Fandom: Why some of us don't consider LP our favorite band, and why that's okay.

"Why are you even on this site if LP isn't your favorite band?!"

This is something I've seen lately with the usual album release cycle and the influx of new members that come around during that time. And it's an issue I feel needs to be addressed.

First, some background:

The LPA has been around in various forms since the beginnings of the band. Some of us have been here for just as long. I, for instance, joined the forums over 11 years ago. I was 15 then. It was a different time. Social media was in its infancy. MySpace had just joined the internet that August. Most people had LiveJournals, Blogspots or Wordpresses and kept up with fandoms through forums and blogrings. LP fans in particular had a few avenues of communication via the LPU and LP forums (God, that was a bad time) and fansites like the LPA, LPTimes, Pushingmeaway, et cetera. Suffice to say, it was in terms of the internet and our generation in general a long time ago.

I make note of how things were back then because this is obviously not the case anymore. Things have changed on the tubes we call the world wide web. And like those things, people have changed too.

I was in the middle of my teens when I joined this site and outed myself to the internet as a hardcore Linkin Park fan. I'm in my mid-to-late 20s now. If you were to compare my life then and now, quite a few things would be drastically different. I'm no longer in school. I hold a salaried job. I can drive, drink, and smoke legally. In regards to the internet, we have so many more methods of discovering music. And on that note, I've had more TIME to discover new music. 11 years since I joined the LPA. That's only 4 years shy of the age I was when I joined the site in the first place.

I use myself as a primary example because, well, I'm me. I'm the best source on how I've changed through the decade of being a fan of the band. I implore other members, old and new alike, to think about how they've changed since joining the forums.

The point I'm making is that musical tastes change. They evolve and grow with time. The band you loved 5 years ago may not be a blip on the radar 5 years ahead of today. Shit, that's easily noticeable by looking at the history of the forums. Do me a favor: go to the top of the forums and click "Community". Select "Member List". Then choose to sort by amount of posts and take a look at the names you see.

Will. Andrea. Chris. Debus. Tomi. Marj. Linja. Christopher. Do you recognize any of these posters? Have they posted lately? Let me tell you that some of these people used to be admins. Keep going down the list, you'll see some ex-mods. Tomi used to be the most PROLIFIC poster on the forums. Where did they go? People grow disinterested in bands as they age. Or sometimes they find better places to stay on the internet. Sometimes both.

These are all examples of change. Of how a community grows and shrinks based on the members it consists of. On the environment around it. This site will first and foremost be a communications hub for those who are interested in Linkin Park. One does not need to consider them their #1 band to participate.

So back to the main question. "Why are you even on this site if LP isn't your favorite band?" For some of us, there was a time when LP WAS our favorite band. I'm neither guilty nor ashamed to say that I used to think that. But as my tastes grew, I found music that better resonated in my soul, that engaged me in ways I never had with LP. Does that mean I should leave the forums? Of course not. A forum is, and always will be, a place for discussion and a COMMUNITY. The social connections you make on here, I believe, can be as strong if not stronger than the connections you make with people in person. So we stay for the people. For the discussions. For the continued news on a band we care about, if not as much as others.

And a more general point I want to make in regards to fandom of a band: Just because you make criticisms, doesn't make you NOT a fan.

I've seen a fair share of outraged users on here disparaging about how freely a lot of members can point at flaws in songs, albums, or style of LP. "Why are you even on here if you're going to talk shit about X or Y?"

Being a fan does not mean blindly accepting and praising everything anyone does. You can still be a fan of the band and hate Meteora. You can love a band to death and think ATS is shitty techno. It's okay to criticize the elementary nature of Mike's raps or Brad's guitar skills, or rag on the declining vocal ability of Chester live. Yes, it's possible to still enjoy the band and criticize them, and I feel like lately that's becoming a heated point of discussion among newcomers and those who have been here a while. Remember, at one point in time every single person you see trashing the chorus of Somewhere I Belong decided it would be a great idea to join a forum dedicated to the discussion of Linkin Park. Somewhere down the road, each person here was (and probably still is) a fan of the band. But tastes change. Opinions change. People view things differently.

And that's okay.

 

Linkin park will always be my favourite band and I ain't reading that post it way to long

 

I agree with you. Linkin Park is my favorite band but that doesn't mean I'm going to get mad because someone doesn't think the same as me. Everyone has the right to express his or her opinion.

 

All of this. I still consider Linkin Park my all-time favorite band, but I can now say that I have an more extreme diverse music taste than 4 years ago when I joined.

I love LP and I still consider ATS as my all-time favorite album, but I'm completely OK with anyone being on this forum to discuss other types of music; in fact, I strongly encourage it. I'm a Coldplay fan, a Killers fan, a LIGHTS fan, a Kina Grannis fan...you get the point, but I've become a fan of so many talented people out there that I feel great whenever I'm able to discuss them here on the LPA. Don't be discouraged to talk about other bands here for those scared to do it. As for those bashing other bands for not being LP: Expand your minds, your tastes, your ears. There are tons of great music out there and you're doing yourself a disservice if you decide to mindlessly bash them because they're being praised on a Linkin Park forum. You can criticize them if you've actually listened to them and they're not your cup of tea.

Heck, if it means anything, even the band all have eclectic music tastes that they've been very excited to share: Mike's love for hip-hop, punk and indie music is well-known, and Chester's varies from classic rock to alt rock to metal to the Jackson 5 and even 50 Cent of all people.* Brad likes Metallica. Dave was in a Christian ska-punk band before Linkin Park--yes, I'm talking about Tasty Snax. Long live the Snax! Not everything has to be "Linkin Park this, Linkin Park that". Please, get a grip on yourselves, guys.

Now, I'm glad this post exists and that we can all understand and be on the same pa--

Oh IISUPERXEROI, never failing to be...well, IISUPERXEROI.

*(http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/chester-benningtons-ultimate-playlist by the way)

 

I consider Linkin Park by far my favorite band, probably due to the fact that I've never ever been interested in anything for this long (over 6 years now, and I'm only 16). They were the first band I found by myself (pun intended, I guess). I consider A Thousand Suns my favorite album, rarely something moved me that much. I usually don't get emotive with music, but that album succeeded quite a few times. That said...

I objectively know Linkin Park is not the best band of all time, nor even the best band I listen to. A Thousand Suns on the other hand remains not only my favorite, but I think objectively one of the best albums I've personally ever heard. The LPA has played a very important, major role in the development of my music taste. I joined at age 13, a diehard Linkin Park and Eminem fan who listened to some Coldplay and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Since then, thanks to the LPA, I've found so many new genres and bands that I absolutely love. My taste right now goes from Coldplay to Slipknot to Trent Reznor's latest movie score. Thanks to some well-written posts on here I've come to appreciate metal, screaming, film scores and probably most importantly remixes. When I joined, I thought Reanimation was a joke. Right now, it's one of my favorite Linkin Park releases, and in general it warmed me up towards remixes, so now there isn't a single month where I don't listen to at least the winners and runners-up of the MMU. I remember making a post here two years ago that was just bashing Slipknot, even though at the time I knew like 3 of their song. After the last few months, I honestly can't say a single bad word about Slipknot. And all due to the fact Pidgeon posted The Negative One in the Random Thoughts thread. So the LPA, a place that I joined to discuss pretty much only Linkin Park, has redefined my music taste, and introduced me to some objectively better bands... like Nine Inch Nails. And I thank this site, and the incredible community on it.

At the end of this post full of praise, I'd like to take the time to apologize for being a fucking idiot when I first joined. I may not be much better, but hell, it's been over 2 years since I got an infraction.

 

Dude, don't worry about it. I think most of us were idiots back when we first joined. I never got an infraction though, but I can't look back on my earliest posts without cringing and facepalming.

 

I got 3 infractions and a warning. Thank God, I managed to cancel one infraction. #rebel

 

Lol I'm not proud of myself but I'm afraid I have asked the infamous question "Why are you even on this site if LP isn't your favorite band?!" Since then I've come to be the very person I would ask that question to. Just in my time here (4 years) my life has changed, my taste has changed and the way I find music has changed. It's just funny the places you'll find yourself when you resolved to never be in that place. Then you get there and it's not so bad. It's like getting older as punk kid. Going from "Fuck everything!" to “Things aren't so bad." Is that last part even relevant. Who knows?

BTW I'm super surprised at high I am on the post count list. Coming for you Todd!

 

I agree with what you have said. Personally, I don't see myself ever having LP as not my favorite band. They have been my favorite since around 2005, shortly after I first heard them. I completely understand why LP isn't everyone's favorite. There are millions of bands on this planet, and probably one for everyone that is better than LP, but we haven't and might never hear them.

 

Hybrid sucks eggs.

 

My only problem is when lots of people on this site will start bashing and tearing apart Linkin Park on certain threads. I don't come here to read hate comments you would see in the comment section of YouTube (but with a little more maturity).

 

Consider me in the "moved on" category. This last album cycle was really it for me, for a few reasons that I don't need to bring up again. I'll probably still come on here from time to time, probably to check out what people are saying in the TV/movie section.

 

the constant whining over that topic is really getting annoying , we get that LP is not the best band in the world but you don't have to be very defensive towards others who think the opposite, i mean it's all matter of opinion but LP fanbase remains the hardest fanbase to ever deal with and it's not a weird thing when any one of those you consider ''newcomers'' starts asking these types of questions because there are millions of other bands that are still considered by their fans as their favorite , and that's normally what a typical fansite is all bout , so it's not unusual by any means .
Also, generalizing all the new members as emotive fanboys who have nothing to do in their life but worshiping their favorite band does really piss me off
You don't have to be so defensive among other fans just because they are asking these questions because you don't know their actual reasons
I mean when i started this discussion a month ago , i wasn't being serious at the beginning , maybe due to the fact that I've dealt with a numerous types of fanbases and they all consider their band as '' the best band in the universe'' and maybe because I'm not familiar with LPA community , and i'm sure that not all lp fans like LPA because at the end of the day it's not officially related to the band .
While i still consider LP as my all time favorite band it's not a secret that i listen to other types of bands (mainly heavier bands like mastodon , megadeth ,disturbed ) and I'm grateful everyday that LP introduced me to other genres of music , and maybe that's one reason why i will appreciate their music till i die ..

'

 

I can't say that Linkin Park is my all-time favorite band in terms of music, but their albums and band members are very dear to me. My music taste has changed immensely throughout the years, yet Linkin Park still remains one of the few bands/music artists that has kept with me over time. I certainly don't think they make masterpieces, but their albums have always seemed to have resonated with how I felt during those particular times. I guess what has kept me interested in the band for so long is how much they've matured over the years (Except THP, I really hate THP) and my taste in music along with them. I wouldn't have stayed for so long had they continued to make countless Hybrid Theory's. I was losing interest after Meteora, but Minutes to Midnight drew me right back in, and my love/respect for the band has only grown since. They're always striving to create something new and unique, and I can't help but be excited for everything they do next. They HAVE done things I did not like (The Hunting Party for one), but I know they'll continue to make something exciting, and if I love it or even if I hate it that's ok, because I'm just happy to see the band still staying around to create something they love doing.

It's ok to not blindly worship everything they've ever done, that's not what being a fan is about. Being a fan is about having respect for the decisions the band makes and what makes them happy. I don't have to like everything they do, but I still respect their work. I don't have to agree with what another fan says, but I will still respect their opinion. All of us are here because we are fans of the band, we might not like everything they do (Maybe you do), but we all have respect for the band. Sure, some of us can be extremely immature (I know I am), it's just a shame a lot seem to have this "You're not a real fan" attitude. That's surely not what the band would want. It's ridiculously annoying to see, but I just ignore it. I only care about the band, they mean a lot to me. I'll always stick with them no matter what, even long after they retire.

/Wall of text.