Not Guilty

As I piloted Stevie, my trusty Volvo, up the Double Nickel late Saturday night, the Kelly Clarkson song "Since You've Been Gone" came on the radio.

I didn't change it. I rocked out to it. And reflexively checked the lanes around me to see if anyone had caught me rocking out to a sacchrine piece of crap. Relieved that the other late night drivers were seemingly busy talking on their phones, lighting their joints and doing any number of things other than actually driving, I set my mind to contemplating the idea of the "guilty pleasure."

Why did I feel guilty for enjoying Kelly Clarkson? Why do I feel ashamed for liking "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly? What about "Yeah" by Usher? What about Hanson, TLC, and Green Day? Why do I feel so guilty?

Other than my Jewish heritage I mean.

The whole idea of the "guilty pleasure" is so strange when you think about it, especially with respect to music. Why shouldn't I like pop music? Why should I feel like it's "uncool" to like a song or a band?

It boils down to having this sense that others might judge your taste as inferior because you happen to like something that is... unsophisticated or without merit. As defined by... the media? The general public?

Dunno. But the fact is, I know I can listen to music in more varied and sophisticated ways than most people, music critics included. I can listen as a fan, I can listen as a musician, I can listen (somewhat) from a technical standpoint, and I can listen from a business standpoint. 

So fuck the Kelly Clarkson-haters. I'm going to listen to whatever I want to listen to for whatever reasons I want to listen to it.

So there.

Just don't tell anyone I'm Jewish.

jbg