Fame Is A Fickle Friend

[Forsaken Lover]

So I dunno what it was that made me think of all this...Oh right. Someone made a topic about Kate Bush who I have no idea who that is bu I guess she's a pop singer. Well recent pop singers named Kate makes me think of Katy Perry, who I actually kinda like. But that in turn mad me think of the pop stars I grew up with. Katy Perry can certainly sing better than Britney Spears, at least.

But this in turn reminded me of those shameful years in the late 90s/very early 2000s when I was a "TRL Kid." Remember that on MTV? Total Request Live? Listed the most popular music videos around. Eminem occasionally made it on there but it was mostly Boy Bands and Britney and Ricky Martin and some others. I swear I remember several weeks straight when the top 3 were Backstreet Boyz, N'Sync or however the smurf you spell it, 98 Degrees or someone else...

Anyway, being a young, impressionable moron, I saw how wildly popular these people were and jumped on the bandwagon. The first casettes I ever owned were Backstreet Boyz. First CD's were Britney Spears and Ricky Martin. I'm telling you all this in great shame and with the benefit of extreme hindsight but the funny thing is this.

I was huge into these people in...5th grade I think it was. So was everyone else I knew. By 7th grade, the fact I owned a Ricky Martin CD was the biggest shame of my life.smurfing two years ago everyone was dancing to that hit song of his about crazy ladies but now I have to hide this album like it's evidence I murdered someone. I trashed the CD around this time too, by the way.

Did this ever happen to you growing up? Big into something one day, horribly ashamed of it the next?

[Pheesh]

I'm no more ashamed of the music tastes I had when I was younger than I am of the fact that I couldn't spell certain words when I was younger. Your younger years are there for you to grow, learn and experiment with all sorts of things and it's unreasonable to pass judgement on a child for liking something. Pop music is catchy, and children have reduced attention spans, so it's natural that they gravitate towards 3 minute long songs that have a simple beat and a catchy melody line. Add to that the general 'cool' factor and peer pressure and it would be more odd if you could find a primary school aged kid who DIDN'T like at least some pop music.

[Psychotic]

Nope. Generally shunned pop music and liked music that falls under the broad umbrella of rock all my life. My first ever favourite band was Oasis at the age of about 8 and I still like them now.

[Bubba]

I don't think I've ever been ashamed of music I was listening to. As a child I loved Michael Jackson and Wham. As a teenager I actually had a liking for 1950's rock and roll. All of it was good stuff so yeah, no shame here.

Did this ever happen to you growing up? Big into something one day, horribly ashamed of it the next?

My Dad took me to watch Man City v Aston Villa when I was very young in a last ditch attempt to convert me to the blue side of Manchester. City won and I actually joined in singing City songs in the car ride home. I came to my senses the next day and felt disgusted. I thank my Grandad every day for convincing me to follow Man Utd.

[Shauna]

I have no shame for liking things. I will still unironically bust a move to Barbie Girl and that is fine.

[Kalevala]

I got really into Dream Theater at like 8 or 9 years old (which in itself is pretty weird) and they were my favourite band for years, but a lot of their stuff is really cringeworthy to me now.

That being said I still appreciate a good chunk of their catalogue. I still enjoy some stuff but I'm glad I didn't get a tattoo of the band's logo or anything.

Tastes change. In my teens I would have vehemently denounced anything that sounded like Carly Rae Jepsen, but "Run Away With Me" was one of the best songs of 2015 and I don't give a trout who knows it.

[Crop]

I'm pretty sure the OP isn't asking if we're now ashamed of music we liked when we were kids....not even sure he's talking specifically about music. We're all adults now and are mature enough to realise that you don't have to be ashamed of anything you like/liked.

Growing up it's different! I went to an all boys comprehensive and I hung out with the fairly cool footballing crowd. When I was around 14 If I had told them I liked the song Dancing Queen or the show Ed, Edd and Eddy I would probably have had the piss taken out of me.

Obviously now I rock out to Dancing Queen in the clubs like I am the Dancing Queen.