Humans geared for simplicity

[Wolf]

Do ya think humans are just simple and love the simpler things in life?

The lesser forms of music are the more popular forms, and the more complex styles of music are liked by a margin of humans on Earth. Take classical music for example, not many humans care for it, nor do many of them particuarly listen to classical music most of the time. The simpler beats and catchy rhythm of a style will be the most popular style. That is just my opinion using music for an example.

I would like to read other opinions on this.

Get yer caps on. (No other smilies for, "thinking caps". )

[Captain Beefheart]

Some people have a more jaded perspective about entertainment than others. Sometimes that correlates to sophistication about that medium, but not always. It's a more easily defensible position to say you dislike something. If you're not sure whether you're "supposed" to like something and you say you don't, then nobody can call you on it.

Understanding and enjoyment of arts is a highly contested and diversely theorized concept with so many variables(cultural background, education etc). 90 % of the people that go see an opera or a classical music show probably have no idea of the structure, the movements of the piece but they enjoy it. I can look at a poem and on sum level understand the structure, yet all the elements that come together to draw the emotions and reactions out of the true readers may not have any effect on me.

I would say that overall, knowledge lets you have the capacity to enjoy things more.Say you go to a museum, you don't know much about art, how many hours (or minutes) can you really entertain yourself in a museum without getting incredibly bored. Probably much less than someone who knows something about what they're looking at. I'm not talented or educated enough in visual art myself to tell the difference between the "imperfect rendering of realism" that is the best effort at a talented duffer trying to draw somethign photorealistically, or the deliberate deviations from a photorealistic depiction that a "master artist" used to make a statement, or elicit an emotional response, or to deliberately "fuzz" the world-view he was depicting.

It's just different because people relate to things including the "simple" aspects of life so differently. You may look at a tree and think it's beautiful, knowing the fractal nature of it's bark, branches, supply system and leaves. Another may look at it and just use to carve out the name of his lover or wife.

[Dark Dude]

its funny that you mention this, just the other day I posted a bulletin on Myspace reviewing the movie Juno. I grilled it. I hated it. I thought it was retarded. I get so many message from firend "omg how could you not like the movie" four things happen:

juno gets knocked up
juno doesnt have sex with that guy
juno gives baby away
and then the credits roll that it

its just filled in with stupid dialogue and adds up to about 90 minutes of my life wasted on it.

anywho, people said how they didnt like the soundtrack that much cuz "its too folksy"
wtf I thought the soundtrack was the only redeeming quality of this movie.

humans are stupid. I think I was supposed to live on another planet.

[Captain Beefheart]

Thing is most of those indie movies are stuck on the concept of "the coming if age tales" and kids trying to deal with and understand adult/complex situations. With Juno the lead character is not all that likeable, and she isn't grounded in any consistent belief system or attitude. She was a s!hitty modern Punky Brewster.

The name-dropping: Sonic Youth, Mott the Hoople, Iggy and the Stooges, Dario Argento, etc, etc. Writing "cool" pop culture icons into your script does not make your script "cool.". The humor is far more understated and the lines are more similar to something along the lines of "Gilmore Girls."

I hated it it too.

[MSFixR]

Music is an art form (that could be stretching it in some cases) and as such is subject to interpretation. How an individual perceives something is based on past experience, i.e., the environment in which the person was raised. If your parents listened to classical music chances are you will have an appreciation for classical music also. Then again as you mature you gain experiences outside of your parent's environment and your preferences may change.

For what its worth, I like classical music and I liked Juno.

[speakingmusic]

People like to be able to recall something, which is why good pop tunes and the ones most memorable (actually, the most memorable ones are the good ones). Simple things are easier to remember than complicated ones.

However, with a bit of education (ie, learning about art means you'll understand more when you go to an art gallery) helps make connections that you might not make otherwise - and connections are how our memory works.

So, to make memorable music it has to have something that catches our interest - but it doesn't have to be simple. Holst's The Planets is not simple music, but it is very memorable. However, there is an element of simplicity to it which makes it easy to grasp.

[MSFixR]

Well said speakingmusic and welcome to the forum.

[Dark Dude]

I think they tired too hard to make Page's character likeable, I kinda got the feeling they were trying to create a female version of Napoleon Dynamite. I like Napoleon Dynmaite, there was a lot going on in the background of the characters, you know psychologically, you can really read that. In Juno it was all lost among the endless pop culture references and lingo like "food baby" and "for shiz" that was such a lame attempt at humor. I say "for shiz" ocassioanally but its just not funny when I see it on film. in fact Im gonna stop.

ok so its alright if you liked it, I see the message in Juno, its the transition of a female character from a careless teenager to the very sensitive role of motherhood, but I kinda get the feeling that people arent diggin it for that. I get the feeling people are saying they dig it so they can be hip and in with it. maybe not all people. maybe I need new myspace friends.
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some of my favorite groups have been very simplistic in their music, Ramones, early Clash, Bob Dylan's first few albums, but these artist got more and more complex as they progressed in their carreers. I dig all music. and Im not just saying that, I really do.