Popular music & faux familiarity

castalla

castalla

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Why is it that pop music fans often refer to their favourite artists by their known name, eg. Bob played like a magician.

Nobody says Ludwig wrote great symphonies,
OR
William wrote great dramas
OR
Herbert was a great conductor

Strange? Or is it just me who's puzzled by this phenomenon?
 
castalla said:
Why is it that pop music fans often refer to their favourite artists by their known name, eg. Bob played like a magician.

Nobody says Ludwig wrote great symphonies,
OR
William wrote great dramas
OR
Herbert was a great conductor

Strange? Or is it just me who's puzzled by this phenomenon?
Click to expand...
Maybe a lot more people do not know who Ludwig, William and Herbert in your examples were?
Ludwig Abel, William Wordsworth and Herbert Blomstedt are not so common. 😉

But to be serious. I think that all these classical or "high-culture" persons very seldom "come close" in real life to people. Bob is still alive and well. Lu, Dickie and Herb not 😉
 
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Not just pop music…
I’m a retired jazz musician of 48 years and jazzers always refer to the greats by their first name, or nickname or last name, depending. When guys are talking trumpet players and they say Clifford, Fats, Satchmo or Pops, Diz or Dizzy, Chet, Maynard, we all know who they are talking about. Same goes for all of the other greats regardless of their chosen instrument. When someone mentions JJ, I instantly know they are talking about trombonist JJ Johnson, etcetera.
.
 
Strongly believe that this popular music rock, jazz, pop is more allowed to get in peoples soul. And often it is the joy of using the same "slang". Classical music can touch me also, but more on the intellectual (I know, a lot people do not think I have even intellect) level.
And very often I got the impression people fear classical music because they think not knowing enough about it. Everyone who says he does not like classical music should listen to some orchestral parts of Wagner's (Dickie's) Tristan!
 
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