Hey can I get real for moment here?  Guys, I have so many guilty pleasures and an overall horrible taste in music.  I pride myself on listening to some pretty great stuff and always having an open mind when it comes to music, but as a Metal-Head there are some artists and songs I honestly feel horrible for even listening or bopping my head to.  From pop music to generic horrible rock music, my taste just gets crappier and crappier.  So here's a list of taste from not so embarrassing to "OH MY GOD! YOU LIKE THEM? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" 1. Katy Perry [caption id="attachment_332" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This...this makes me happy[/caption] If you keep up with my writings, then I ask, "what's wrong with you? I'm horrible!" But really if you keep up with what I write for this blog, you'll know I love Katy Perry. I've proven that Katy is pretty freakin' metal.  Yeah that's some shameless self promotion. If anything, I'm embarrassed by this one because as a self hating hipster, I pride myself on listening to stuff that isn't in the mainstream or just cliche poppy music.  Nonetheless, I can't help myself.  Whenever one of her songs comes out on the radio or somewhere in public, I can't help but sing along and even dance sometimes.  Plus the fact that Katy has cat named Kitty Purry is just ten thousand times cooler.  Also I just think the woman is just gorgeous.  I have fallen victim to the record companies ploy of, "Duh we likey the pretty girl duh".  But can you blame me? Look at her and hear her voice! She's an angel! 2. T-Swift (AKA Taylor Swift for all you plebeians)  [caption id="attachment_333" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Thug life![/caption] I know shocking, the guy who admits he loves Katy Perry, also like listening to Taylor Swift.  But for a metal-head this is borderline blasphemy.  T-Swift embodies what fans in metal world hate -generic pop music with barely any resemblance of originality.  Honestly though, I couldn't care less if she isn't original or she doesn't write her own songs.  The music freaking dope! 1989 was my jam! And I will fight anyone in Black Metal face paint that disagrees.  That being said, I just really enjoy the way she sings, and every time I hear or read she's dating someone new, I get excited cause she has new material for her songs and that means I get more jams.  So yeah, I like T-Swift.  Not entirely proud of it but you gotta give the girl credit, she's awesome. [caption id="attachment_334" align="aligncenter" width="209"] I swear to Beelzebub, I love Black Metal[/caption] 3. Middle School Sprinkles was a basic little punk and I want to fight him because of the garbage he liked.  If you were anything like me, middle school wasn't the best time of your life.  Everything was changing.  You were constantly mad.  You had awkward acne.  Your voice was cracking.  But most importantly some of the stuff you enjoyed was a little embarrassing.  I for one sometimes look back at my middle school days and cringe.  I dressed exclusively in black or dark colored clothing.  I was an edgy little atheist.  I was always trying to grow my hair long.  However, the thing that makes me cringe the most is my music taste.  Everything from Hawthorne Heights to My Chemical Romance.  I know what you're thinking, "Oh my god I love those guys.  How can you hate them?"  Well I'll tell you why.  Because it's just a bunch of grown men crying and screaming about their problems and them trying to be edgy and angsty.  It's honestly completely overdone and cliche.  It worse when you realize these guys were old enough to be your parents. [caption id="attachment_335" align="aligncenter" width="218"] Get over yourself dude. You're almost 40![/caption] I bring all of this up because it shows that I've always had a god awful music taste.  I'm not saying the music I listen to now isn't better or anything but at least what I listen to now has some originality, and the anger in metal helps me deal with the stress life brings.  Emo music just makes me wanna cry because it's just so awful, but hey what do I know, I actually used to own a Nickelback album. 4. Yup you read that correctly.... I used to own a Nickelback CD.  [caption id="attachment_336" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Oh c'mon! Like you didn't do anything stupid as a kid![/caption] Yeah I'm not proud of this one and I will not defend it at all.  At the age 15, I owned Nickelback's Dark Horse and I used to actually enjoy it and defend the album.  I have a memory of defending my choice to friend by saying, "It's good party rock man!  It's really good."  No, 15 year old me, it's not "good party rock" and it's not "really good."  In fact, 15 year old me, Nickelback is one of the reasons hard-rock has lost its edge and originality.  If anything, they shouldn't be allowed to continue to write music.  Nickelback was basically Canada's horrible response to Creed.  Thankfully, I've found better music and I've learned from my mistakes.  Since then I have literally burned this album so no one would have to subject themselves to listening to it.  In other words, no one would ever have to ask, "how the hell did we wind up like this?" 4. I actually like Creed [caption id="attachment_337" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Please let me explain.[/caption] Of all the band musical choices I've made in my past this is the one I try to hide the most.  I actually like Creed and it's not ironically.  At first, I started liking Creed as a joke.  My friends and I would play their songs to troll each other, or to make fun of lead singer Scott Stapp, but after a while we ended kind of enjoying the songs.  It started when I confessed to my friends that I actually kind of liked their songs and they agreed that they too were beginning enjoy them, and just like that, like a crippling heroin addiction, my friends and I began a sad spiral downwards into horrible Christian hard-rock.  If you want to beat me up, I understand.  I completely deserve the beating, but I actually like Creed and there's nothing I can do about but hide it away from everyone else. Bonus: Adele but like everyone else I'm not embarrassed by this one.  She's the embodiment of perfection.   [caption id="attachment_339" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Oh Adele, who's hurt you know.[/caption] Have you heard this angel sing?  This is what the heavens themselves sound like.  When Adele opens her mouth people flock from all over just hear her, and I am one of those people that flocks to the sound of her voice.  She has this way bringing up emotion in the listener that no other person can do.  Every time I hear a new song from her, I'm excited but also sad and ask, "Oh Adele I won't ever hurt you.  Let's cry together.  It's going to be OK." Anyone with a pair of ears, regardless of their musical tastes, can appreciate Adele.  That my friends is the personification of a true artist. Yeah I've got a horrible music taste and feel free to hate me or think less of me, but honestly we all have horrible guilty pleasures.  That's the point of all this, it's OK to like random things or things that are suppose to be popular.  Music is music people and it's made to be appreciated.  Unless that music is Nickelback.  That is not music and if you enjoy Nickelback, then please proceed to jump off the nearest bridge. - Matthew "Sprinkles" Atwell