Carl Wilson, Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste (2007) Whether or not you are interested in Céline Dion is besides the point; Wilson’s study of taste — and, specifically, bad taste — is a must-read for any “serious” music fan. Invoking Bourdieu, the history of schmaltz, and Most Wanted Painting artists Komar and Melamid, he both investigates how/why tastes are formed and whether one can escape the limits of one’s own taste boundaries. But, really, learning about Dion’s story and being able to better place her in context, culturally and historically, is also interesting. Knowing about those things one likes is important, but so too is knowing about those things that shape other peoples’ lives —especially someone who seemingly affects so many.

Carl Wilson, Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste (2007)

Whether or not you are interested in Céline Dion is besides the point; Wilson’s study of taste — and, specifically, bad taste — is a must-read for any “serious” music fan. Invoking Bourdieu, the history of schmaltz, and Most Wanted Painting artists Komar and Melamid, he both investigates how/why tastes are formed and whether one can escape the limits of one’s own taste boundaries.

But, really, learning about Dion’s story and being able to better place her in context, culturally and historically, is also interesting. Knowing about those things one likes is important, but so too is knowing about those things that shape other peoples’ lives —especially someone who seemingly affects so many.