You know the guy. He’s the one listening to some obscure band with infinity symbols in the name going, “Wait, now listen to this part,” as he pauses the music at his party. He follows bands across the country, on the Internet, and actually buys albums to complement his cache of mp3s to show he’s a real fan.

He subscribes to the standards: Rolling Stone, Spin and Blender. But he also buys music mags like Magnet that come with sampler CDs containing music even Jack Black hasn’t heard of. He reads them cover-to-cover while making notes in his journal: Some critic sitting in a cubicle outside of New Jersey thought this band sounds like “Pavement crossed with Godspeed … only with that indie/emo vibe.”

Continue reading Obsessive Music Fan: Friend Or Foe?