And my point is one may recognize the greatness of U2 or the White Stripes without being a big fan of the band(s).

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Don't take it personally.

"Greatness" is subjective. I don't personally think either of those bands are "great" in any sense, except for record sales and financially...

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

To some degree, yes. But all opinions aren't equal. My favorite beer is Miller High Life. I wouldn't make the mistake of telling you it's the greatest.

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Don't take it personally.

But I suspect Bagels does, which is why his opinion is better than yours on the subject.

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Don't take it personally.

Jack White writes songs in his sleep that are better than anything Interpol has ever come up with (lyrically). Jack White is an extremely gifted story teller. I'd say that's the biggest thing that sets the White Stripes apart from most other bands in that genre.

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In a subject that has relative absolutes, all opinions aren't equal, but something like music or beer, they absolutely are. Miller High Life, being your favorite beer, is the greatest beer, as far as you're concerned, right?!?

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

Better to who? Whom?!?

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

Wrong. My knowledge of and experience with malt beverages is not nearly complete enough to make such a statement. I'm simply not sophisticated enough with regard to beer to be able to make such a judgment. My favoite and the greatest are not necessarily the same thing. IMU17's lack of sophistication with regard to rock and roll is what leads him to the incorrect conclusion that Interpol and the White Stripes are equivalent.

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Don't take it personally.

I never understood the Interpol love from a few years ago.

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Taste is not mathematics. Because I'm in a band doesn't mean my opinion of The White Stripes is better than a fifteen year old kid's who loves them and who's never played a lick.

I think stouts are horrible, and if some German Brewmaster council deemed some stout "The Greatest Beer Ever", that doesn't make it universally so...

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

I'm confused Makalu - we're not allowed to say what we like about the White Stripes/Jack White in this discussion without being discredited because it's simply our opinion?

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I would rather listen to all of the bands listed in this thread than read another page of this horseshit.

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Horseshit according to who? You?

Are you sure you mean it? Lenny Kravitz was discussed at length in this thread. Are you a masochist?

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No. Not at all. Of course not.

I'm saying because you don't like something it doesn't mean it sucks...

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

But surely you don't believe that your personal distaste for stouts precludes some of them from greatness, do you?

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Don't take it personally.

Says the Bon Jovi fan.

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Right, but sometimes it does. See Joe Satriani.

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Don't take it personally.

I think you get my point, but are being stubborn.

Of course not. I acknowledge that some people enjoy stouts and think they are great, but I don't think that automatically makes them great because some or even most people have that opinion. To me, it means those people believe stouts are great, not that stouts ARE great...

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

Joe is a great example, because technically speaking, Joe is an amazing musician, but many people don't like that note heavy, instrumental style...

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

I get your point but I don't believe you've really thought it through. I can tell that you're intelligent enough to be able to put your personal preferences aside when judging a subject of which you have great knowledge. It may not be rock and roll or beer though.

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Don't take it personally.

I've certainly never been accused of over-thinking anything... EVER.

To me, universally accepted definitions of "greatness" aren't absolute. You'll never convince me that any Rap music is great... or even good, but there is an acknowledged standard out there of what is "great" in that genre. There is an accepted benchmark for that music that is considered great, but you won't convince me that it's even good.

I can acknowledge talent, popularity, success and the "according to Hoyle" measurement of "greatness" in a particular discipline, but that isn't the same as having it actually be great.

Maybe I'm arguing some dumb semantic position on the meaning of "greatness", but I think when it comes to a particular taste or preference, no one's opinion holds more significance than another.

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"I'm not smiling because I thought what you said was humorous. I'm smiling because one day I know you'll be dead..."

Thank you. You can also add Saving Abel as one of the worst offenders in this genre.

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Calexico
The Avett Brothers
Bob Schneider
Them Crooked Vultures
Andrew Bird

Damn, reading this thread again...A LOT of people really don't like the Eagles...

Not the biggest Satriani fan but Crystal Planet has some pretty solid tunes on it.