I’ve been somewhat nostalgic recently. A lot going on, with friends passing, old friends reappearing and my own journey with health stuff. One thing I ended up doing was listening to my own back catalog and realising I really enjoyed listening to my own music. It’s kind of the reason we made it, right?

But I guess that could be interpreted as a little narcissistic.

If one is capable of enjoying it, great. For me it’s a mix of being exhausted of working on it plus a bit of embarrassment. There’s a degree of believing in your own bullshit just to get the thing out the door that goes away with age. Turns out you didn’t know everything/weren’t that unique or great/etc and that’s a little hard to go back to and relive. I’ll see younger artists in interviews or whatever talk about agonizing over their latest record and think oof.. that’s gonna be embarrassing for them someday (unless they grow into a perpetual child but that’s another story..) Thankfully our generations weren’t as well documented.

So, Crap for me now, but maybe that’ll change someday.

Only in the process of making a record, as it's now the case. It brings me a sense of novelty and enthusiasm in the moment.

After that process is done, I rarely ever put on past recordings.

It's mostly CRAP for me, if you wish to use that terminology. Actually, it's not so much CRAP as it isn't anything at all. It's non existent or different for me after the record is done. I get to play those songs in a different setting afterwards.

I enjoy listening to my own stuff, I'm proud of the songs I've been part of creating and even if they're not professionally recorded I think they sound good.

It may be that my bar is very low, but fuck it. I set out to make music I enjoy and I've succeeded it it.

NC for me. I'm so far removed in time from things I played on or recorded for others at this point. It's a part of my life I'm not likely to live in any way again, so going back to listen periodically reminds me of all the fun and concentration and creativity that went into those recordings. And the people who were part of them and what they meant to me at the time.

Maybe it's just that I'm older than many here. I think once you're past 60, it's less nostalgia and more reflection on your accomplishments, such as they may be. I participated in some good shit and I'm happy to recall it that way.

Shit. If I’m not listening to it, no one will be.

NC

Unless you're Steven Shorter, I'd say it's probably fine sometimes. I voted for everyone else, though.

I enjoy it, mainly because I feel a sense of huge self-improvement in my songwriting and performance (both in playing abilities and putting a show) and especially since...

jfv wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2026 10:26 am Shit. If I’m not listening to it, no one will be.

NC

Is totally my case, too. I've only played my music to a couple friends since my songs are far far faaaaar from complete (that, and I try to avoid acting like a self-aggrandizing chooch who plays his own jams while on the road). It's especially difficult to finish songs without bandmates given where I currently live (northern New Mexico) it is very difficult to find like-minded folks around here.

NC, I might as well enjoy it. I do enough self-deprecation and self-loathing in my life as it is.

I listen to some of my own songs I've recorded, not often but sometimes. Usually I nit pick and I think, "I could've done that better", other songs I'm like, "hey, I nailed that." I just try to get better at everything.

N/C

Why make music you don't want to listen to?

But I get it, for a lot of folks it's probably like hearing your own voice, especially if you're also singing. Also burnt the hell out of it after a lengthy tour or difficult recording session.