Who is the most pretentious musician of all time?

What a faggot

>>126701573
god i love zappa so much
I'm gonna listen to whats new in baltimore right now

>>126701597
No one actually listens to him. They usually say they do

>>126701532 (OP)
Where's the lie?

>>126701573
I went to college and didn't get laid. If I had gone to the library at least I would have an education

>>126701660
I went to college and met my wife

>>126701532 (OP)
You posted him

How do you respond without sounding mad?

>what if we took Sgt. Pepper and sang it with a funny voice and added fart noises
Hahaha oh wow, brilliant social commentary, truly.
We are unworthy of your genius zappa.

>>126701532 (OP)
His father was a chemist who worked for the DoD.

>>126701887
Where is the fart noises?

>>126701532 (OP)
great CIA-funded circus music
>>126701977
based glowie

>>126701801
You can't because he is 100 correct.

>>126701801
>Yeah, I agree

>>126701801
a very ignorant thing to believe, that communism means "not owning".

>>126701887
what if I tried to make a post on the internet without any insight or research on what I'm posting about

>>126702097
yes that's what it means, the government owns land, business and commerce. Essentially it's a system where the few decide the fate of the many in the guise of "sharing" the wealth.

>>126702099
>dude it's a good album actually
>you just have to read all of this to understand its genius
>it's supposed to sound like shit

>>126702119
You sound more pretentious by definition than zappa lol

>>126701532 (OP)
>>126701573
based

>lol

>>126702141
that's you though!

I'm just having fun, we like to have fun here.

>>126701977
Every time

*raises up spork*

>>126702288
He really was a proto-millenial

“Pretentious” is one of those labels that often tells you more about the person doing the labeling than the artist being labeled—but if we lean into the spirit of the question, here are a few musicians who commonly get called out for carrying just a bit (or a lot) of extra swagger:

1. **Kanye West**

* **Why the tag?** Constant proclamations of his own genius (“I am a god,” etc.), elaborate stage productions, and headline-grabbing stunts.
* **Counterpoint:** His ambition and boundary-pushing have also won him near-universal respect as an innovator in hip-hop.

2. **Richard Wagner**

* **Why the tag?** Demanding that audiences sit through 4- or 5-hour operas of his own libretto, plus his self-aggrandizing essays on art and politics.
* **Counterpoint:** Few can argue with his influence on the very idea of “the total work of art.”

3. **Peter Gabriel**

* **Why the tag?** After Genesis, he veered into esoteric world-beat and multimedia extravaganzas—some believed he took the “artsy” angle too far.
* **Counterpoint:** He helped pioneer the modern music video and brought global sounds to a mainstream audience.

4. **Frank Zappa**

* **Why the tag?** His scathing cultural critiques, bizarre compositions, and insistence on being taken “100% seriously.”
* **Counterpoint:** Equally beloved for his humor, virtuosic playing, and relentless creativity.

5. **Andrew Lloyd Webber** (if you stretch “musician” to musical-theater composers)

* **Why the tag?** Grand, soaring melodies paired with mega-budget productions and a reputation for prioritizing spectacle over substance.
* **Counterpoint:** He’s sold over 180 million albums and cemented some of the most enduring shows in theater history.

6. **Brian Eno**

* **Why the tag?** His writings on “ambient” art, generative music installations, and high-falutin art speak make him seem aloof or academic.
* **Counterpoint:** His innovations literally created whole new genres of music.

---

**So who’s the “most” pretentious?** It really depends on whether you’re judging by outrageous statements (Kanye), by the scale of one’s ambitions (Wagner), or by the inscrutability of one’s art (Zappa or Eno). To me, Kanye West often takes the pretension crown simply because he pairs bombastic boasts with chart-topping success—yet even then, it’s all part of the performance.

Who do *you* think deserves that title?

>>126702304
>scathing cultural critiques

>>126702112
nigga none of that is true go pick up a book please

>>126702358
why are you treating this as a "2deep4u" thing? its a good lyric and the idea behind it is true. its not more than what it tries to be. you seem angry dude

>>126702112
communism means no state

>>126702496
And what, exactly, enforces that?

>>126701887
Filtered

>>126701887
The melody from "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" is probably my favourite. I know he's used it for Lumpy Gravy and the different live versions are great.

>>126702597
it's a natural evolutive stage that comes after socialism and yada yada. i'm not a commie dude. in fact i think it's a retarded ideology that is as idealistic as wanting to achieve world peace. i'm just pointing out that communists always say their ""ideal"" world has no state on social classes

>>126702630
Well in my ideal world we kill all communists, and believe me, things are way better that way.

>>126701532 (OP)
>>126701573
He was pretentious, yes, but these quotes are based and correctpilled. Most pretentious musician of all time?
>Lauryn Hill - talks an insane amount of shit for having one album that isn't even good, not even sure if she's technically a musician but fuck she's a douche
>Bob Dylan - self explanatory
>Yngwie Malmsteen - known to be a pretentious douche but is good enough to talk shit
>Oasis, specifically Liam Gallagher - known to be a pretentious douche and only had a few good songs, not sure why Brits jerk them off so hard
>Gene Simmons - self explanatory

>>126702696
>known to be a pretentious douche
*godlike prophet

>>126701573
>go college
>masters degree in physics and became good at programming and music theory
>got laid ten whole times
get fucked

>>126702288
every single time any quote by him is posted I lose more respect for him

>>126701532 (OP)
he was based
https://youtu.be/YfAU5CrLARw

>>126701573
he's completely right, at least about the second part
>t. masters in CS holder( didnt get laid tho)

Steve Vai maybe. or Satriani.

>>126703535
Vai was a protege of Zappa

This thread devolved into a shit fling but giving a serious answer: If he counts as a musician at all, it's definitely Matty Healy.
Like objectively, the depth he prides himself on expressing through his shitty art, is unarguably, not actually there. None of The 1975's songs are "about" the things he says they are. That's all post-hoc bullshit to seem cool with the loser twitter audience he wishes he cultivated instead of the 14 year olds whom his music actually got popular with. (Which he has clearly resented his entire unearned career)

>>126703556
and satch

>>126701532 (OP)
he was just angry that day

>>126701573
>making faggots seethe since 1966
Beautiful

>>126701801
yeah

>>126703535
Everything I heard about Steve Vai is that he's a nice and humble dude. Fuck you talking about dude

>>126701887
What a Chad

>>126702119
filtered

John McCrea

Just another California hack that moved to Austin, Texas. Because greatness? Explain your approach

>>126701801
>Agreed, sir

Springsteen, Streisand, and Bono

>>126701573
He was definitely going for the hippie college dropout demographic with this

>>126703535
Satriani?

>>126703535
Steve isn't pretentious at all
Joe definitely believes he's better than he is

i miss nicotranny

>>126701628
I do. But only his more accessible stuff.

>>126702443
which book?

All musicians

>>126702288

>>126703535
steve got his zappa job by literally sending him transcribed works of zappa's music, he's insane and probably autistic. but i never thought he was pretentious, and his willingness to play with david lee roth's band is commendable

>>126702304
>“Pretentious” is one of those labels that often tells you more about the person doing the labeling than the artist being labeled
kek AI BTFOing 90% of 4chan in the first sentence

*dons toilet seat necklace*
>MY WELL-IRONED NOSEHAIRS ARE FREEZING MY CAR
>I GOT ANTELOPE KNEES IN MY SOUL
>THE REPUBLICANS ARE EASIN' THE FUNDS TO THIS STAR
>CAUSE THEY GOTS-A-DA POOPY BUTTHOLE!
*uses guitar headstock to play 8 minute xyolophone solo*
*uses xylophone mallet to play 8 minute guitar solo*
>NOW I DON'T BELIEVE IN TAXES THE REPUBLICANS MAKE ME PAY
*opens spork factory*
*becomes sporklift certified*
>BUT THOSE OLD CROOKS THEY JUST CAN'T HELP BUT STEAL
*hires 2 more black guys into the band mid-performance*
>THEIR DAUGHTERS BLOW MY FARTHORN ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY
*prostate becomes tumorous*
>FOR THIS COWBOY THAT'S A MIGHTY GRAND OLD DEAL!
*jumps up on xylophone*
*turns around and spreads ass*
*shoots diarrhea onto the audience while the band plays pomp and circumstance on kazoos*

>>126705943
Is this post AI?

>>126701573
What a (((faggot)))

>>126702696
Simmons' arrogance pisses me off because he can only dream of being as mid as Liam Gallagher. Also Simmons' son is a tracing plagiarizer

>>126706708
Is this post Al?