Every time I enter a Starbucks, the gym or any place where a lot of people are wearing headphones to isolate themselves from the rest of the world, I wonder what kind of music these people are listening to. We all have stereotypes, all ready in our head, and of course we are led to think that this black guy, with his baggy jeans and backward cap is listening to rap, that this middle-age white blonde female showing her belly-button is listening to… Bon Jovi or that this aging tattooed overweight guy is listening to Black Sabbath…. How convenient are stereotypes, how reassuring! But actually I hope they were all listening to Black Sabbath! No seriously, can you guess someone’s musical tastes based on his or her appearance and behavior?
I would say yes and no. Just go to a metal concert, and there are a lot of chances almost everybody will be white, with disheveled long hair, dressed in black from head to toe, with a more or less menacing look, the body covered with esoteric tattoos and piercing, go to a rap concert,… and you know what I mean. Actually these two groups of music are probably the most stereotyped of all, and these stereotypes tend to be true. According to some serious studies done in the 90s, ‘teens who show a preference for heavy metal music tend to abuse substances and receive poor grades, have difficulties in school or a lack of commitment towards education, and show increased levels of delinquency’, and ‘have a greater tendency to engage in reckless, life-threatening behaviors', and 'links have been found between heavy metal music and suicide and psychiatric problems’… Ouchs! That’s a lot of stigma there. And it is not better for rap, the same research paper reports that, according to numerous studies, rap listeners have ‘a greater acceptance of violence’ and may have ‘negative attitudes towards women’, or tolerate ‘a greater acceptance of violence against women’, ‘and an increased acceptance of anti-social behavior’… and certainly Chris Brown’s bad behavior and all these murders that rappers are associated with, are not gonna kill this cliché soon.
Also, studies show that, more than behavior, image traits are by far the most common traits to describe these stereotypes, meaning that the way you look may tell others a lot about what you listen to. If it’s true for rap and metal, it’s hard to generalize to any kind of music.
But there is a little of truth in this after all, let’s try to make a list based on my own experience, just for fun:
Many Fleet Foxes or Bon Iver’s fans grow a large beard and wear flannel shirts, Vampire Weekend’s fans wear Izod polos and seem to be talking about the last indie movies, and Tegan & Sara’s fans are all cute lesbians! Sigur Ros’ fans sure have a peculiar idea of concert as they prepare chic picnics and multicolor candles. Flaming Lips’ fans seem to have grown themselves the weed they smoke during concerts and they carry their fake blood pouch with them – true story, Wayne Coyne asked for some fake blood at a concert and several people handed some to him! Sleigh Bells’ fans are aggressive bitches-in-high-heels, the Shins’ fans still talk about Garden State at each concert, and why do Gogol Bordello’s fans think they have to dress up as if they were auditioning for to an Ukrainian version of the Cirque du Soleil? I could go on and on, but I hate stereotypes, so enough of this!
Diversity is healthy in anything, I like a lot of different bands and honestly I am always surprised how well I can blend with any crowd. I love my cat but I am not particular found of Best Coast, I appreciate her boyfriend’s music but I don't smoke pot. I have been in the pit during a Fucked Up/Trash Talk shared bill, dressed up the same way I was at a Fiona Apple or Conor Oberst concerts, and honestly, I think most people are like me, so we should stop thinking in terms of stereotypes. Even though there is often truth regarding stereotypes associated with images, this doesn’t say much about behaviors. After all, Mark David Chapman killed John Lennon and he was listening to the Beatles, not to rap, and Selena was murdered by the president of her fan club, who was listening to music that had nothing to do with violent metal.
Nevertheless, I will never stop trying to guess what kind of music people are listening to at Starbucks, because it is just a funny game.