Post by Jesse on May 4, 2019 7:43:21 GMT -5
I haven't seen a whole lot about Greta Van Fleet lately on facebook. Maybe their star is beginning to fade or maybe everyone has just settled down, gone back to their corners and let any controversy be. Shame, I had just finished writing this little observation and was waiting for another round of bullshit over Greta Van Fleet's worthiness (or rather, lack thereof) to surface. Maybe this will stir the pot 
Why Do People HATE Greta Van Fleet?
There are a lot of artists out there who I just don't get the appeal of. People will rave about how great they are and I just sit there listening to their music with a dumb look on my face thinking "I don't get it". Greta Van Fleet is one band who I hear people bitching about incessantly and I keep listening to them with a dumb look on my face thinking "I don't get the hate".
Now, look, there are plenty of artists that I hate as well, but I tend to ignore those artists, don't write nasty comments on their youtube videos, don't trash them on facebook and don't trash their fans. And I'm sure that there are plenty of people who don't like Greta Van Fleet who also refrain from those activities. This rant is NOT against those people. Musical tastes are needfully diverse and we all have our own unique sets of likes and dislikes musically speaking. I'm not looking to win Greta Van Fleet any new fans. Truth be told: I'm not completely sold on them myself. As I've been listening to them trying to figure out why so many people, so many otherwise musically knowledgable people, have such a visceral hate toward them, I can understand one not liking Greta Van Fleet. The singer IS a bit on the annoying side. I said when I first heard them and I still stand by the observation that their singer (I don't even care about them enough to know his name) has perfected singing in the style of Robert Plant at his most annoying, but never Plant at his best. So, I can get not liking them for that reason. I also get the idea that they sound, at least on some songs, a little too much like Led Zeppelin. In and of itself, that can be annoying as well and perhaps a turn off. Also, believe it or not, some folks never liked Led Zeppelin to begin with, so they certainly aren't going to go for a band who sounds like Led Zeppelin. I don't listen to the radio, but if Greta Van Fleet is being overplayed, I can see that as a reason to not like them too.
So, while I can understand one not liking the band, I still end up scratching my head wondering why the HATE? I mean, don't listen to them. They come on the radio, change the station. Ignore their youtube videos. An article on them comes across your facebook timeline, shake you head and scroll on. Right? Well, for many people, that's wrong. And though these haters will give reasons for their hatred of Greta Van Fleet, I don't think any of the complaints about them make any sense to justify this level of hatred.
Reason 1: They sound like Led Zeppelin. True, can't run from that one, but..... is this really a BAD thing? I mean, if an artist is going to copy another band, it might as well be the best. I thought we liked Led Zeppelin. To one extent or another, most bands sound like SOMEONE else anyhow. Do they sound TOO MUCH like Led Zeppelin? There's an argument there as well, but not enough to justify the level of pure hatred that I've seen for this band.
Reason 2: They aren't original. Maybe this is more 1a, but the argument goes that because they sound like Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet is not original and until they find their own sound, these people will say that they suck. First of all, are we seriously going to pretend that there hasn't been a certain sameness to popular music of the last 20-25 years? I dunno, when everything is sounding similar anymore, to hear a song that sounds like mid-period Led Zeppelin on Modern Rock radio, well, that's kinda refreshing to my ears and, dare I say: "original". One of those things where it's so old that it's new again.
Reason 3: Vocals are annoying. Yes, they are. That's what struck me when I first heard them and that is why I am still reluctant to purchase any of their music. BUT, are the vocals for Greta Van Fleet really that much more annoying than those of, say Axl Rose? Brian Johnson? Vince Neil? I don't see them being any worse (or better for that matter) than some of these other Classic rock bands whom many of the Greta Van Fleet-haters have embraced in the past. Some of the haters dig Death Metal bands with those throaty, Cookie Monster vocals that I can't stand. Some of the same people who told me that you just have to ignore the vocals and enjoy the music with those type of bands, tell me that they can't stand Greta Van Fleet because of the vocals.
Reason 4: They are playing "dress-up". Can't really argue with this one either. They do look ridiculous in some of their videos. But, again, they are a throwback band. David Bowie, Elton John, Sweet, they all dressed weird back in the day. That was their "look". These kids in Greta Van Fleet are doing the same thing. Again, it's so old, it's new again. Yeah, it's goofy, but at least they are dressing the part now. For a good 25 years one really couldn't tell the musicians in the band from the roadies from the audience at many concerts. I like it. You're a musician, a "rock star", let your freak flag fly.
So, this brings me to why I think people REALLY hate Greta Van Fleet. I have several theories as to why certain people have a nasty hatred toward Greta Van Fleet. I doubt any of the haters would admit to any of my theories. Possibly from pride, but more likely it's a subconscious thing. Again, it bears repeating that I don't believe anyone HAS to like this band and these theories are NOT directed at those who simply find them to be "not their cup of tea". This is for the folks who HATE Greta Van Fleet and never seem to pass up a chance to trash the band and/or their fans. Here we go:
Real Reason 1: The music industry has brain-washed them. Ok, over-simplified and an unnecessary insult, but I didn't know how else to word a single sentence summary. Basically, my theory is that after 20 (nearly 25) years of the music industry pushing certain styles of music, anything sounding remotely like Classic Rock NOT being one of them, these folks have it in their heads that new music has to sound a certain way. I'm not saying that all hit music of the last 20+ years sounds EXACTLY the same, but there is a certain sameness to much of it. Male vocals sung in the mid to lower baritone register; steady, plodding, mid-tempoed beat; two guitars and bass playing pretty much the same thing; overly compressed and overly distorted guitars; standard chord progressions using power chords and/or understated riffs driving the songs; not a whole lot of guitar solos; not much use of keyboards; really not much use of any instrumentation beyond electric guitar, bass and drums; and the whole song is usually overly compressed and overly filled with noise. And here comes Greta Van Fleet who is mostly the opposite of all that. High tenor male singer; one slightly distorted, non-compressed guitar; bass is playing complementary to the guitar as opposed to the exact same thing; stutterstop drums with riffs that stop, start and go back and forth from licks to chords and back again; guitar solos and hooks; acoustic guitars and (some) keyboards, vocals are often used as an instrument too; non-compressed overall mix with "holes" in the song, empty spaces where the music gets to breathe; all instruments are clearly heard separately. This is just so outside the norm of mainstream radio anymore that I think it upsets the apple cart, so to speak, of those who are perfectly fine with the monolithic presentation of mainstream/modern Rock these days and for the last 20 years. For Greta Van Fleet to get radio play is bad enough, but if they aren't shut down and continue to stay popular, mainstream radio may begin playing other artists similar to Greta Van Fleet. Artists who are better, artists who DON'T sound so much like Led Zeppelin, but will continue several of the trends that Greta Van Fleet brought back to the music world. If you were perfectly happy with what was being pushed by commercial radio and the music media for the last 20+ years, Greta Van Fleet is a threat to that and must be shot down and declared a shit band.
Real Reason 2: This one goes hand in hand with "Real Reason 1", but in a different direction and is more likely the case. With the music industry pushing shit music on us for the last 20 years, our guards are up now that Greta Van Fleet is everywhere. Doesn't even matter how they sound, if it's being pushed by the same music industry that pushed Nickelback on us, we're pushing back and finding reasons to hate them. Going along with this is, perhaps, the idea that we're being played. The music industry pushing a band that checks a few too many of the boxes that classic rock fans normally look for just seems a little suspicious. And no music fan wants to be TOLD what to like. It does seem like we're being told that Greta Van Fleet is a band we're supposed to like, so I kinda get the knee-jerk reaction to therefor NOT like them. Passionately.
Real Reason 3: Ego. I think this is the big one. It's more complicated than simply "ego", but that is the easiest way to sum it all up. There are a lot of folks, whether on the internet or not, who pride themselves on being the smartest person in the room when it comes to music. They love to tell us why a popular band sucks and why a not-so-popular band is awesome. Especially among fans of Classic Rock. For 20 years on the internet, I've seen and read these people in action. When classic rockers don't like most new music, these people will say why this band or that band is worthy and how you're just a stick in the mud and need to get with the times. They also usually have a stack of "bubbling under" artists to recommend to you as well. Often telling us that said band(s) is the "new Classic Rock". I check them out and am more often than not unimpressed, but these folks are the be all/end all of musical knowledge. When a band hits the charts with a retro sound, these folks are usually the first to pan them and will say so loudly and often. I saw this 15 years ago with The Darkness. Another great band with a retro sound...... and an annoying singer. Like Greta Van Fleet, I never thought they were the second coming, but I also never thought they deserved the hate that they got.
Back to my point: there are many music fans out there who deem themselves to be the gatekeepers of all good music. They don't hate Greta Van Fleet because they sound like Led Zeppelin, they hate Greta Van Fleet because they didn't discover them first! They will never admit this, but some that I know personally have recommended music to me that "sounds like" this classic Rock artist or "that" classic Rock artist. I have a hard time believing that these same people really have a problem with Greta Van Fleet's sound. These folks pride themselves on finding great music first and being able to recommend music to friends, family and random strangers on the internet. Greta Van Fleet shows up and the kids dig 'em, classic rock fans dig 'em, all without going through the usual channels for classic Rock fans finding new music. And that is too much for these "smarter than the room" types to handle. Let's face it, if radio and the music industry begins promoting good, classic sounding music again, you are not going to look to your friends or acquaintances on the internet for recommendations as much, maybe not at all . You're not going to look to small music-minded websites or youtube channels for new music anymore. You're not going to look to these "gate keepers" of great new music anymore. And this can NOT be tolerated. So, not only do they trash Greta Van Fleet, but they have to trash anybody who likes them as well. I've noticed that the more that people are digging this band, the more visceral the hate gets from these people who are supposed to know more about music than you and I. There are plenty of bands/artists that I hate, but I have never felt the need to publically trash them and their fanbase the way people are with Greta Van Fleet. I truly feel that a big part of it is ego. With popular music being shit for a good 20 years, these were the people we looked to in order to find good new music and, if Greta Van Fleet's star continues to shine and other melodic, retro-sounding artists take hold on the charts, these people will become irrelevant. And they know it!
That's what I think. Am I wrong?
Why Do People HATE Greta Van Fleet?
There are a lot of artists out there who I just don't get the appeal of. People will rave about how great they are and I just sit there listening to their music with a dumb look on my face thinking "I don't get it". Greta Van Fleet is one band who I hear people bitching about incessantly and I keep listening to them with a dumb look on my face thinking "I don't get the hate".
Now, look, there are plenty of artists that I hate as well, but I tend to ignore those artists, don't write nasty comments on their youtube videos, don't trash them on facebook and don't trash their fans. And I'm sure that there are plenty of people who don't like Greta Van Fleet who also refrain from those activities. This rant is NOT against those people. Musical tastes are needfully diverse and we all have our own unique sets of likes and dislikes musically speaking. I'm not looking to win Greta Van Fleet any new fans. Truth be told: I'm not completely sold on them myself. As I've been listening to them trying to figure out why so many people, so many otherwise musically knowledgable people, have such a visceral hate toward them, I can understand one not liking Greta Van Fleet. The singer IS a bit on the annoying side. I said when I first heard them and I still stand by the observation that their singer (I don't even care about them enough to know his name) has perfected singing in the style of Robert Plant at his most annoying, but never Plant at his best. So, I can get not liking them for that reason. I also get the idea that they sound, at least on some songs, a little too much like Led Zeppelin. In and of itself, that can be annoying as well and perhaps a turn off. Also, believe it or not, some folks never liked Led Zeppelin to begin with, so they certainly aren't going to go for a band who sounds like Led Zeppelin. I don't listen to the radio, but if Greta Van Fleet is being overplayed, I can see that as a reason to not like them too.
So, while I can understand one not liking the band, I still end up scratching my head wondering why the HATE? I mean, don't listen to them. They come on the radio, change the station. Ignore their youtube videos. An article on them comes across your facebook timeline, shake you head and scroll on. Right? Well, for many people, that's wrong. And though these haters will give reasons for their hatred of Greta Van Fleet, I don't think any of the complaints about them make any sense to justify this level of hatred.
Reason 1: They sound like Led Zeppelin. True, can't run from that one, but..... is this really a BAD thing? I mean, if an artist is going to copy another band, it might as well be the best. I thought we liked Led Zeppelin. To one extent or another, most bands sound like SOMEONE else anyhow. Do they sound TOO MUCH like Led Zeppelin? There's an argument there as well, but not enough to justify the level of pure hatred that I've seen for this band.
Reason 2: They aren't original. Maybe this is more 1a, but the argument goes that because they sound like Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet is not original and until they find their own sound, these people will say that they suck. First of all, are we seriously going to pretend that there hasn't been a certain sameness to popular music of the last 20-25 years? I dunno, when everything is sounding similar anymore, to hear a song that sounds like mid-period Led Zeppelin on Modern Rock radio, well, that's kinda refreshing to my ears and, dare I say: "original". One of those things where it's so old that it's new again.
Reason 3: Vocals are annoying. Yes, they are. That's what struck me when I first heard them and that is why I am still reluctant to purchase any of their music. BUT, are the vocals for Greta Van Fleet really that much more annoying than those of, say Axl Rose? Brian Johnson? Vince Neil? I don't see them being any worse (or better for that matter) than some of these other Classic rock bands whom many of the Greta Van Fleet-haters have embraced in the past. Some of the haters dig Death Metal bands with those throaty, Cookie Monster vocals that I can't stand. Some of the same people who told me that you just have to ignore the vocals and enjoy the music with those type of bands, tell me that they can't stand Greta Van Fleet because of the vocals.
Reason 4: They are playing "dress-up". Can't really argue with this one either. They do look ridiculous in some of their videos. But, again, they are a throwback band. David Bowie, Elton John, Sweet, they all dressed weird back in the day. That was their "look". These kids in Greta Van Fleet are doing the same thing. Again, it's so old, it's new again. Yeah, it's goofy, but at least they are dressing the part now. For a good 25 years one really couldn't tell the musicians in the band from the roadies from the audience at many concerts. I like it. You're a musician, a "rock star", let your freak flag fly.
So, this brings me to why I think people REALLY hate Greta Van Fleet. I have several theories as to why certain people have a nasty hatred toward Greta Van Fleet. I doubt any of the haters would admit to any of my theories. Possibly from pride, but more likely it's a subconscious thing. Again, it bears repeating that I don't believe anyone HAS to like this band and these theories are NOT directed at those who simply find them to be "not their cup of tea". This is for the folks who HATE Greta Van Fleet and never seem to pass up a chance to trash the band and/or their fans. Here we go:
Real Reason 1: The music industry has brain-washed them. Ok, over-simplified and an unnecessary insult, but I didn't know how else to word a single sentence summary. Basically, my theory is that after 20 (nearly 25) years of the music industry pushing certain styles of music, anything sounding remotely like Classic Rock NOT being one of them, these folks have it in their heads that new music has to sound a certain way. I'm not saying that all hit music of the last 20+ years sounds EXACTLY the same, but there is a certain sameness to much of it. Male vocals sung in the mid to lower baritone register; steady, plodding, mid-tempoed beat; two guitars and bass playing pretty much the same thing; overly compressed and overly distorted guitars; standard chord progressions using power chords and/or understated riffs driving the songs; not a whole lot of guitar solos; not much use of keyboards; really not much use of any instrumentation beyond electric guitar, bass and drums; and the whole song is usually overly compressed and overly filled with noise. And here comes Greta Van Fleet who is mostly the opposite of all that. High tenor male singer; one slightly distorted, non-compressed guitar; bass is playing complementary to the guitar as opposed to the exact same thing; stutterstop drums with riffs that stop, start and go back and forth from licks to chords and back again; guitar solos and hooks; acoustic guitars and (some) keyboards, vocals are often used as an instrument too; non-compressed overall mix with "holes" in the song, empty spaces where the music gets to breathe; all instruments are clearly heard separately. This is just so outside the norm of mainstream radio anymore that I think it upsets the apple cart, so to speak, of those who are perfectly fine with the monolithic presentation of mainstream/modern Rock these days and for the last 20 years. For Greta Van Fleet to get radio play is bad enough, but if they aren't shut down and continue to stay popular, mainstream radio may begin playing other artists similar to Greta Van Fleet. Artists who are better, artists who DON'T sound so much like Led Zeppelin, but will continue several of the trends that Greta Van Fleet brought back to the music world. If you were perfectly happy with what was being pushed by commercial radio and the music media for the last 20+ years, Greta Van Fleet is a threat to that and must be shot down and declared a shit band.
Real Reason 2: This one goes hand in hand with "Real Reason 1", but in a different direction and is more likely the case. With the music industry pushing shit music on us for the last 20 years, our guards are up now that Greta Van Fleet is everywhere. Doesn't even matter how they sound, if it's being pushed by the same music industry that pushed Nickelback on us, we're pushing back and finding reasons to hate them. Going along with this is, perhaps, the idea that we're being played. The music industry pushing a band that checks a few too many of the boxes that classic rock fans normally look for just seems a little suspicious. And no music fan wants to be TOLD what to like. It does seem like we're being told that Greta Van Fleet is a band we're supposed to like, so I kinda get the knee-jerk reaction to therefor NOT like them. Passionately.
Real Reason 3: Ego. I think this is the big one. It's more complicated than simply "ego", but that is the easiest way to sum it all up. There are a lot of folks, whether on the internet or not, who pride themselves on being the smartest person in the room when it comes to music. They love to tell us why a popular band sucks and why a not-so-popular band is awesome. Especially among fans of Classic Rock. For 20 years on the internet, I've seen and read these people in action. When classic rockers don't like most new music, these people will say why this band or that band is worthy and how you're just a stick in the mud and need to get with the times. They also usually have a stack of "bubbling under" artists to recommend to you as well. Often telling us that said band(s) is the "new Classic Rock". I check them out and am more often than not unimpressed, but these folks are the be all/end all of musical knowledge. When a band hits the charts with a retro sound, these folks are usually the first to pan them and will say so loudly and often. I saw this 15 years ago with The Darkness. Another great band with a retro sound...... and an annoying singer. Like Greta Van Fleet, I never thought they were the second coming, but I also never thought they deserved the hate that they got.
Back to my point: there are many music fans out there who deem themselves to be the gatekeepers of all good music. They don't hate Greta Van Fleet because they sound like Led Zeppelin, they hate Greta Van Fleet because they didn't discover them first! They will never admit this, but some that I know personally have recommended music to me that "sounds like" this classic Rock artist or "that" classic Rock artist. I have a hard time believing that these same people really have a problem with Greta Van Fleet's sound. These folks pride themselves on finding great music first and being able to recommend music to friends, family and random strangers on the internet. Greta Van Fleet shows up and the kids dig 'em, classic rock fans dig 'em, all without going through the usual channels for classic Rock fans finding new music. And that is too much for these "smarter than the room" types to handle. Let's face it, if radio and the music industry begins promoting good, classic sounding music again, you are not going to look to your friends or acquaintances on the internet for recommendations as much, maybe not at all . You're not going to look to small music-minded websites or youtube channels for new music anymore. You're not going to look to these "gate keepers" of great new music anymore. And this can NOT be tolerated. So, not only do they trash Greta Van Fleet, but they have to trash anybody who likes them as well. I've noticed that the more that people are digging this band, the more visceral the hate gets from these people who are supposed to know more about music than you and I. There are plenty of bands/artists that I hate, but I have never felt the need to publically trash them and their fanbase the way people are with Greta Van Fleet. I truly feel that a big part of it is ego. With popular music being shit for a good 20 years, these were the people we looked to in order to find good new music and, if Greta Van Fleet's star continues to shine and other melodic, retro-sounding artists take hold on the charts, these people will become irrelevant. And they know it!
That's what I think. Am I wrong?