Obsessed with an artist

Currently:

Rodrigo y Gabriela
Black Country Communion
Rival Sons

 

I wouldn't call it a 'mental problem' although it might be a symptom of one. However, I think it is fairly common to most people either at some point of their lives or through all of their lives. I'll offer my quasi-confessional, for what it's worth.

I first became a rock listener, via the Beatles, Stones, and Blondie, in 1979 (I wasn't completely behind the times, but I wasn't exactly an incipient hipster either), while I was in middle school. I went through an insane Beatles-infatuation period which was made worse by John Lennon's murder the next year (I was one of the dorks standing outside of the Dakota the next day). I was constantly playing Beatles and Solo Beatles, largely (although, thank God, not completely) to the exclusion of everything else. I managed to also find times to go through seriously immersive, exclusionary periods for the Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Byrds, Miles Davis, and R.E.M, roughly in that order, through high school. In some respects, I saw (and still see) nothing wrong with this in and of itself; really getting to know an artist's body of work can really be a thrill. However, obsession with anything is not usually a good thing, especially if it leads to the exclusion of others in your actual life. I can certainly relate to it, though.

Back in my Beatle days, I went through a flirtation period with Beatlefests and circles of Beatles maniacs, and I was disturbed by a lot of the tendencies I found, which were many of the stereotypical ones familiar to attendees of such ultra-fan-oriented scenes. Something in the pit of my stomach told me I didn't want to be like them, there's so much more I would rather be in life than a "fan" of something... I saw my own obsessive listening habits as limiting, musically, intellectually, and socially, and decided I needed a change.

One thing that had saved me from such a fate is that despite my periods of obsession, I had kept a relatively open mind and an interest in a reasonably wide range of music from all eras for a teenager. So, I became more interested in how music itself was diverse yet interrelated, and saw particular artists as cogs in a much larger machine. This realization, which came to me at college age and possibly under the influence, rapidly expanded my horizons, opening up hitherto impenetrable foreign artists and genres and precluding my obsession on any one for too long. I also had a useful rule that I religiously stuck to, even through I can't remember ever establishing the rule: if I was buying multiple records in one shot, I wouldn't buy two disks by the same artist, and at least one record had to be contemporary, preferably two.

Over the years, this has steered my ship far from its original trajectory; rather than being devoted to a handful of artists, I seldom even listen to even my most favorite artists more than a few tracks or an album a month. Instead, I've become fascinated by getting around to all the artists I neglected in years past, or new ones doing interesting stuff; I now enjoy hearing stuff for the first time as frequently as hearing a favorite, perhaps more so. last.fm tells me that in the last 3 years, The Beatles are around my #390th most frequently played artist (Led Zeppelin has fallen to around #700), although I have nothing against either. I just can't sit still long without wanting to roam the uncharted corridors. last.fm also tells me that my top 50 most-played artists in the last 3 years are 90% comprised of artists I had never listened to (old and new) before that. So, I get my kicks mostly from discovery, these days.

My approach is not one I recommend for anyone else really, and if I am perfectly honest with myself, it is simply another kind of obsession, although at least it is one that remains fresh and new and is manageable. I just see myself at an opposite end of the spectrum from someone who plays the same four or five artists their whole lives (they do exist). One is a horizontal approach to music, and one is a vertical approach. We all fall somewhere in the spectrum, but it's all good.

Whatever makes you happy is usually the key to happiness...

 

I'm currently obsessed with Margaret Mandolph because I can't stop playing If You Ever Need Me on Youtube ...

 

I went through it with both Donny Hathaway (shocker, huh?) and the Temptations. I cared only about each one for a solid 6 months.

Ed

 

Obsession ?
70's/ 80s thang.
Past 15 years it's been
SACD /DCC/MFSL hi rez.
But my latest flame
is back to black
gold
cleaning
spinning
grinning.

 

Yes, same here. Can get infatuated with an artist, album and/or song for anything from a couple of days to a few weeks, and I love it.

In some cases I like to collect every single official song the artist ever released and then properly catalogue it in iTunes, with correct high quality cover art (for singles, promos and exclusive songs on compilations for example). What I will also do is to, where there is a box set or special anniversary release with lots of extra goodies, like demos and live tracks, arrange these chronologically instead and give a bit more detail to each track or group of tracks.

I did this with Nirvana recently. I arranged all officially released songs not on albums by recording studio sessions. You build up a much better and more sensible picture of an artist this way. I also downloaded bootlegs of some of these recording studio demo tunes (only a handful in Nirvana's case) to give me a complete picture.

I enjoy getting caught up in these little obsessions, and it isn't exclusive to music. I go through the same thing with contemporary artists for example.

I never understood how some people don't seem to have any interests!

 

T.Rex, a 44 year obsession for me!

 

I go through obsession periods all the time.
I recently went through a Neil Young phase.
That turned into a CSN phase and now it is the Grateful Dead.
I expect this phase to. Last through the summer and then when
The Beatles Mono Vinyl set comes out in
September, I get the feeling they may take over.

 

Nearly all of my listening is like this - I have around a dozen key artists who I am obsessive about and I listen to little else really....

The Beatles (and solo), The Byrds (and solo), R.E.M, Pearl Jam, Supergrass, Depeche Mode, Lemonheads, Juliana Hatfield, Nirvana, The Strokes (and solo), Kings of Leon, Weezer...

They pretty much keep me entertained

I'm actually not really a music fan, more a fan of these artists (there are more... kinks, beach boys and so on... but these are my core ones)...

 

Was obsessed with J.G. Thirlwell for a few years some decades ago.

 

Phish, Phish and more Phish. Been obsessed every since Fuego came out last month.

 

I completely relate. I get obsessive blocks of time where a particular artist just clicks and I listen to little else for a period of weeks/months depending, much to the family's dismay, and then I'm done. I think the longest run was Dylan two years ago, lasted about three months and have barely listened to him since. In the beginnings of a Jethro Tull block this week, thanks to Mr Wilson's remixes.

 

Had a few:
Pavement - college days
Wilco - late 20's
David Bowie - late 20's
Pearl Jam - always
Neil Young - now

 

Can totally relate. Right now it's Pink Floyd and especially albums around the Meddle/Animals period. Even watched The Wall movie yesterday. Yeah, it's that bad. I also survived my share of Hendrix, Doors, Sabbath, etc, etc, periods. I'm an oldies fan indeed .

 

except for Hatful of Hollow and St Julian I only listened to REM from Dec 83 to late 88
sad I know

 

Last week it was Fred Neil every day.
Now I am on Stevie Wonder - I find it goes in 3/4 day batches

 

I am currently going through a big Jethro Tull obsession. I have not idea why. I always liked a few records (TAAB quite a lot actually) but lately I have been going deeper which is kind of strange since I got that album back in the mid 70's! I tend to do this a lot.

 

I fell for the Monkees a couple years ago - VERY hard, VERY fast. I've kind of moved away from that, but I still love 'em.

(And this is coming from someone who, when Davy died, had no clue what Peter Tork's name was.)

 

I think I have been on dead binge/obsession for about three years now. Only lately is it starting to abate, whether by choice or because I am getting slightly burnt out by them.

At other times in my life it has been Billy Idol, Oasis, Metallica, Pantera, Jimi, The Doors, Bob Marley, John Coltrane, Pearl Jam, Ryan Adams and Matisyahu. Nothing has lasted as long as my Dead binge though.

 

except for maybe Rock N' Roll

 

For me it's UFO...been a massive fan since '78 and I seem to like them more and more as time goes on!!

 

I can relate. Hendrix was my main obsession. Funny you mention Depeche Mode as I also had a real binge on them a few years ago.

 

There is a thread dedicated to Rock N' Roll here:http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/ryan-adams-rock-n-roll-why-has-he-disowned-it.327185/

On first listen I found it a bit hard to get through but I put it on my ipod anyway. Most of my ipod listening is in straight shuffle mode and every time a song form this album comes up I find myself enjoying it. I've come to the conclusion it's an album best heard in small doses.

 

I just recently recovered from a Van Morrison obsession. It lasted several months and cost me hundreds of dollars, but I now have all of his albums on CD, sometimes multiple copies (different labels/masterings). Then the "underground" discs at the local record/CD shows. I still listen, but I am no longer obsessed.

Now I am obsessed with the Grateful Dead. Bad news for an obsessive/completist.

 

Lately it's been Paul Simon