A guy I barely know gave me a CD of his music and told me to listen to it

[Orrex]

It's in a style that does nothing for me, and I have very close to zero desire to hear what he has contributed to the genre.

He didn't ask if I wanted to listen to it or ask if I have any interest at all. He just pushed the CD into my hand and asked me to tell him what I think.


Well, buddy, I think you're a rude, pushy asshole, and I think I'll use your CD as a coaster.


WTF? If he'd asked first I would have no problem at all, but the imposition of telling me to listen to it really annoys me. How about if I drop four hundred pages of my short fiction into his lap and demand that he read it. Would that be cool, too?

Or is it only okay to waste other people's time?

[City of Mills]

1. Reminds me of the time

A guy came up to me in the self-serve car wash to see if I'd be interested in buying his demo rap CD...while I'm soaping up my car with the high-pressure hose...I'm not kidding.

[rug]

2. You've spent too much time with Rabrrrrr.

[XemaSab]

3. Lighten up, yo

I knew this African dude in Santa Barbara. He had a CD of his own music that he was always trying to get everyone to buy. One day I bought the CD, took it home, listened to it, and liked it.

You might like the CD. And anyway, it's not like you can't listen to it while doing other things. :shrug:

[Robeson]

20. What the ex-broccoli girl said.

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. Is this guy that you barely know... oh, I dunno... is he perhaps...

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...A CAT !?!?!?!?!?
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[Heidi]

5. It took seconds for this to happen, and you're still thinking about it?

You barely know the guy. So why are you giving him the power to piss you off?

[Orrex]

10. I barely know him, but I have to work with him

When I saw him this afternoon, he asked if I'd listened to the disc yet (after receiving it about 10:00 this morning).

When I see him tomorrow, he's going to ask again.


And when I see him on Wednesday, he's going to ask again.


It's not that he has the power to piss me off per se; it's that he's emblematic of (and tapping into) a pushy presumptuousness that I find acutely distasteful.

[Systematic Chaos]

13. You didn't explain any of this in your OP.

I'm inclined to think I'd be much more on your side, given this new information, than I was when I made my initial response below.

Good luck with this. It does sound uncomfortable.

[Orrex]

18. Oops

I didn't think it was relevant, to be honest, but I see your point.


By the way, would you like to buy a CD?

[carlyhippy]

6. This is commonplace at the Venice Beach ocean walk

lots of guys trying to get people to listen to their cd, they will take donations :)

[Roon]

7. My buddy got handed a free CD in Boulder once

He listened to it at home and he really likes it.

[CreekDog]

8. I used to know a guy that would play his own recorded music on my car's tape deck

whenever he rode in my car. :banghead:

at first, i thought it was a mixed blessing thinking he would shut up so that i would listen to his own music, but then he would constantly interrupt his music to say, "listen to this part!". :eyes:

:wtf:

i got him back by regularly doing an impression of him at parties:

"hi my name is John and here's my favorite song, it's by me."

[Systematic Chaos]

9. Let's see here....

You were given something for next to free. The only reason it's not free is that you've been asked to provide an opinion of it after listening.

If you like it, you have something which will enrich your life even if only in a small way.

If you dislike it, then it will only take a minute or two of your time to explain -- quoting your own words -- "It's in a style that does nothing for me."

You don't need to tell him that he sucks as an artist. You only have to say that the genre itself isn't much to your taste, and therefore you're not the best person to judge its relative merits.

In both of these scenarios, someone stands to either benefit, or at worst not be made to feel bad. So, why turn this into such a horrible and negative experience? :shrug:

[Orrex]

11. Because it deliberately forces the recipient into a socially awkward situation

If he were a guy on a subway whom I'll never see again, no big deal.

But I'll have to deal with him daily for the foreseeable future, so I resent being put into the position of having to give an opinion on something of no interest to me but which can potentially make me look like a jerk.


And if you think I'm reading too much into the situation, then I submit that you've never actually been in a similar situation.

[Demoiselle]

15. Um, I've been in similar situations...

Listen to as much of it as you can stand, and let him know that you're not particularly knowledgeable/interested in the genre, and beg off making any critical comments.
Some suggested phrasing...which I have used...."I'm not all that into hiphop/reggae/ rap/ whatever, so I'm absolutely the worst person to ask....but good luck to you!"
That's not gonna make you look like a jerk.

[jobycom]

12. Geddy Lee is always doing that to me.

Freaking moron. I can't turn on the radio or go to a record store without him showing up and sayin "Listen to my crappy music. Maybe you'll like it this time."

At least Danald Fagen eventually got the hint.

[Systematic Chaos]

14. Slamming Rush AND Steely Dan?

You still upset over that whole Milli Vanilli lip synch thing? Lose your Justin Bieber concert tickets?

What?

:P

[jobycom]

19. Rush, Steely Dan, Milli Vanilli, and Justin Beiber.

Couldn't think of a more appropriate grouping. :P

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. It's part of the screw-etiquette entitetlement-based culture America is devolving into.

People seem not to ask so much any more, as tell, and then assume that whoever they're telling to do something has to do it or THAT person is rude.

"Do this for me, or else I will call you a very rude person for not doing it".

I prefer politeness. Ask me first.

I hate pushiness, especially when it's something like "Tell me what you think of me". Egads!

As you said in a later post, it forced you into an awkward social situation.

But, on the other hand, you might like the disc. And if you don't like it, you might very well enjoy the honesty with which you can critique it to the rude guy. :D

[Curmudgeoness]

17. Yes, he is rude. But I think he is just so proud of his CD.

Sometimes, people get caught up in something that they are excited about. You have had good advice here, to just be gracious and let him know that you don't know anything about the genre and you are the worst person to have asked. Gracious. You don't have to be as rude as he is.

[Orrex]

22. That's a good summary of some good answers, but...

What little I do know about this guy, from observing his sort of "professorial" tone when speaking with others, I predict that he will take it upon himself to "educate" me in the finer points of the genre if I reveal that I don't know anything about it.

[Curmudgeoness]

26. Oh goody, sounds like a lot of fun. I would be very very busy

with my work (that is why I'm there, right?) and would not have time to listen to it----for months. Hopefully he would forget about it by the time I was "caught up".

[dembotoz]

25. pretty much agree.

just tell him it is not your taste.

my father loved the recently decesased Mitch Miller--all the albums-watched the show etc.
was like fingernails on a chalk board for me.....

[petronius]

21. Tell him that it was really good, but the only way he's going to break through is with

a 24/7 commitment and that he should immediately quit his day job and be a full-time musician...

[Duer 157099]

23. Shoulda told him you were tone deaf and therefore your opinion would be worthless

Explain that tone deaf is the aural equivalent to color blind (I don't know if it is, but it sounds good).

[HEyHEY]

24. Musicians always do that kinda stuff

I wouldn't worry.

[Rosie1223]

27. Tell him you played it and your cat ran away

Then thank him profusely.

[Orrex]

29. We have a winnah!

:rofl:

[Rosie1223]

30. Miss Manners calls me when she's stumped.

:hi:

[Kali]

28. give it to Bennyboy

his phone sucks and he needs some tunes!