Gather around kids...it's rant time!
Change is always going to happen.
This is as true for a band's music as it is for anything else.
When that happens, the fans are always split into 3 groups (There are more of course, but these are the ones that stand out).
1) The Old Fans, that hate the new stuff: They have been with the band for years, always bought everything they released, and stayed by them when the band was still struggling. They loved the old music, and swear by its greatness. The band's changed sound isn't hittin' it with them, and they get disappointed because they trusted the band to continue their awesome music. Most will stay with the band threw a few more releases, hoping it was just a phase. A few drop immediately, totally writing off the chance that it was just an experimental release...but they were fickle and I wont talk about them again. A number of them look down at the new fans, saying they only like the band now because they became "cool to like".
2) The New Fans, that never heard of the band until their new sound got them on the radio/on MTV/in Hot Topic/etc.: They may not have heard of the band until just last week, BUT GOD BE WITH YOU IF YOU QUESTION THEIR EXPERTISE ON THE SUBJECT! (Note: they don't all do that, but it was this type that helped spark this post, so please tolerate my moment of immaturity.) A number of this group call the old fans "elitist" and often say that if they were real fans, they wouldn't stop liking a band because they changed the kind of music they did.
3) The Old Fans, that are totally cool with the new sound: Poor people. I always feel sorry for this group (doesn't matter if I'm with or not...it's just a sucky place on the spectrum to be.) Basically the middle ground, that likes the band's old sound as well as the new. They have to deal with rants on both ends. I sometimes don't know how they can stay in the fandom without giving a daily smackdown on the first two groups.
Now. This is all hunky-dory. People can have their own opinions on weather the band sold out, are trying new stuff, evolving, or have gone tone deaf. But some of the fights get really bloody REDICULOUS.
Seriously. I spent 30 minutes going through Dir en grey videos on You Tube. 90% of the videos have flame wars going on them. Any new videos have comments like (please enjoy the direct quotes from the comments :D) "God this sucks. Diru's gone to Hell." (which is followed by a "go listen to your old visual shit then") or "This kicks the ass off of old Dir en gray" (which is followed by "Well then Im glad I listened to Dir en Grey and not Gray, because this is fucking terrible")
Any old videos will inevitably have an Old fan saying "Wow, I really miss these days.", followed by some snarky remark about how they were just using the VisKei scene to gain popularity so they could do the music they really like (e.g.: what they are doing now). There will also be a New Fan saying how glad they are that Diru moved on from the pop and became "hardcore".
Now, for the comment that sparked this whole post (user names removed to protect people; posted on a Gauze era (old) PV):
User 01: wow..I never get tired of the old Diru. i wish they were still like this.
User 02: There new stuff kicks ass its much better than this old overpolished pop shit. why dont you just go die and leav Dir En Grey alone?!?
Um...excuse me? There are 3 main things wrong with their statement (grammar and spelling aside):
-Did they really tell the first person to die because they stated their opinion? I promise, the band really doesn't care that much, so neither should you. The level of immaturity a person has to process to really tell someone to DIE because they don't agree with them is astonishing.
-How, pray tell, is their old stuff "over polished" in comparison to their new stuff? Is it even POSSIBLE to be more polished as a self-produced indie band that's just started off than as a band under a major label that's been going for 10 years? Just because the vocalist isn't screaming doesn't mean they don't have any emotion behind their music.
-If this is "pop shit", then I am Paris Hilton:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9amt7EF44s
(-ZAN- live on Music Station; -ZAN- is off Gauze)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXpfOjLZE68
(MASK live at Osaka-jo Hall; MASK also from Gauze)
This one includes another "go and die" comment for your enjoyment.
However, it IS different than their most recent video, Tortured Screams of Maggots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrxKHt8imZQ
SO! We can agree that Dir en grey has changed. But, that doesn't make old OR new Diru better. People have OPINIONS and they are entitled to them. New Diru personally makes me a little ill, but I still cheered when they won the MTV music video award. I may think people are nuts for thinking SAKU owns Cage, or Withering to Death owns MACREBRE, but I don't tell people to go slit their wrists.
This holds true for ALL BANDS. So please, lets try to remember that people have opinions...and that's always going to be how it is. Even if you disagree on when a band's "best era" was, you can still have good conversations. I mean really, there are so many REAL problems in this world with REAL people you could be against...don't put your energy into flamming the hell out of someone with different music tastes!
Just because a person likes what's new doesn't mean they only like it because it's cool.
Just because a person likes what's old doesn't make them elitist or snobby.
Comments?
[This has been a public announcement by Sara (pink_spider11), with links posted various places. Flames are fine, but please know you will only be proving my point. Also, please link to this post if you think I have a point/you agree. And please add your own comments. I would like to end this petty fighting the best that I can. Also please note that this was dripping with steriotypes that I know don't hold true for EVERYONE. Please realize that in order to get my point across, I needed to use the extreams as examples.]
This is as true for a band's music as it is for anything else.
When that happens, the fans are always split into 3 groups (There are more of course, but these are the ones that stand out).
1) The Old Fans, that hate the new stuff: They have been with the band for years, always bought everything they released, and stayed by them when the band was still struggling. They loved the old music, and swear by its greatness. The band's changed sound isn't hittin' it with them, and they get disappointed because they trusted the band to continue their awesome music. Most will stay with the band threw a few more releases, hoping it was just a phase. A few drop immediately, totally writing off the chance that it was just an experimental release...but they were fickle and I wont talk about them again. A number of them look down at the new fans, saying they only like the band now because they became "cool to like".
2) The New Fans, that never heard of the band until their new sound got them on the radio/on MTV/in Hot Topic/etc.: They may not have heard of the band until just last week, BUT GOD BE WITH YOU IF YOU QUESTION THEIR EXPERTISE ON THE SUBJECT! (Note: they don't all do that, but it was this type that helped spark this post, so please tolerate my moment of immaturity.) A number of this group call the old fans "elitist" and often say that if they were real fans, they wouldn't stop liking a band because they changed the kind of music they did.
3) The Old Fans, that are totally cool with the new sound: Poor people. I always feel sorry for this group (doesn't matter if I'm with or not...it's just a sucky place on the spectrum to be.) Basically the middle ground, that likes the band's old sound as well as the new. They have to deal with rants on both ends. I sometimes don't know how they can stay in the fandom without giving a daily smackdown on the first two groups.
Now. This is all hunky-dory. People can have their own opinions on weather the band sold out, are trying new stuff, evolving, or have gone tone deaf. But some of the fights get really bloody REDICULOUS.
Seriously. I spent 30 minutes going through Dir en grey videos on You Tube. 90% of the videos have flame wars going on them. Any new videos have comments like (please enjoy the direct quotes from the comments :D) "God this sucks. Diru's gone to Hell." (which is followed by a "go listen to your old visual shit then") or "This kicks the ass off of old Dir en gray" (which is followed by "Well then Im glad I listened to Dir en Grey and not Gray, because this is fucking terrible")
Any old videos will inevitably have an Old fan saying "Wow, I really miss these days.", followed by some snarky remark about how they were just using the VisKei scene to gain popularity so they could do the music they really like (e.g.: what they are doing now). There will also be a New Fan saying how glad they are that Diru moved on from the pop and became "hardcore".
Now, for the comment that sparked this whole post (user names removed to protect people; posted on a Gauze era (old) PV):
User 01: wow..I never get tired of the old Diru. i wish they were still like this.
User 02: There new stuff kicks ass its much better than this old overpolished pop shit. why dont you just go die and leav Dir En Grey alone?!?
Um...excuse me? There are 3 main things wrong with their statement (grammar and spelling aside):
-Did they really tell the first person to die because they stated their opinion? I promise, the band really doesn't care that much, so neither should you. The level of immaturity a person has to process to really tell someone to DIE because they don't agree with them is astonishing.
-How, pray tell, is their old stuff "over polished" in comparison to their new stuff? Is it even POSSIBLE to be more polished as a self-produced indie band that's just started off than as a band under a major label that's been going for 10 years? Just because the vocalist isn't screaming doesn't mean they don't have any emotion behind their music.
-If this is "pop shit", then I am Paris Hilton:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9amt7EF44s
(-ZAN- live on Music Station; -ZAN- is off Gauze)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXpfOjLZE68
(MASK live at Osaka-jo Hall; MASK also from Gauze)
This one includes another "go and die" comment for your enjoyment.
However, it IS different than their most recent video, Tortured Screams of Maggots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrxKHt8imZQ
SO! We can agree that Dir en grey has changed. But, that doesn't make old OR new Diru better. People have OPINIONS and they are entitled to them. New Diru personally makes me a little ill, but I still cheered when they won the MTV music video award. I may think people are nuts for thinking SAKU owns Cage, or Withering to Death owns MACREBRE, but I don't tell people to go slit their wrists.
This holds true for ALL BANDS. So please, lets try to remember that people have opinions...and that's always going to be how it is. Even if you disagree on when a band's "best era" was, you can still have good conversations. I mean really, there are so many REAL problems in this world with REAL people you could be against...don't put your energy into flamming the hell out of someone with different music tastes!
Just because a person likes what's new doesn't mean they only like it because it's cool.
Just because a person likes what's old doesn't make them elitist or snobby.
Comments?
[This has been a public announcement by Sara (pink_spider11), with links posted various places. Flames are fine, but please know you will only be proving my point. Also, please link to this post if you think I have a point/you agree. And please add your own comments. I would like to end this petty fighting the best that I can. Also please note that this was dripping with steriotypes that I know don't hold true for EVERYONE. Please realize that in order to get my point across, I needed to use the extreams as examples.]