I'm not hugely convinced
putting music "into context" improves it any. Listening to grunge in the early '90s may have been a refreshing experience for all those people who were fed up of hair metal, but that doesn't mean the under-30s can't appreciate the music in its own right (I'm not a huge fan of grunge, but it was the first thing that came to mind). Similarly, it's possible to enjoy punk without being a disaffected teenager in the '70s.

As for false stereotypes - maybe you're right and I've just met a bunch of wankers who happen to be fans of the Smiths. It's entirely possible there are people I get on with who dig them and just don't share (I can't imagine why when I am clearly so musically open-minded). So for "Smiths fans" up there, read "rabid Smiths fans" or "people who define themselves primarily as Smiths fans" or something.

I stand by my big words.
(Shinigami, Sun 2 Jan 2011, 16:10, Reply)