Jrock, if you were blind.

[Winter]

Honestly think about it. Would jrock be as important to you, if you were blind?

If you never knew how your favorite artist looked like, do you think it would matter? Seriously consider that, before you answer.

[meomi]

to be honest, i don't care 'bout their look. I like them for their music only ;) [well, Haido is special :roll:]

[Kuro_Tsubasa69]

Of course it would be as important to me. Every artist I like I listened to thier music first, then saw pics. While the visual part is an added bonus, it is not neccesary for me to like the music. So, yeah, I would still like it as much as I do now.

[zombiepanda]

1) People who like groups based on if they're "hot" or not can hardly be considered fans.

2) I don't particulary search for visual bands, so it's not anything I'm attacted to especially.

3) How could I be sad if I didn't know about, say, hide's pink hair if I... didn't know he had pink hair since I couldn't see him? :p

[Ami]

Originally posted by Kuro_Tsubasa69
Of course it would be as important to me. Every artist I like I listened to thier music first, then saw pics. While the visual part is an added bonus, it is not neccesary for me to like the music. So, yeah, I would still like it as much as I do now.

I agree with Kuro_Tsubasa69. :bow: :emblaugh:

[Illaparatzo-sama]

CDs don't show me pretty pictures. If I was only into their looks, I wouldn't buy the CDs, I'd download them. I'd be a rambling, idiotic loud fangirl. I have 1 photobook, and it is Malice Mizer so I have a great excuse, the excuse being "IT'S MALICE MIZER.". Yes, yes. I also collect the GLB's, cause Mana is in 'em. He's special, too. Purdy. =3

Lydia

[Timsan]

Scandinavian rock is superior to "jrock" ^^

[Toshiya]

Of course style is important but honestly if I like a visual band like Dir en Grey it's because of the feelings their music gives me....

[Winter]

Originally posted by Timsan
Scandinavian rock is superior to "jrock" ^^

Agreed.

[Winter]

Okay, Part 2 of this thread. For those of you who claim visuals are not vital to your appreciation for whoever, then how many of you coincidently restrict your music listening to overseas bands; namely Japanese/Chinese?

[Illaparatzo-sama]

Not me ^_______________^

I don't listen to much music; Lareine, Malice Mizer, Moi Dix Mois, Dir en grey and Gackt are all the Japanese I listen to. Well, maybe a couple of other bands. >_>
But not much.

Of course, my list of non-Japanese bands pales next to THAT, but only - And I promise this- because I just don't listen to that much music, and I get a lot more exposure to Japanese bands than to non-Japanese.

Lydia

[zombiepanda]

@ Part 2: All of the languages I have songs in (that I can remember): Japanese, English, Korean, Finnish, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish, Greek.

[shrinkwrap]

Along with jrock, I listen to a lot of american and british music ranging from alternative to psychadelic to folk... But I'll listen to anything Japanese because I am a really big Japanophile...:p

[Lo~ki]

part 1: To be truthful, like others here, I like a band or artist for their music. However, the way I was introduced to Jrock was a friend sticking a picture under my nose and saying "Look! He's hot! Wheee!" The picture was of Gackt, and I ended looking him up and all. I always do that when someone introduces me to something new. Heard some of his music*, didn't find it particulary special, but from there I began to discover other artists. So yeah, if I were blind, then perhaps my friend would never have stuck that picture under my nose.
* In between been shown Gackt's picture and hearing his music I was shown and heard Bz, who I liked.

part 2: I study Asian languages so I mostly have Asian artists. And a couple of French songs.

[Kuro_Tsubasa69]

@Part 2: The majority of what I listen to is jrock, but, I do also listen to French music, Spanish music, and some British and American Music. Music is just too good to limit your selection, especially since each type from various places brings its own 'taste/style' to the scene, which is refreshing. ;)

[Lo~ki]

Oh yes, also British, American, Australian, and German bands.

[Christine]

Originally posted by Winter
Honestly think about it. Would jrock be as important to you, if you were blind?

If you never knew how your favorite artist looked like, do you think it would matter? Seriously consider that, before you answer.

Of course it would. I like them cause' they make really good music, then I mean REALLY GOOD!!!

[Christine]

Originally posted by zombiepanda
@ Part 2: All of the languages I have songs in (that I can remember): Japanese, English, Korean, Finnish, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish, Greek.

Did you see World idol? The norwegian guy Kurt won YAY! He got such a cool voice. To bad he is ugly...

[kirei_na_me]

Just wanted to say this is a good thread subject, Winter...hehehe...

I'm not a fan of any J-music, though, so I don't think I'm qualified to offer my two cents.

[Bluebird]

Originally posted by Timsan
Scandinavian rock is superior to "jrock" ^^
I like "The Hives", those are the first that spring to mind when you mention Scandinavian rock. What Scandinavian bands do you listen to?

ブルーバード。

[Winter]

Arent the hives really from Norway, or Sweden?

Anyhoo, a great Scandinavian artist is King Diamond. Gotta love him.

[MilkyWay]

For me I have to say yes
When I started to listen to japanese music, I haven't had i-net back then, and therefore I had no idea how the band members looked. But it was a very pretty side effect I didn't mind when I got to know XD

[Ahi-kun]

Originally posted by zombiepanda
1) People who like groups based on if they're "hot" or not can hardly be considered fans.

Exactly. People who used to go for bands like Backstreet Boys (Cough hack choke :wary: ) only liked them because of their looks. I hate it when all band is is a bucket of make-up and a wiggly voice. -_-

I wouldn't really care. :)

[luna]

PART 1: cool if they r handsome, but music is what it matters :victory:
PART 2: i listen music from all over the world :clap:

[Winter]

Question no. 3: How many of you base some importance, or at least consideration to the look of a band?

[Hachiko]

Originally posted by Winter
Question no. 3: How many of you base some importance, or at least consideration to the look of a band?

I prefer to look at the way they write their music (did they write and compose it themselves? do their lyrics serve a substantial purpose in life or the world today), how they sing it, etc. I'm not into the look of a person. You can look real hot and still be untalented. Being more well-rounded instead of one-dimensional is what I feel makes a solid musician/band.

[Illaparatzo-sama]

Q3: Not much. VK's costumes can help draw me in (MM, Deg) but can't keep me (MUCC, Hanamuke, Nightmare, Baroque).

Lydia

[Kuro_Tsubasa69]

Originally posted by Hachiko

I prefer to look at the way they write their music (did they write and compose it themselves? do their lyrics serve a substantial purpose in life or the world today), how they sing it, etc. I'm not into the look of a person. You can look real hot and still be untalented. Being more well-rounded instead of one-dimensional is what I feel makes a solid musician/band.


I totally agree. (Look at britney spears. :p)

The first thing I look at when I listen to a new band, is the lyrics, not the pics. I like to see how poetic they are, and how that flows with the music. I also don't like those artists that sing lyrics that are not their own. The band has to come together as a whole, lyrics and music has to be theirs

Woops, off the topic....

@Q3: I think it is nice to have a band with a nice look/'looks', but, I do not stress it. I pay more attention to the music.

[axia]

Question 1: frankly, i was introduced to dir en grey through their PVs.. i think the reason visual bands are called visual bands is precisely because they are very visual. and their looks is part and parcel of their genre of music. while i would like to believe too that i like j-rock purely for their music and not for their looks, i think if i hadn't known the visual side of these rock bands, i wouldn't have known the whole character of the band. i like their music of course. but if i were blind, i would still like them, but with a different feel and attitude because i can't see their visual side. its just like how you treat different people differently according to their personality without consciously realising.

question 2: oh well, i like soundtracks. can be in any language. a little world music and i kinda like traditional stuff also to get the feel of the cultures.
like japanese music even if i can't understand. sometimes i listen to music because of how it sounds, not really what it means. n the mood it gives. think i like foreign music because i don't understand them and i don't need to think about them.
some chinese pop, rock and r&b. you guys ever heard chinese rap by jay chow? cool.
of course english. listen to almost any genre. like alternative.

question3: hmm look of the band....
but sometimes it isn't just the look. i guess a band can get popular by what they did and their character and things like that. eg.. a sad sad story behind the vocal.
these are plus points i guess. and it makes you sit up n pay an extra attention to that particular band. n i have to admit, sometimes its because of these things that draws me to listen to particular music.
but there are other bands without such exposure and i like that still because they sound good.

[Winter]

For all of you who dont value looks as much as others, how many of you own picture books, or relatively extensive galleries of your favorite artists?

[zombiepanda]

Originally posted by Winter
For all of you who dont value looks as much as others, how many of you own picture books, or relatively extensive galleries of your favorite artists?



I <3 to put pictures of J-rock/pop people on web layouts, sigs, notebooks, my wall etc.


And there's the little lyrics books that come with CDs that usually have nice pictures, so unless you really ARE blind, it's hard to avoid having them, considering you don't just sit in front of P2P programs and download everything. :p

But I for the most part use pictures of artists I like--not pictures I think are cool, whether or not I listen to said artist/band or not.

[Illaparatzo-sama]

I have one photobook. And it's MM! GIVE ME A BREAK.
I also collect pictures of Mana from the Gothic & Lolita Bibles, cause um... It's MANA.
=D

I'm so great with excuses.

Lydia

[Winter]

The bibles dont count. Only because my buddy has done a few articles for it.

[Lo~ki]

What is your point, Winter?

[Winter]

It isnt obvious?

I thought people would give me the typical responses of how much they didnt care about looks, then I wanted to see the people that said that, how many have picture books, and devote much of their time to collecting images.

Have you noticed the amount of answers to the 1st question, vs. the answers to the 3rd?

[Lo~ki]

I own no picture books. But I have collected a fair number of pics from the net. *shrug*

[PixieRae]

J-rock would still be important to me. I love foreign languages, especially asian ones. Artists like Weiss Kreuz, Dir En Grey, and Malice Mizer have different backgrounds and overall sound than most of the english music I listen to.

It does matter what the artists I listen to look like because I was brainwashed by society as a child to stereotype people. Even a blind person can stereotype people by looks. Most blind people can tell what a person looks like by feeling them out or by a description, and can distinguish physical attributes. If Gackt was as homely as could be, I could like him less, but I wouldn't dislike the music on that account. I still like Tenacious D, even though people think Jack Black is homely and obese.

The look of a band does influence me. If the message of the band matches how they act and look, I'm more likely to think they're cool. With a band like Malice Mizer, their sound is ethereal and somewhat circus-like. The fact that they dress outrageously gothic and wear makeup fits the circus theme, so I am more likely to like their music. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of the band Good Charlotte because their message doesn't match the way they act and look, so I therefore don't like them.

[Christine]

Originally posted by Winter
Question no. 3: How many of you base some importance, or at least consideration to the look of a band?
As I said the norwigian idol is far from pretty, but his got such a great voice and cool songs. So to me how an artist look dos not matter!

[Christine]

Originally posted by Winter
For all of you who dont value looks as much as others, how many of you own picture books, or relatively extensive galleries of your favorite artists?

I have only been searching the net for pictures to see what the artists singing this great songs looked like. But I would never order picturebooks. Cause' when I've seen a picture of the person I don't forget how they look. But I love looking at pictures of them cause' they are so extreme in the way they dress and they wear avsome make-up. You don't see that normally in Norway. Norway sucks! The way music artist dress here is so dull and boring. :angryfire

[Kuro_Tsubasa69]

Originally posted by Winter
For all of you who dont value looks as much as others, how many of you own picture books, or relatively extensive galleries of your favorite artists?

I don't own any photobooks, *never will, either*, but I have some pics of various Jrock artists. I like to use the poses to help me work on my figure drawing, and the outfits are great, and so detailed! :clap: (They give me ideas for outfits, also. ;))(But, If I was blind, i really would have no use for them, since I most likely wouldn't be draiwng, ne?) Also, i won't lie, they make good and interesting backgrounds, especially ran through photoshop. :p

[*Angelic_Marionette*]

ooo nooooo... *sniff.tear* wha-wha-whatt..im afraid . :(
NOOO i dont want to be blind!!! NO no no this will not DO!
what would happen if i could not see Kyo-sama...or or or..Kao-chan....or or...*sniff* or sexy Totchi.. or or or... WHAA! :o
what would happen to my life...without sight :worried: you make me worried now....

NOOOOOOOOOO come back Kyo-sama!!! i can still see!! :(

[EscaFlowne]

:souka: In terms of music and if you were blind, it shoudn't matter. Because how did you first here there music? By radio, cd, or tape. You then appreciated the music then put a face with the name. So if you really appreciate the music, it wouldn't matter if you were blind because when you listen to them in a walkman or on your computer or something i'm pretty sure a picture of them dosen't just pop up. :haihai: :relief:

[Bounty Hunter]

Well i dont know about the rest of you people but to me its all about the beat of the music,
i dont care what the person singing the track looks like unless (she) is HOT then it would bother me.

Hopefully you can respect my feelings on this. :cool: :bravo:

[Gaki]

Scandinavian rock is superior to "jrock" ^^

Viking Black Metal > Everything.

[Jean-Francois]

That depends ...

Three months ago I had bought Matsu Takako's CD mainly out of curiosity. Honestly I don't have very high standards for pop music but I heard it once and really didn't like it. I just gave it to a friend who was a huge fan of "Love Generation." She appreciated it very much ... err ... we have very different tastes in music.

However, if it were Matsushima Nanako, I pobably would tolerate ...

[lucretia]

1) If i was blind i probably wouldnt have gotten into Jrock. the reason i wanted to listen to malice mizers music was because i saw a picture and thought "wow! they look so cool i wonder what their music is like...." and i actually do love their music now as well.. if i was blind and had been played a song by them i still would be very interested in their music because their music is amazing IMO.

3) I place most importance on music and obviously a MUSICIAN is there to make MUSIC and not to necessarily look nice.. and if you're listening to a CD what difference will it make if the person singing also *happens* to look cool as well....

that said..... Visual kei and glam rock and new romantic and goth bands all appeal to me very much because of the way they dress up. they are trying to be more than just musicians and be artists as well.. music is art and so is fashion they are just broadening the art into more spectrums... i admire bands that dress up to reflect the music they make, and originality in clothing is so much better than following the mainstream.

oh and if the people in the band are physically attractive, it is an added bonus when you look at their pictures.. just doesnt make a difference to the music

[antantrevolution]

I really could care less what the band looks like, so if I were blind that wouldn't matter. Besides, being a sighted person, how many times have you heard a song while being somewhere or just sitting around doing nothing, but have that song mean so much to you even without any idea what the artist looked like? Probably a lot.

So I think, once again, I have summed up the entire feelings of the group in one of my masterfully ingenious rants! Haha (^0^)

Just kidding.

Ant

[Rocketdive]

I like japanese rock because of the music.
the first band I listened to was X, I downloaded a mp3 and I liked it, later I found a fan site, saw their pics and laughed out loud :P they looked so cheesy but they made great music... now I like lots of bands from Japan, some are "visual" style like Onmyouza, others look plain ridiculous like Seikima II, but I don't care if they wear black leather jackets or pink dresses, if I like their music they can wear whatever they want and there won't be any problem :)

[Zyk]

if I were blind, and would hear Dir en grey, I would honestly love them as much as I do now, because I donｴt love just how they look like, I also of course love their unique music and Kyoｴs voice, itｴs so beautiful!! But I donｴt say that looks donｴt matter, because, it does, but itｴs not all! :-)

[Python]

Importance to the look of a band... yes and no. Yes I like it when they look hot/cute/etc. But if I find out the band I just listened to, is 'ugly' I don't care. Hell.. if someone makes a great song but hasn't got the looks, I'm not complaining!!

About the blindness, I don't think I'd have been here if I were blind. But if I were to become blind next month... I'd say that sucks. But just because being blind sucks! So of course it would suck that I can't see the artists anymore. I wouldn't be able to download new things either!

But I'm glad..but also not. Because my left ear is DEAF. I can't hear **** with it. My other ear is 100% though.. and I hope it stays that way!! I have to be really carefull with it, so no loud Jrock with a headphone..

[nurizeko]

If the world went blind and all memory of their looks erased from the public, the vast majority of female stars would go out of bussiness.

Though who knows, maybe the imagination will convince folk that every female singing voice belongs to a goddess on earth, much in the same vein some folk can convince themselves someone other an IM is really hot.

[Dr. Warumono]

I've listened to Dir En Grey and Malice Mizer for a while before searching for their pics... So I think it would be the same for me, to me appareance is not very important; if I like a band or an artist I like them for their music and for the emotions that they give to me everytime that I liten to them ^^

[Horizon]

Well, I discovered JRock after listening to Kotani Kinya and wanting more Japanese music. I did this by finding this one website and looking up any males on there (I normally don't like female voices much, if at all), so, thusly, if I was blind, I probably wouldn't be listening to them because I wouldn't have introduced myself to them. However, if they were introduced to me in a different way, I'd probably like them. Kind of difficult to know for sure though. Being blind kind of changes a person and all and, if I was born blind, I'd be a completely different person with different tastes and stuff I'm sure. However, if I suddenly went blind now after I already know about JRock and am I fan of it, I'd remain a fan. I love the music and, although they are rather nice to look at and all, I think I'd be weeping over more important things than loosing the ability to see hot guys to really care. If I went blind, music would mean so much more to me I think. Music creates images in my head and I often go off into day dreams listening to it and if I lived in eternal darkness, I'd very much like to be in a day dream for as long and often as possible. The music would probably just become even more beautiful to me and I'd become an even bigger fan of it, if my fandom was to change at all.

Jeez...That was long-winded...:relief:

[Hana in Plaid]

Part 1: I always listen to the music before looking at pictures, I have a annoying person in my school who claims to be a Jrock fan but she only likes the way they look :auch:
Part 2: I have Chinese, English, French and my friend will tell me some good Indian bands/singers :cool:
Part 3: Well...not important I guess...but I do love Pretty Jrockers :relief:

[Horizon]

-cough- I forgot the answers to the others:

Part Two: I listen to English bands all the time and I also listen to Rammstein a lot. I, in no way, just restrict myself to Japanese music and I only have a couple of Chinese ones (Silver Ash, yo!). I also like the sound of tribal African music and other stuff like that, although I don't have any at all. I also have a couple of French songs. I really don't care about anything trivial like the hotness factor of a musician or the lanaguage he or she sings in. I only care if the music and the voice are good.

Part Three: I don't consider the look of an artist or band at all, let alone base any importance in it. Sure, if a band looked like Britney Spears clones and sang songs that were a cross between Rammstein and Marilyn Manson (or vice versa), it would be kind of odd and all, but as long as the music was good I wouldn't mind. Now if the hotness of musicians was what was meant by that as well, sure, it's nice to have hot people to drool over as you listen to good music. That's just a basic fact. Nevertheless, it doesn't effect the music, especially when you aren't watching music videos or lives as you can't see them anyway. It's just a bonus and an unnecessary one at that. It's all just about the music.

[JoRuDeNnA]

Part 1->In my opinion I must accept I love Jrocker's looks, I mean who doesnt! BUT definetly if I couldnt see them, they would be still important, because I felt in love with their music, that was what made me like Jrock.
I really sometimes find myself totally lost while listening to specific songs, the music and the voice make me forget everything that sorrounds me, and I just concentrate in the sound, so I dont think not knowing how they look will make a diference for me :-)

Part 2->I do listen to many other artists as well, I love mexican music, for example, I must accept I like cumbias and banda :blush: , Mariachis?? WOW the best!! haha, I like some american bands as well, just found out about a finnish band ( I think) called Lordi and they are ok I still listen to some old artists such as The Beatles and Bonnie Tyler. Besides I love to dance latin music in general :cool:

Part 3-> I like pretty Jrockers but is not like THE MOST important thing in a band, first the music then the looks!

[Noseybonk]

I always listen to the music first rather than base my music tastes on looks. If I did base on looks then I would have a really bad music collection.:okashii:

[Precious4e]

When I got into JRock I had just randomly downloaded some songs. I had no idea what they looked like but I really really liked the songs so I kept downloading. It was the music and the amazing vocals that made me like bands like Luna Sea, L'arc~en~ciel, and Dir en grey to name a few. Sometimes the look of the band would turn me off or I would find certain members unattractive. But since I liked the music so much, the look would grow on me and I would begin to think that all the members were hot (I think talent makes a person very sexy hehehe)

Sometimes the look of the band would attract me to them and I would listen to their music. But eventually, if I didn't like the music I would not be crazy about the band and the members themselves.

[Tomino]

if i was blind i wouldnt be online. if i wouldnt be online i never would have gotten to chat with my aunt in msn. if i wouldnt have chatted with my aunt in msn i couldnt ever candidate to a camp in germany. if i cant be able to go to that camp i couldnt have met a wonderful friend there! if i wouldnt have that wonderful friend i could never have a penpal. if i never had her for penpal i wouldnt never read the band name ''dir en grey''. if i never have heard that i never could hear them. becaus i was blind :okashii:.
i hope i made sense with that.
well shortly: if i was blind i just wouldnt be here becaus i wouldnt be able to be online. and so on..
i hope everyone understood :).
ANYWAY i really dont know if i was blind and listen to jrock becaus maybe i wouldnt hear it or i would hear something but the song isnt very good, so i wouldnt be interested.
plus estonian radios only play estonian or english music -_-, so it would be pretty impossible that, yeah...

[Kinsao]

Wow, this thread is kind of old but very interesting isn't it! :cool:

If you're talking literally, well then, if I was blind I wouldn't have been online and would therefore never have discovered the existence of Jrock - probably. But I get the feeling that the OP was really asking "How important is the look to you?" which is a different thing... *nods*

I can honestly say that the appearance of the musicians makes no difference whatsoever to whether I like or dislike music. So, supposing that I was blind and I had a friend who could introduce me to various bands; if that was the case, the bands I would like would be exactly the same ones I enjoy now. :-)

There was one case where I listened to a band because their look caught my attention. That case is SID; as it happened I liked their sound and I continue to listen to them. :music: If I'd been introduced to them by their music first, I'd still have liked it.

For many bands that I listen to, I have honestly no idea what they look like. :bluush:

Equally, I listen to a lot of bands that don't have a visual element to their presentation, or at least, no more than all bands do (even 'plain' looking bands, such as boy bands, and those who dress in casual clothes, have some consideration of their visual image in presentation to the public! :p ).

I haven't read through this thread from the beginning, but people on this page mentioned non-Japanese music that they listen to... I like to listen to music from various different countries (the language doesn't make any difference to me, so I'll just go by whether I like the sound). I have a lot of CDs of 'old-style' British and American rock and metal (probably most of my collection is these, as that was the first style which got me interested in music other than classical). There are so many countries it seems like an impossible task for me sometimes to find out about everything I want to investigate! :hihi: At the moment I'm particularly enjoying discovering French bands. :cool: I also like various Scandinavian metal bands, plus Rammstein (:haihai: ) and Moonspell (who are Portuguese). In addition I'm discovering other British and American bands all the time. I have an increasing interest in industrial and electronica, which is leading me in American music at the moment. But my investigations change all the time... :)

[Child_prey]

Damn right it would! :dance: I didn't even know how they looked when I first heard them and started to like them. I was quite confused to find out that some men wore dresses :p And to be honest, when I first saw Dir en grey, I thought that Die was the singer bcuz the singer sounded so... tall and manly....:p and that Kyo was the drummer, I could really picture him behind a pair of drums banging away like the mad man he is :lol:

[butterbrickle]

While you may all say appearance doesn't matter, I seriously doubt there'd be any fangirls/boys if, say, Toshiya and Hyde and etc. were grotesquely ugly freaks.

[Kinsao]

There might not be fangirls/boys, but damn sure there'd still be fans.

[Child_prey]

Right on Kinsao!:cool: