Good question. It's certainly nothing to do with sex or drugs, I can tell you that.
No, the word of the day is:
You see what I did there? I thought it was fairly clever...Anyhow, "Variety" is the big, wonderful V word of music. But here's a fun fact: many (I daresay even MOST) people fear or hate this word. It's true! Just ask anyone who cites metal or rap as their favourite type of music. Many of group A are of the opinion that if it's not metal, it's not worth their time; many in group B think "if it's not rap, it's crap".
Kind of ironic on THAT particular count, isn't it? Those two examples aside, though, there is a huge portion of the population that can't accept musical styles outside of their listening preferences. You may know a person that likes Country, R&B/Rap and Top 40 Rock, but anything outside of that sphere is outside of their understanding or enjoyment. To me, that's kind of pitiful. I recognize that they may have mosconceptions or had a bad experience with one genre, but that's no excuse to completely abandon it as a possible source of great music.
Hopping back on the Metal bandwagon as a case study of sorts, lots of people are very put off by the "metal crowd". This is pretty understandable, given the fashion sense and "fronted" attitudes of many of those people. In addition, some sub-genres of Metal are, indeed, VERY offensive to both one's sensibilities and one's ears.
For example, I went to a metal show in the summer to see a favourite band of mine, Bullet For My Valentine. The first of their openers was a band called "The Cancer Bats". Now, that alone should have warned me to just step outside for the duration of their set, because a few years before I had been told by a co-worker who had seen them that (and I quote) "They are f***ing TERRIBLE!"
And so, as this group of unkempt individuals took the stage and launched into their first "song". I wisely covered my ears. As it turned out, not only were they indeed AWFUL (it was just a mess of thudding noise and screaming), but their levels were set far too high for an indoor venue; standing further back from the stage was actually a worse idea for escaping the sound, and I ended up having tinnitus for a good 4 or 5 days.
Not a good time. Fortunately, the headliners were absolutely awesome, but the fact remains that there are a LOT of atrocious bands out there. ruining their genre's good name. It is because of bands like the Cancer Bats that people who venture out to see new acts are turned right off from ever making such a venture again, and it pains me.
The whole point of music is to FEEL something when you listen to it. The whole point of a certain style is to elicit certain actions or desires. I would probably never be caught dancing to most Rock (and no, headbanging or jumping up and down does NOT count as dancing), but you get me in a club where they have some Techno or Rap going, and I feel almost like some strange force is COMPELLING me to groove. Preferably in a large group, to avoid drawing undue attention to my sweet moves.
The same goes for easy listening. I certainly enjoy some super-charged Van Halen when I'm working, because it helps me stay alert and bouncy ("Panama" will do that to anyone). Conversely, when I'm cleaning the house or reading, I'll go for something by Frank Sinatra, or Beethoven's 6th Symphony ( <- most likely one of the most pleasant classical pieces ever written). So, do yourself a favour: If you don't already tell people who ask that you listen to "a bit of everything", take the plunge: there's a lot of good stuff out there in genres you would normally not touch with a lengthy pole (10 feet, 3.05 meters... whatever floats your boat), so don't miss out!
- it's a big world; get out and see some of it
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