Trends we admire, Trends we dispise

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

The big problem is, where do you draw a line? When does a band, or style of music, cross the line from "rebel" into "mediocrity"? It's not about how many records you sell - plenty of breakthrough music has made money and become wildly popular. The only measurement that I can see is one's own subjective tastes.

Back in the mid-80's, I was managing the radio station at Fullerton College. Of course, I read the CMJ (College Music Journal), which, back then, was photo-copied and stapled in the upper right-hand corner. This was back when REM first signed a major label contract. REM had been a major staple on college radio at the time. Yet, for some reason, as soon as they signed the contract, their music suddenly sucked and they were considered evil. I got involved in a letter-writing debate on this topic (this was before Al Gore invented the internet) that raged on for months.