the word pretentious

[Neurotic]

well i hear people used this word a lot , and to me it doesn't make any sense.
to me it sounds that pretentious is a word use by someone who doesn't understand something.
i hear people calling for example emperor prometheus, and a lot of other bands pretentious because they try something different, and some people seem to think its way to much, but has i see it we need people like ihsahn who are "pretentious" and try to inovate, push the envelope or whatever, sometimes the result may be bad(peccatum) i don't like them but at least they try , if there wasn't people who think this way we would still listening to caveman music because at the time it sounded good. inovators are needed for music to involve, and metal right now to me sounds a bit stagnant(maybe i'm missing some bands don't know), but there should be more people trying to create something truly new, trying to do something truly magnificent, something that would be part of the history of music insteed of using the same old tired formulas to be more acceptable to the listeners.(of course we also need more conventional ppl or else it would be chaos)
Hey but maybe this is what's pretentions is all about but i just tired of listening to bands that sound exactly the same, reason why i rarely search for new metal bands this days, instead i search for other styles of music.

 

[no country for old wainds]

When I call something pretentious, I mean 'overly dramatic and grandiose, attempting to be epic and failing'.

 

[Sonicarnal Artist]

'Pretentious' seems to have developed a second meaning in the unintelligent circles of the metal community that is synonymous with 'masturbatory.'

 

[Deconstruction]

Well... when I see the word "pretentious" I generally connect it with "asinine". That's not to say the words are synonimous, just that someone who's pretentious is also rather asinine as well.

But, if anyone's interested, Webster's defines "pretentious" thus:

Main Entry: pre·ten·tious
Pronunciation: pri-'ten(t)-sh&s
Function: adjective
Etymology: French prétentieux, from prétention pretension, from Medieval Latin praetention-, praetentio, from Latin praetendere
Date: 1837
1 : characterized by pretension : as a : making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing) <the pretentious fraud who assumes a love of culture that is alien to him -- Richard Watts> b : expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature <pretentious language> <pretentious houses>
2 : making demands on one's skill, ability, or means : AMBITIOUS <the pretentious daring of the Green Mountain Boys in crossing the lake -- Amer. Guide Series: Vt.>
synonym see SHOWY

 

[LuminousAether]

Again, Guardian of Darkness shows his woeful ignorance. Failing? Why failing? Pretentious means that you are overly dramatic, sometimes without justification. Failing doesn't even come into the equation. For the most part, pretentious simply means ostentatious or showy. For example, Ulver's Themes album is very pretentious. Of course, as that example would show, pretentious is by no means a bad thing and I actually suggest that it is a very good thing.

 

[MightyDrynwhyl]

pretentious(straight from a dictionary):claiming or demanding distinction in merit, especially when unjustified 2. extravagantly showy

have a field day with it

 

[Neurotic]

Again, Guardian of Darkness shows his woeful ignorance. Failing? Why failing? Pretentious means that you are overly dramatic, sometimes without justification. Failing doesn't even come into the equation. For the most part, pretentious simply means ostentatious or showy. For example, Ulver's Themes album is very pretentious. Of course, as that example would show, pretentious is by no means a bad thing and I actually suggest that it is a very good thing.

exactly!! pretentious is good!!!
all geniuses are pretentious!!!

 

[no country for old wainds]

Again, Guardian of Darkness shows his woeful ignorance. Failing? Why failing? Pretentious means that you are overly dramatic, sometimes without justification. Failing doesn't even come into the equation. For the most part, pretentious simply means ostentatious or showy. For example, Ulver's Themes album is very pretentious. Of course, as that example would show, pretentious is by no means a bad thing and I actually suggest that it is a very good thing.

I tend not to like 'showy' music. So yes, failing.

 

[LuminousAether]

Then you have added that to the definition, lending bias which is an insipid activity. Furthermore, the people who know what pretentious means will find your definition lacking and will find you to be one of the worst kinds of fools, one who pretends to know what he does not.

 

[no country for old wainds]

When I've seen that word used by others, they have been describing bands which I believe would fit the definition I gave. That must be true, because my definition was based on how I'd seen the word used before. I hadn't read up on the definition. In the future I'll follow the proper definition, so that I don't annoy pedants such as yourself.

 

[LuminousAether]

Good for you, shitbrick.

Does anyone else love the term shitbrick? Cuz I sure do. Enough to have it tattoed on me arse, guv'nah.

 

[Lethe78]

I like the word pretentious. Preposterous is also another mighty find word.

 

[SculptedCold]

Heh GoD, I think Opeth can be a very pretentious band. =) Although I don't think its really a bad thing, the word just seems to informally go hand in hand with that assumption.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Hehe, well maybe. I don't really think so, though. Their music isn't as dramatic as, say, post-nightside Emperor.

 

[[0hr]Sunlapse]

Who cares if anything is pretentious, you either like the music or you don't, pretentious or not.

 

[Sonicarnal Artist]

Then you have added that to the definition, lending bias which is an insipid activity. Furthermore, the people who know what pretentious means will find your definition lacking and will find you to be one of the worst kinds of fools, one who pretends to know what he does not.

 

[no country for old wainds]

You're right, but nobody really disagreed with that anyway. I just said that I tend not to like music that people call 'pretentious'. Just like I tend not to like music that people call 'pop'.