I’m trying to figure out why I hate Bob Seger. For some reason, I woke up this morning with “Against the Wind” stuck in my head, which has prompted this re-evaluation. Ever since I’ve been alive, Seger’s been a part of my life and all over the radio. I’ve been inundated with his so-called Silver Bullet Band from the time I was a small child because my parents like him. And while he projects a really cool imagine, I think his most beloved songs–like “Rock And Roll Never Forgets” (his lame spelling of rock ‘n roll, not mine) is about as cool as “You’re Momma Don’t Dance” by Loggins and Messina. That’s not very cool.
Seger’s particular brand of blue-collar “heartland” rock has never really been my bag, but he has always struck me as sincere. More sincere than many other musicians in this category—I’m looking at you John Cougar Mellencamp. Seger’s a Detroit man and his affection for Motown is evident in his music, which is pretty damn cool for a white guy so he has that going for him. Now that I think about it, other than “Rock And Roll Never Forgets” the only other song of his that I absolutely can’t stand is “Old Time Rock and Roll.” And that’s probably due to a mix of it being overplayed and the fact that songs about rock ‘n roll tend to be lame.
I really like “Night Moves,” “Fire Down Below,” “Mainstreet,” and “Beautiful Loser.” There’s a live cut of his song “Katmandu” that I hear on the classic rock radio way too much that I alternate between loving and hating. Really when I step back and think about it, my problem isn’t with Seger, it’s with the people who have been programming classic rock radio for the past 25 years. As I’ve been writing this, I’ve been listening to NIGHT MOVES via YouTube (why Bobby, won’t you add your music to Spotify?) and I actually really dig the deeper cuts of the album. Turns out I probably don’t hate Bob Seger. He still reminds me of my Dad a little too much and his backing band has a name that makes me think of crappy beer…but overall I guess I really am a Bob Seger fan.
The moral of this story is: take time every now and then to ponder why you don’t (or do) like something. Take it apart and if your dislike makes sense, then fine. But if not…you’re just being an asshole.
Defending Axl Rose 