Mr. Music Industry Suit
Like a lot of people, my day job involves working alongside people wearing suits. Hey, it's OK. It's what it is. I find that sort of apparel unnecessary for most occasions, but I also don't have ambitions to be a corporate exec, either.
Still, I need to gripe about Mr. Suit. In particular, Mr. Music Industry Suit. At the Dinosaur Jr. show at Music Hall of Williamsburg this past Thursday, I got in a conversation with Mr. Music Industry Suit and his sidekick. Or maybe Mr. Music Industry Suit was the sidekick, not sure.
Of course, like all douchebags at a show, they felt compelled to drop names of other bands they've seen, perhaps to impress me and a friend, or perhaps to impress one another - or perhaps both. Anyway, Mr. Music Industry Suit's approach to the conversation really got under my skin. Rather than express a genuine appreciation for the music, he talked about it as though it were the subject of an anthropological study.
"Oh, yeah, and what was that other band from D.C.? The black guys?"
"Bad Brains."
"Right....Ya know, Mascis [pronounced Massis] is really one of the best alternative guitah playahrs around."
[Eyes widen...Alternative guitar? First off, I didn't know it was 1993. Second, since when is a guy playing fuzzed out Fender "alternative?" Does that term have any meaning outside the world of shitty clear channel rock 'n' roll categorization anyway?]
"This one time I went there to see that band Galaxy 500. Remember them?"
He also mentioned The Minutemen and the Daniel Johnston documentary, must-haves on anyone's "trying to prove I'm cool even though I'm wearing this suit" list.
But name-dropping is not the same as appreciating. Being there does not necessitate appreciation.
So, screw you Mr. Music Industry Suit, Mr. I read Pitchfork so I have something to talk about with the hot 22-year-old digital marketing newbie in my office...dick.
Now that that's off my chest, the Dinosaur show was great and loud and overly-distorted and I was grinning ear-to-ear the whole time. Plus, Lou Barlow sang two tunes which totally made my night.
Now, time to listen to the Turk's cover Mr. Suit for the umpteenth time.
Still, I need to gripe about Mr. Suit. In particular, Mr. Music Industry Suit. At the Dinosaur Jr. show at Music Hall of Williamsburg this past Thursday, I got in a conversation with Mr. Music Industry Suit and his sidekick. Or maybe Mr. Music Industry Suit was the sidekick, not sure.
Of course, like all douchebags at a show, they felt compelled to drop names of other bands they've seen, perhaps to impress me and a friend, or perhaps to impress one another - or perhaps both. Anyway, Mr. Music Industry Suit's approach to the conversation really got under my skin. Rather than express a genuine appreciation for the music, he talked about it as though it were the subject of an anthropological study.
"Oh, yeah, and what was that other band from D.C.? The black guys?"
"Bad Brains."
"Right....Ya know, Mascis [pronounced Massis] is really one of the best alternative guitah playahrs around."
[Eyes widen...Alternative guitar? First off, I didn't know it was 1993. Second, since when is a guy playing fuzzed out Fender "alternative?" Does that term have any meaning outside the world of shitty clear channel rock 'n' roll categorization anyway?]
"This one time I went there to see that band Galaxy 500. Remember them?"
He also mentioned The Minutemen and the Daniel Johnston documentary, must-haves on anyone's "trying to prove I'm cool even though I'm wearing this suit" list.
But name-dropping is not the same as appreciating. Being there does not necessitate appreciation.
So, screw you Mr. Music Industry Suit, Mr. I read Pitchfork so I have something to talk about with the hot 22-year-old digital marketing newbie in my office...dick.
Now that that's off my chest, the Dinosaur show was great and loud and overly-distorted and I was grinning ear-to-ear the whole time. Plus, Lou Barlow sang two tunes which totally made my night.
Now, time to listen to the Turk's cover Mr. Suit for the umpteenth time.
posted by Connie Sewer at 8:13 AM
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