Melancholic Art Breeding Retardation of Social Life

[Furious B]

After reading through that April Madness tournament bull-plop and having this idea roll around in my head for a bit, it seemed like an excellent idea to make a thread about it. Primer: I love the dark art. Love it. A lot of the music, films, literature that I enjoy seems to have this morbid/depressive nature to it. Now, I’ve never put too much stock into being social and to be perfectly honest, I think the good majority of people are stupid and have HORRID tastes in music, film, etc. but, I feel that it’s necessary to be social in order to be successful in things that I want in life like jobs, fiscal endeavors and, well, I’ll be frank, fucking women.

Now, and this is for the people that really like the morbid stuff, do you feel that listening to stuff with overt anti-social tendencies and depressive vibes would impede being social? Is lifestyle important for one to really enjoy albums such as Brave Murder Day and Pale Folklore? Or is lifestyle part of the package for this type of music? Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

[NAD]

On Friday nights I go out drinking with many people, some old some new some yellow some blue.

On Saturday nights I stay home alone listening to Gruntsplatter, Khanate, Goatsblood, and Especially Likely Sloth.

 

[KILL TULLY]

People around here hate the "metal lifestyle" and don't believe it really has anything to do with metal.

 

[Demilich]

I have no desire to live a depressing, anti-social life, I'm fine with what I have now, and my listening to "dark" bands doesn't define my character or who I am as a person. Music is very important to me, and I don't hide this from anyone, but I'm not gonna go for the whole dress-in-black/self-mutilation/misanthropic hermit angle just because it's reflective of the views of some of the musicians I like.

 

[Erik]

Now, and this is for the people that really like the morbid stuff, do you feel that listening to stuff with overt anti-social tendencies and depressive vibes would impede being social? Is lifestyle important for one to really enjoy albums such as Brave Murder Day and Pale Folklore? Or is lifestyle part of the package for this type of music? Discuss amongst yourselves.

I'm not sure if it's the other way around, that my lifestyle draws me to this type of music, or that listening to the music has changed me, but I most definitely am not the social type and I wasn't before I started listening to metal. Listening to metal (etc) has branded me with the impression that there is so much wrong with the world that it's difficult to ignore it sometimes, and out among people I frequently feel either incapable or unwilling to partake in whatever social game is deemed appropriate. I'm alone 95% of my spare time, and I can't say it bothers me. I'm not depressed or anything but I think that 99% of everyone can fuck off, and unlike lots of people who say so to be k00l, I actually tend not to be around people I don't like.

But yeah, it's necessary to be able to function in society, work, etc etc. I can kinda-sorta do it when I must, but I prefer not dealing with useless people too much.

Also it's early in the morning so bear with me if I make little sense.

 

[spaffe]

Now, and this is for the people that really like the morbid stuff, do you feel that listening to stuff with overt anti-social tendencies and depressive vibes would impede being social? Is lifestyle important for one to really enjoy albums such as Brave Murder Day and Pale Folklore? Or is lifestyle part of the package for this type of music? Discuss amongst yourselves.

I've never been a very social person, and where I live now I don't know anyone, not counting the shallow relation I have with the people sharing my dorm; a fact that doesn't bother be at all. I simply like being alone. Most people out there are boring, shallow and vain, and though their company might still me entertaining in a more superficial sense, I'd rather read a book than spend a lot of time with such people.
But I enjoyed being around people more before I really got into metal (which is not the exclusive reason for the change of mindset, it has rather lead me to other things which has truly changed me) it's hard to tell if the change is due to me getting older/growing up or if it's only the music/culture. Perhaps a combination.

To answer your question, I don't think that really social people could enjoy one of said albums in the first place, so yes, I think that the lifestyle/mindset is important. Though some "normal" people obviously enjoy BMD etc, for a person who places interaction with other people etc foremost in their lives, I don't think is capable of really understanding it.

 

[Demilich]

On some level, ultra-shallow people who typically only care about chicks, cars, beers, etc. (guys) or guys, cosmetics, fashion, etc. (girl) kind of amuse me, and though I can't usually keep up a conversation with them, I don't mind them all that much. There's usually a bit more to them than meets the eye, which is why I kind of dismiss all these people who say "most people are useless idiots blah blah, etc" as being a little bit overly jaded.

 

[NAD]

On some level, ultra-shallow people who typically only care about chicks, cars, beers, etc. (guys)

That rocks, you named 3 of my top 5 in life. Hooray for simple pleasures!!!

i understand your point, just trying to make teh funnay

 

[Demilich]

Yep, I know you understand that I mean people who are incapable of talking or thinking about anything else!

 

[Erik]

There's usually a bit more to them than meets the eye,

It's usually not worth it to scratch the surface to reveal whatever redeemable qualities the average seemingly useless human being may have. In my experience.

 

[Demilich]

Sometimes you have to talk to them on the way to school or something! The absolute WORST - the low point of human existence - was two idiots who I met on the way home from a Goat Horn show, on the subway. They were probably drunk but so was I, I was just sitting there reading through the booklet for Storming the Gates, and they start talking to me about music, which leads to me having to attempt explaining what heavy metal is, and them looking pretty damn dumbfounded. Then they proceeded to laugh and say VERY stupid and insulting things to random people on the subway for the rest of the way home. They thought it was hilarious, and evidently thought I thought it was hilarous as well.

I hate talking to people I barely know, but because of the place I work (a grocery store), I come in contact with a lot of new people and have to talk to them on a daily basis, so I guess I'm getting used to it. I used to be ridiculously shy, but now I guess I'm pretty social. I will, however, go out of my way to avoid people I know I'll be forced into meaningless conversation with!

 

[JayKeeley]

So many factors: age, where you live, your homelife, your upbringing, etc. Somehow, when it comes to this 'off beat' world we live in, we all gather on common interests like music.

I would say that it's in one's personality to prefer the 'dark arts' if they indeed like dark music, which is typically metal. I bet most metal fans like horror flicks, fantasy, old classic fine art, dark poetry, etc.

Still, you can't be a moody vunt all the time. Go out with your mates, drink beer, go to shows, chat with birds, etc. I have to admit, I didn't really build any confidence to be social until I was around 21 or 22. I was a late bloomer I suppose.

And if you want to do well at your job, you have to be socially interactive. It's almost forced upon you, the higher up you go. Presentations, meetings, conference calls, etc. Gone are the days when you can just sit there in the corner and hope nobody notices.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

After reading through that April Madness tournament bull-plop and having this idea roll around in my head for a bit, it seemed like an excellent idea to make a thread about it. Primer: I love the dark art. Love it. A lot of the music, films, literature that I enjoy seems to have this morbid/depressive nature to it. Now, I’ve never put too much stock into being social and to be perfectly honest, I think the good majority of people are stupid and have HORRID tastes in music, film, etc. but, I feel that it’s necessary to be social in order to be successful in things that I want in life like jobs, fiscal endeavors and, well, I’ll be frank, fucking women.

Now, and this is for the people that really like the morbid stuff, do you feel that listening to stuff with overt anti-social tendencies and depressive vibes would impede being social? Is lifestyle important for one to really enjoy albums such as Brave Murder Day and Pale Folklore? Or is lifestyle part of the package for this type of music? Discuss amongst yourselves.

I won't deny it. I'm anti-social, I always have been. My present level of social inactivity has been perhaps accentuated by some dark art I routinely expose myself to, but it is not the source. In the past, at times I may have had small groups of friends and I continue to occasionally find someone to talk to, just to have meaningful conversations with. These people are usually like me, socially alienated people. For the most part, however, I spend my time at home, reading books, using my computer (an alternate social medium? - That's a whole extra discussion), listening to music. I like to get out and visit with people every now and then but opportunities to do that do not come often, and when they do I often find it difficult to make conversation or find some common ground unless I've known them for a long time.

But yes, absolutely. I find that "social interaction" is a necessary evil for some things that we must do in the world, and I am by no means opposed to it. I've had quite meaningful and satisfying social relationships with many people, it's just that I quietly hate most of those dull-witted people who only have

Originally Posted by Demilich
On some level, ultra-shallow people who typically only care about chicks, cars, beers, etc. (guys)

on their minds.

On the contrary, you can see people who enjoy this sort of "dark art", like NAD for example, who spends a lot of his time drinking beer and trying to unsuccessfully score with women p). I don't believe that the art and the lifestyles have any relation whatsoever. From my own experience, being antisocial is a mindset which has been acquired from some means or another, but I don't believe that it is particularly spurred on by specifically one thing. There must be a variety of things that make it work. So I'm not saying that I know a better reason, I'm just refuting your point, so we can think together to discern a better one.

On a completely unrelated note, my old fifth grade social studies teacher just moved next door to me and I'm on good terms with him, so I'm probably going to hang out with him sometime. Seems kind of an odd thing to be hanging out with your old gradeschool teachers haha, but then again I have made lots of friends with my old teachers. My grade 12 biology teacher even gave me classical guitar lessons. Actually, I find that it's odd that I make perhaps some of my best friendships with my old educators.

 

[NAD]

I dunno, with each passing day I realize how much of a regular idiot I am. I used to think I was smarter than everyone but those days are nearing completion.

 

[NAD]

On the contrary, you can see people who enjoy this sort of "dark art", like NAD for example, who spends a lot of his time drinking beer and trying to unsuccessfully score with women p).

ZING! Glad my point was made clear though, cool.

 

[Demilich]

Beer > being a depressed, wrist-slitting goth loner, tbh.

 

[Erik]

I'm smarter than exactly 96.2% of the Swedish population in general

 

[J.]

SO I guess I like the dark arts, because I enjoy all those things JayK listed, along with violent movies and video games and yeah, I can be a sci-fi geek at times.

I have only a few friends, which is all I need, and tbh, absolutely none of them share the same interests as me except sports, so naturally when I meet up with them it is over some beer and a ballgame.

I'm not particular fond of conversations, unless the subject interests me, which is why I think I'd be an excellent literature teacher and baseball coach; everything else can get a big heave-ho fuckoff motherfucker. I hated my last job, fucking company run by a bunch of greedy bums who determine the livelihoods of 6000 people, and only care about making that stock price go up. Fuck 'em, ain't no way to live. I hated the interoffice politics, and how we always got "busy-work" to make it seem like we're helping the company. I always ate lunch in my office, alone. And even though I did more work than a lot of the people that are still there and I also made less money, I was let go. Probably because I wasn't a social ass kisser like everyone else.

I like being alone with my thoughts a lot. I really don't care what is deemed cool anymore, like I did in college. Trendies, materialistic fucks, and superficial dumbfucks can eat shit. Unfortunately, they run the world.

 

[Erik]

I like being alone with my thoughts a lot. I really don't care what is deemed cool anymore, and never did. Trendies, materialistic fucks, and superficial dumbfucks can eat shit. Unfortunately, they run the world.

^

 

[Demonspell]

While dark music tends to go over the heads of people whose pleasures are mostly materialistic or of the flesh, I don't think you have to be a complete introvert to enjoy or compose depressing music and literature. Look at the Antimatter forum for proof. listening to a steady diet of bands like Agalloch isn't going to rob you of your testosterone (no matter what Lurch might say) or your sense of humor.