Sinister: your knowledge is needed.

[Tamra Ann Thomas]

so, i did something stupid. i wrote what i thought to be a sarcastic and humorous message to a boy on friendster that has a vendetta against "emo" music. i made a very very poor argument that belle and sebastian are a "emo-isk" band, and therefore liking them, he had emo in his blood, and was just in denial about it. so, i started a war. he wrote me a very long, and what i found to be humorous retort to my message. i am sure that he wanted to make me cry with they way he was choosing his words, but it just made me laugh. so, it now comes to the point of this post. i have three questions for you (one of which is more of a proposal). question one. what french movie that came out in 1975 did some of the lyrics from "the state i am in" come from and or were inspired by? if i am dumb because i do not know this, so be it. i am dumb. i jokingly used the line "i was happy for a day in 1975" to prove that b&s was "emo." emphasis on jokingly. oh dear. he quickly trashed my status as a!
  fan of b&s because i did not know this fact. 

question two.

what is your definition of emo, twee, and or any other hip music category that you might be able to help me define. all i know is weezer is emo, b&s is twee, and modest mouse is indie. what is used to define these placements, and is there a hierarchy? 

question three, or more correctly stated, a proposal.

i propose that labeling bands into different subgroups might be a good idea for making it easier to make yourself feel as though you are part of a larger community, but here does it go bad? this message that the gentlemen sent me sparked a inner debate with me that either you find inherently interesting, or plainly boring and with obvious answers. either way, i want to know what you think. this man really hates this genre of music, and i am finding myself question what defines this genre, is his annoyance justified, and more importantly, why is this important? if we spent a lot of time labeling the bands we like into different categories, don't we lose sight on something that is supposed to be the reason we like music in the first place? when i was growing up and first started to listen to nirvana (my first "rock band," i did grow up in seattle after all), i instinctively denounced all my prior hip-hop albums. i did not listen to it for years. why would i want to listen to t!
 his horrible mainstream media fed, brainwashing music about sex, drugs, and more sex? that is where i think i lost sight on the reason why we listen to music. some hip-hop is fun. some of it is really good. a lot of it is really bad, but if you take the time to listen, you can make your whole music experience so much more fulfilled. there is even good country music which if i heard myself say that six years ago, i would have jumped off a bridge in shame. maybe by dismissing the "emo" scene, this man is missing out on what could be his favorite band ever. oh well, his loss. i just have a hard time lumping a whole scene into one category and denouncing it. 

if i understand what emo is then what makes a band emo? 

every "emo" kid i know likes b&s, for that matter, they like joy division too. i am not saying that joy division is emo, ian curtis r.i.p., but if enough people for a sub group of a larger culture like a band, is that enough to revamp their status as possibly emo-isk (and or any other scene you would like to insert here), and thus a integral part of that sub group, alas making them the shamed emo? help help help. i know that this is ramble-ly, and i apologize, i just want to see what you think, and i did not have enough time to write an essay on why i think the labeling of music is a shameful practice, yet one that is addictive and helpful at the same time. maybe after you respond i will. 

oh and mr. tony, the esteemed b&s fan on friendster who this poorly worded and overly philosophical (or underly as some might view it) post is about is on this list, please respond. i would love to hear your remarks.

tammy.
there is no silver lining on a mushroom cloud-ny times

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