What do you Love (That Everyone Else Thinks is Bad)?
January Open Thread
Ted Gioia writes, “The truest measure of your aesthetic integrity is when you enjoy creative works that are widely mocked.”
This got me thinking. It goes the other way, too. What do you think is bad that your friends all think is great? For me, The Grateful Dead is a salient example. I like them as people. I like tie-dye. I even like the smell of patchouli. But the music just sounds like a slurry mess to me. On the other hand, I’ve known lots of people who thought Steely Dan was overproduced elevator music. They were wrong. I’ve never doubted it. From the first time I heard “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number,” I knew I was in the presence of genius. When Aja came out, I felt I’d seen God. Or at least heard Him.
Michael Jackson? Never worked for me. But I can still feel the thrill of “Freebird” and “Stairway to Heaven.”
What are your guilty pleasures or displeasures?
I much prefer puppets, fabricated props, and animatronics compared to CGI. I legimitely think the former is more evocative and believable in film. IMO, there are physical effects from the 90's, 80's, and even 70's that hold up way better compared to modern CGI. The synthetic feel of CGI turns me off so much to the point I'd rather not watch most movies and shows that rely on CGI heavily.
I've heard CGI described as "looks real but feels fake", and physical effects described as "looks fake but feels real". Although in my experience there are plenty of physical effects that can look real too.
I like to smoke. I don't smoke much, I roll maybe 2-3 cigarettes a day. I use biodegradable filters. I smoke additive-free tobacco. I enjoy the ritual of mid morning coffee with a cigarette. I enjoy it in the rare social situations. It brings me comfort, and symbolizes happy times that I share with my friends. Much of my love for smoking stems from the culture I'm brought up in ( the Balkans!) and the fact I am now living in one of the strictest non-smoking country (Finland), makes me feel spiteful and proud of being a smoker instead of ashamed and embarrassed, what the 'civilosed' culture wants me to feel like. It's a bit similar to what you wrote about the alcohol thing: I despise the one-sided discourse around it. I take care of myself, try to eat healthy, work-out, run half-marathons and such, but I am also a proud smoker. :)