More Blog than you

I'm not sure if I should post this or that without more research, but I have it best to be honest and say "I don't know anything about _________ . "
What I am saying is that I am often exposed to the music of certain artists, without seeing any media images, reading anything about them, etc. I form an opinion about a track or album without any outside influence (with the occasional label association to muddy my vision).
I've enjoyed the music of Ashbury Heights these past few months. I played "Smile" and "Spiders" with some remixes on Like Sugar. I really like their sound and that's enough for me.
All this does not explain my tendency to become a snob and dislike bands because of their popularity. For example, I loved Nine Inch Nails in 1987. By 1992, I was a snob, if only based on "my" band's the exposure to the masses. To contrast my snobbishness, you just read the venomous posts on Drowned In Sound. People "slag" off any popular bands instead of being happy for their success. Again, I wobble on this subject, as there are some bands that achieve a certain level of media exposure and I think they are rather derivative of earlier acts. I stress derivative; the band isn't musically talentless, but rather not creating their own sound.
So, while I enjoy Coldplay, and I do not hear any particular musical progression, I can appreciate Coldplay's capture of a certain sound and genre. While someone might feel Coldplay is the worst band ever, and someone might attack a man while singing a "Yellow" karaoke (yes, this happened), I can sit back and get chills from this popular band. I can then listen to, say, Massive Attack and hear a pioneering spirit. 1991 was the beginning of this "trip-hop" sound that I wouldn't embrace until 1996! I was too busy being a snob.

All this rambling, spell-checked B.S. is to say that what I "DJ" is what I like, without too much negative attention from the various media sources. Someone once scratched off the word "alternative" on a sticker that was on the window of my truck. Times have changed..."alternative" doesn't offend so much, but it holds my interest.