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“Tripping Billies” – Dave Matthews Band
(Words/music: Dave Matthews, available on Crash, RCA Records 1996)

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Into the Wild, and near the end author Jon Krakauer raises an interesting question.  He wonders why Chris McCandless’s fatal journey in the Alaskan wilderness upset so many people.  After writing an article about McCandless in an issue of Outdoor magazine, Krakauer received an influx of letters, many calling McCandless foolish for taking on such a journey.  While many made valid points (specifically that McCandless was underprepared for his endeavor), Krakauer wonders why these people – including experienced adventurers, native Alaskans, and pure amateurs – became so upset with his story.  The easy answer suggests that it’s the same thing that intrigued so many people (Krakauer included), but that’s not what this post is about.  This notion of becoming hypercritical of others’ choices when they have little to no bearing on our own lives struck a chord with me, prompting me to rephrase his question:

I wonder why many people, myself included, get upset about the musical decisions others make.

I used to be much worse about this when I was younger;  I would get incredibly upset when friends of mine, even friends who I knew had different taste, liked (or worse, proclaimed love for) something that I deemed “awful.”  Now, I try to take the stance that if someone gets enjoyment out of something and it doesn’t harm others, then who am I to deride them (sometimes known as the Sheryl Crow Corollary)? Maybe it’s the impetuousness of youth or the dire need to define myself as distinct from them (i.e. “hating the same things” as a common interest), but I think that many of us are hard wired to make these kind of value judgments.

There are plenty of different possible explanations – wanting to introduce friends to new music, caring far too much about pop culture, trying to share common ground with a friend, etc – and I started to list a few as bullet points before realizing that the list is unique to each of us (and sometimes, each situation).  We’ve all had moments where we get upset with a preference – whether it’s a friend’s CD collection, an award “snub,” or a trip across the FM dial – and by taking a step back, it seems kind of silly.  Maybe I’ve lost some of my youthful vitriol, but I look back at some of my younger, angrier moments (some of which, no doubt, are archived on blogs I’ve forgotten about) and feel foolish.

So, in the spirit of coming clean, we come to the Dave Matthews Band.  This is a band that, to put it politely, I have mixed feelings about.  First, I think there are a handful of excellent, fun songs in Mr. Matthews’ catalog, with “Tripping Billies” near the top.  I also can’t stand the Dave Matthews Band mostly due to experiences with some particularly awful “fans.” For every fan that earnestly loves these songs and lives for their concerts, I knew ten people who saw DMB shows as an excuse to get trashed in a parking lot (sounds like a good time, eh?).  Combine these punters with my general apathy towards most of the band’s catalog, and I began to actively hate the Dave Matthews Band every time I heard it playing from a car radio.  Thus, it became convenient shorthand to gauge a new college acquaintance based on his or her feelings about this ubiquitous college band – it was more fun to bond with the people who hated the Dave Matthews Band than to listen to another vapid classmate talk about how deep “Crash Into Me” was.

So, today I wish to apologize by paying this song its due.  It’s not fair to judge a band by its fans – there are plenty of assholes who like a lot of the same bands I like, they’re just easier to ignore because there aren’t as many of them.  I’ve been out of college long enough to start enjoying these songs again, and a lot of them are fun and catchy and impeccably performed (the drummer in me tips my hat to Carter Beauford every time).  Listening to it now that I don’t hear it eminating from dorm rooms every couple of hours, I can marvel at the tight arrangement and the goofy way Matthews sings.  Even if I don’t understand the hyperfandom I encountered from so many, I understand why this band makes people happy, and that’s good enough for me.  Perhaps I’m misanthropic, but if I could see the Dave Matthews Band in a near empty room, I’d probably have a great time.

More on Dave Matthews Band: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm