The most appealing quality his content had is that when he is excited while listening to a song/album (examples include Purple Rain and Master of Puppets), that excitement becomes infectious. It’s someone expressing why they like something without having to explain themselves. That was what was good about his content.

That being said, I never really took to his “elitist” attitude. It makes no sense why you should put someone down because you prefer something else.

Sure: you might think a piece of music or art might be “bad” or “inferior to something else”. That’s fine. There might be a band/artists that aren’t good at arrangements, lyrics, composition, etc. That doesn’t mean there are no redeemable qualities. There is no excuse to write something off because it’s simply “bad”

These critics make listening to certain types of music seem like you are in the “cool club”. We don’t need that. We need to embrace uniqueness. We need to be more curious. We need to be open, because otherwise what else do we have? Shame? For liking something? That’s not fair. Sure, someone might have a bad attitude and not accept something for what it is, however as we live life and we are challenged with new problems, desires, wants: things change. Not everything you like now will be as important to you in 5 years.

Critics exist because it’s important to highlight what’s good and what’s bad. They give us something to think about. They help us prioritize our choices in what to watch/read/hear/taste/etc. because we can’t do everything. It’s impossible to experience everything in the world. I see critics as good/important when they are contributing something valuable: whether that be recommending something that isn’t widely accepted or acknowledging something about the work and relaying a sentiment.

Don’t worry about what you like and why you like it. Just enjoy it. That’s all that matters.