, I kind of like the fact that he knows who I am and likes me enough to give me shit. (Hi Damian, if you're reading). ...I just rewatched that exchange. It totally made me smile. FWIW, the guy who asks a question before me about how much the videos cost is Jonny 5 of The Flobots. Dude is a KILLER rapper and a very sweet person. :-)
http://post-library.com/2011/06/29/ok-go-ok-go/
This.
(#$%¨&¨*%$#@#$&¨$&¨#$#¨&*%¨*%*&¨%¨$) -> there goes my rage. I will try to be reasonable now.
First thing: It was posted today. And the title is "OK GO (2002)", so my guess is he's writing about the first record – what a pointless article for 2011 but THAT'S OKAY.
When I started reading, I thought he was going to prove people wrong. But no, he agrees with them. Erm, no. Just because a band doesn't present themselves as dumbfucks, retards and just because they dress good and think about their image means they think they are WITTY SCIONS OF EXCEEDINGLY MILD REBELLION. Wtf is this all about?
Okay, NOW it was clear to me he obviously doesn't pay much attention to songs that aren't singles. Until OFBCOTS OK Go was a label bound band. A band has to have songs that could be singles. Because if they spend a lot of cash to do stuff, they need to earn it back, it's their living – HELLO, business here! What is wrong with that right? But no. THEIR SONGS ARE NOT FORMULAIC. WTF, this is the exact opposite of what I think from OK Go! Really? OK GO OUT OF ALL BANDS?
HOW THE FUCK are the lyrics stupid? He seriously hasn't heard anything besides the 1st record. Which got me confused because the videos he mentions are HIGA and TTSP. So I was like 'you've heard them all the way through, so that means you've heard the other records then, so...?"
The metaphor he used about the guy in the polo shirt in a party that's just irritating. That would be exactly the opposite! Oh, I see. He really got OK Go now. Yeah. Because Blink182 and Fall Out Boy are SO profound and lyrical!
(Gosh, comparing OK Go with Blink 182 with the analysis he made just broke all of his argument. Blink182 is awesome when you are really young and all but come on, they wrote about how girls sucked and how much they liked their dog and things like that. Yeah. You're So Damn Hot is such a bad song)
Okay. Some of you have already said 'Consider this is just about the first album' and that 'he clearly hasn't heard the other records' but I cannot just nevermind the fact that generalization makes me very angry. I usually hear something before I say it's NO GOOD AT ALL. I didn't like LCD Soundsytem based on the songs I heard, and I told my friend that I didn't like them, didn't see all the fuss about it BUT I NEVER SAID that they were no good. Just that I didn't like it. So she said 'you should listen to their album from before' and I actually enjoyed it.
I hate when people are so judgemental of a band they don't actually really know.
That is all.
I'm sorry. If you aren't okay with me posting this here and think I'm crazy, I'll understand. Hahaha
#CRAZYCRAZY
It seems like the OK Go hate is piling up here. What's that all about? OK Go is a fucking awesome band with fucking awesome music even better than their fucking awesome videos, which is saying something. There should be no reason to write a whole article about how bad they are, when you even know yourself that they're probably not. And to write it so with such anger and mean-ness? I mean, I respect your opinions and I'll take it like a man, but there's no need to put it down so rudely.
Oh, and seems like I have to change the 2-3 to 3-4. My three closest friends and I all love OK Go to death, but another friend of ours hates OK Go with all his heart. One of the friends kept saying random song lyrics to him, and he just randomly burst out with anger saying, and I quote, "OK Go is just a heroin-addicted boy band on steroids! They have no rhythm and no beat." (In caps lock, I toned it down.)
That hurt. That really hurt. I know he's wrong, because they're songs definitely have rhythm; it's as clear as the sun during the day. Has he not listened to Get Over It, or really ANY song by OK Go? And, as far as I know, none of the boys have ever really taken drugs, and I've never seen them do it. Maybe he's meaning it metaphorically, but besides WTF? I don't see anything that relates to drugs in their songs or their videos, or I'm missing something big. (Either that or I just can't think of anything else right now.)
Anyway, the whole point is that people can try to be a little nicer when saying things about something someone else loves. You don't have to practically scream the hatred in their faces, because it's rude and hurts a lot of feelings. It's awesome that you have opinions, but it's not like you have to say them like this, and in caps lock.
But okay, I must learn to deal with that better, I would've deleted the post if you hadn't replied because I really don't want to sound like I don't accept his opinion. I just think that before doing what he did he could've researched more. Because ONE thing is saying 'I really don't like this band, it doesn't suit me' and other is saying 'they completely suck and they are this and this and that' without even really knowing about it.
I think it's because I have a problem with things like that constantly that it got me really mad.
Now I've come to think about it, like Becky advised me, I shouldn't give him too much attention. It was the heat of the moment. My bad - will try not to do it again...
(anyways, this person is completely irrelevant, so... why bother? I did because I was bored, sorry y'all had to read that)
This was the kind of non-believers I was talking about. I can totally imagine my family saying all those words. Maybe a little less violent, but around there. He sounds like a typical non-believer. Only listens to the hits and watches only for the videos. I want to fix a couple things he said though..
"They’re sort of a Weezer also-ran, a group of preppy, self-important guys who apparently put a lot of thought into their presentation as the witty scions of exceedingly mild rebellion." The last things these guys are is self-important. Putting a lot of thought into things means you're taking the extra time to make it good and be proud of it. What are they rebelling against exactly? That statement makes no sense.
"Their lyrics are, at their worst, treacly and overblown, and, at their best, stupid." Does he understand what Return is about? Or listened to Skyscrapers? The House Wins? In the Glass? I don't think so.
"Long story short, OK Go are irritating to the point that it would be gauche even to like them ironically." Speechless.
"...as soon as they try to be anything deeper, as on more or less every song after the first three songs on the album, they begin to try your patience." Oh, I'm sorry, writing a couple songs to pay the rent is unacceptable? Judging OK Go by their 1st album is like judging a butterfly by how it looked as a caterpillar.
The whole "Facebook guy in a polo" analogy is stupid. 1) He hasn't heard of Hurricane Kulash, 2) He thinks they're boring, all the while he just wouldn't be able to strike a good conversation between them, for example, "Damian Kulash Explains Russian Sadness", and 3) He rather go listen to the flashier/meaningless/hate music.
"They do come across as a little shallow, and you just get get over it." Shallow? Did he just say "shallow"? These are some of the sweetest gentlemen on earth, and then.... AH!
Please excuse the rant. I just needed to let it all out. At the end of the day, we know much more then they do. I won't be holding a grudge against the guy. He's prejudiced. We can't control what he says. Accept it and move on. Just keep that in mind if anything else comes up like this.
Besides, I think the point of my previous post 'had' to be said... at least somewhere on the internet. It just irks me when people don't at least put it as 'strongly dislike with all my heart', because even that's better than claiming things that OK Go is really not.
Well I hope we can all just leave him hanging out there all alone.......