Quote: "You can't expect everyone to like things you hold dear. I know you don't like Steve Vai, but far be it from me to think any less or treat you any worse because of it."
That's just it, though... I don't like his music, but I respect him as a talented musician. The way people were carrying on, I felt like no one respected him or gave a crap that he even existed, and that's troubling. More troubling is the fact that I've taken this question, do you know who Richard Pryor is, onto the street, asking some of my 22-year old sister's friends, their siblings, and a few of my younger co-workers, if they knew who he was. NONE OF THEM KNEW, with the exception of two people who'd heard the name, and three in the same family who knew who he was and didn't think he was funny or inspiring in any way. And the same goes for here, too... no one on here around that age thinks he's funny. Compare that with someone whose even a little bit older and remembers his movies... most of the people my age think he's hilarious, and that goes for just about everyone up to my parents' age that I've ever met or talked to in my entire life. And yes, I was born in the 1970's... in late December of 1979. I wasn't really exposed to Pryor until the later 1980's, although I'd seen a handful of his movies before then, the ones that weren't too rough. So it's not like Pryor was a household name for my generation... we adopted him and fell in love. In my highschool of over 4000 students, he was extremely well-known and beloved. I don't think I'd ever met anyone, or talked to anyone, ever in my life, who didn't know who Richard Pryor was and couldn't name a few of his movies until a "Megaton" bomb was dropped on me in this thread (sorry for the cheasy pun Megaton). Understand why this is bothering me so much? I'm seriously disturbed by this... not one of you in that age-range like his stuff? None of you? Well, I'm sure SOME of you must, but none that I've met... it's like people over 70 who love heavy metal... a very, very, very small percentage. Fact is, Richard Pryor's career was far too recent to be forgotten about already. It's not like he was vaudevilling and dancing the Charleston back in the 1920's... the guy's career exploded just a few decades ago. Does anyone understand where I'm coming from on this?!?
Quote: "the way you talk about people who don't share your views IS offensive, and thats why people think about you the way they do. Go ahead and blame it on living in New York again, but you'd only be hiding a comfort you've taken attachment to and wont change for anything. For once, don't blame it on the city when it's a fault of yours."
I know that I bother a lot of people... it's been discussed before. I'm over the top, explosive, extremely liberal, I love NY too much, I love Radiohead too much, all of that... but those people need to chill out. Seriously, with all of the terrible things going on in the world, to be offended or bothered by the things *I* say? It's kinda rediculous. You'll notice the people I'm friendlier with, like you, Jeku (even though we argue like cats and dogs), and Megaton, don't take things that seriously
Well, there's others, but I don't feel like naming everyone and making them feel sentimental, lol. Point is, life's too short
Spend that energy fighting gas prices or the genocide in the Sudan
And I wasn't "hiding" behind NY... I don't think I ever use NY as an "excuse." I said:
Quote: "I live in New York, those are terms of endearment here Not really, but you'll commonly hear people calling you things like that while saying hello or goodbye and they aren't meant as insults... it's just dialogue."
That wasn't an excuse for anything other than my not giving a Thomas Crapper when someone calls me a "bad" word, because you hear worse stuff than that every day here (even in Binghamton)... I'm not easily offended. You'd have to call my mom the n-word, call my girlfriend the c-word (the bad one for an asian), do #2 on my front lawn, and insult Radiohead, NY, and everything else I love in the same sentence, and say that sentence to my face three times fast. Well, no, then you'd catch a whoopin
lol jk
Quote: "Matt: I'm sorry, I didn't MEAN to say he wasn't funny, I meant I didn't think he was funny. I respect him for breaking the barriers also; I just didn't know he did that at first. Also, I realize in retrospect that my reaction is probably because I had heard the people he inspired, and then hearing/seeing him and thinking "How Cliche.""
That's how I thought everyone was putting it across, and that's why I exploded... even though I'm not a fan of Steve Vai, I'd do the same if someone said he sucked and/ or wasn't talented... he's one of the best guitarists of the 1980s/ 1990s, but I just don't really like that sort of music.
"In an interstellar burst, I'm back to save the universe"
