The Real Reason Americans Hate Nickelback

Our Opinion / Don’t Waste Your Breath

Need an easy target? Take a dump on Justin Bieber or Nickelback – piece of cake.

Nickelback came to Fargo in May, and what do you know, a band that rhymes with the word “seed” and starts with the letter “C” will be in town on August 18.

A sort of massive rage against bands like Nickelback has been going on for years, so, obviously, participating this type of mumbo jumbo is enjoyable for some.

But by now it must be less fulfilling. It’s become downright trendy to hate the Canadian rock band Nickelback or that sort of Christian rock band from Florida coming to the Venue on August 18. In fact, if you say you like either band, many people will not take you seriously – or dub you as uncool.

What exactly are people trying to accomplish by hating on these two incredibly popular rock bands? Here are some ideas:

Prove that they listen to “good” music.Prove that they don’t follow trends.Cause the bands to lose their fame and fortune.

It doesn’t work that way, though.

The members of Nickelback, especially, are knee deep in cash. Should a band earn a mass amount of wealth for writing generic music with singable choruses? Most people would say no.

So maybe that is worth protesting.

But isn’t all rock/pop/folk/rap music generic in some way? Indeed, some much more than others. But if the members of Nickelback tried to sound something like Les Claypool, Destroyer or That One Guy, we’d all start growing wings and dogs would speak English.

And even in the aftermath of hate, Nickelback currently has more than 14 million Facebook likes. That is approximately 16 times more likes than Atmosphere and almost 200 times more likes than Trampled by Turtles has.

Many people think bands are awful because “all their songs sound the same.” Ironically, it is probably the most overused reason people come up with for not liking a band or musician. Furthermore, it’s cheap, easy and requires no logic.

Plenty of great bands have songs that sound similar to each other. It’s going to inevitably happen when you have the same person writing the songs, the same people playing the same instruments and the same people singing.

The fact that these musicians are popular and rich makes it even easier to dislike them, especially when there are far more talented folks out there -- far, far more. And if the musicians are disrespectful egomaniacs, people are fueled to hate them and their music even more.

Well, don’t forget that it’s possible be an awful person and be amazingly talented. Let’s get this straight: if you have ability to sell a million records, you have talent. That is not up for question. Sure, some who sell a million records may never be as amazing as Louis Armstrong, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell or Robert Plant, but the reality is: it would be impossible for a human being to achieve years of musical fame if they had no talent.

The real reason people don’t like certain musicians or bands is simply because they cannot relate to their style. The sound of their voices or their musical aura is off-putting because it does not appeal to their taste.

There is nothing wrong with disliking a band or a musician. We each have our own musical tastes. But that does not mean we have to parade and celebrate our hatred for these artists.

Remember that Facebook group “Can this pickle get more fans than Nickelback?”

Or did you know that there are literally hundreds of Facebook groups titled “Justin Bieber Sucks”? With that many groups carrying that title, just imagine how many are named “Justin Bieber is Gay!”

What does any of this accomplish besides making us look like pessimistic snobs who waste our time and talent by exhausting our energy on things that don’t inspire us, just on what makes us angry?

Don’t ever let anyone insinuate that they are better than you because they like The Black Keys and you like the Black Eyed Peas.

Be yourself.

Questions and comments: diane@hpr1.com