Asperger's and weird taste in music.

Post Reply New Topic

I don't believe there is a connection between Asperger's and music taste, but rapidroy seems to think so.

I don't think any kind of music taste is odd, it's just likely that Aspies are more inclined to listen to what they like instead of what everyone else is listening to (which is not true for everyone, though).

I've grown up listening to grunge bands and country, as well as been exposed to quite a few music genres. My likes tend to vary, and I don't really have a favorite genre.

Depends what is defined as 'odd'... Though I only prefer soundtracks from video games, pertaining from my special interest, the tracks I don't change for which I kept for years on playlists, I personally don't see that as odd though others perceive is as unusual. It's just something I like and probably Autism has nothing if little to do with it.

My taste in music isn't odd, interestingly enough. My favourite genre is romantic music; specifically, symphonies and solo piano music. There's even an internet for unsung composers which I belong to. I might be trespassing on there, but still...

Music is probably my main hobby and I do listen mostly to unknown/independent music. Pretty much ties in with what the original poster is saying but i don't know if that is an Aspie thing, think it is just a music lovers thing.

One time many years ago when I was at my clubhouse, I was sitting around the lounge with a bunch of friends and other members. The student worker was asking us all about our favourite rock band. She asked me what my favourite band is, and I answered "The Kinks". She said, "That's very unusual". I asked, "What's so unusual about that"? She said, "Not too many people would pick The Kinks as their favourite band".

Define "odd". I know my taste in music is odd. I spent most of my teenage years (2001-2009) listening to a lot of stuff that was either unknown or a good 10 - 20 years older than me.

And I get weird looks from people regarding my taste in music because I generally don't know the so-called big artists. Someone tried (and failed badly) to educate me on who Jason Miraz is. Apparently, I should know who he is.

I don't have an unusual taste in music. The rest of the world have

I rarely listened to today's music. I mostly listen to music from the 1990s or early 2000s. I guess that IS unusual.

...... bad song so deleted

This is a difficult question to answer, because everyone has different ideas of what sounds weird and what sounds normal, but I'll give it a go anyhow.

I can't speak for anyone else, but AS has definitely affected my taste - I had a monomaniacal interest in 60s psychedelia that led to me searching albums by the likes of love and Tim Buckley whilst most of my schoolmates were still bopping to Cyndi Lauper (if female) or Whitesnake (if male).

OK - that last sentence was over-simplistic, but you get my drift.

Personally, I regard my musical taste in a positive light. It's given me a raison d'etre and a passion for making my own music that has stayed with me well into middle age. It's also provided emotional sustenance at a good few pints in my life when - if I'd had to rely on other human beings for it - I'd have been up s**t creek without even the proverbial canoe, never mind a paddle.

If there were ever a 'cure' for Aspergers', I'd happily take it on the whole. Nonetheless, the precocious interest in music is probably the one symptom I'd want to keep, even if I could rid myself of all the others.

I listen to a mixture of music, and it really is a mixture. I like old songs from all over the 1900s, whether they are mainstream or not, and I also like a few new songs aswell, but not as many. Heck, I even have a few nursery rhymes thrown into my favourite playlist on Realplayer. I told you I literally like all kinds of music.

May I suggest that aspies can like any genre of music, as can NTs, yet NTs are more inclined to subscribe to popular culture than aspies who tend to follow their own interests, often in spite of society perception/pressure. This leads to NT music tastes being heavily centered on popular culture whereas aspies interests may be more evenly spread.

I wasn't drawing a direct connection between an odd taste in music and aspergers, more so by not feeling sociaty's pressure to conform to a common standard and reject the rest you are more in a position to apprecate something different (musical or not)and in my case it became a special intrest of mine along with meny things over the years. Does my theory make sense now?

I myself do listen to some popular stuff however rare and often not when its popular, sometimes bands I follow end up becomeing quite popular with the masses later in life.

I am not sure if it has an effect on my musical taste, but I do tend to stay away from most, if not, all mainstream/popular artists.

I hear what's on the radio today, and I get frustrated for the most part. Hearing the purchased lyrics on top of the synthetic hook makes me cringe. I prefer listening to concept albums, a good example being BTBAM "The Parallax II: Future Sequence". When lyrics and music work together to create an image and an atmosphere, I really try to take it all in and enjoy it.

Now I know ALL mainstream music does not fit this bill, and I do try to listen to music on the radio, but for now, I'll be sticking to my iPod for my source of music.

Does anyone know where I can link Alan Cross' 4 stages of the alternative music life cycle from his book "Over the edge" in the preface page xiii, I'm looking at the book now but don't feel like/have time typeing a whole page out, it would go along way to explaining my point of how music fanship works and it would be clear why obscure music may appeal to a person with asperger's syndrome from a socialogical perspective.

If I try to paraphrase now I will just make a mess of it, brain not working right at the moment.