In Defense of Post-Genre

I admit it. I’m horrible at making playlists. I’ve never quite been able to capture “the vibe”, so instead, I resort to titling my playlists after the genre of the songs in them. “Rock” is a ten hour hodgepodge of everything from Pink Floyd to Modest Mouse, “indie folk” consists solely of Neutral Milk Hotel and The Mountain Goats and “indie pop” is an indulgent collection of TikTok audios. 

I’m a culprit of thinking of music strictly in terms of genre. I’m not the most open-minded (I tell people I only listen to genres that use guitars, which is not entirely an exaggeration).

SOSNICK | “Get Ready for This”: Dissecting Trump’s Rally Playlist

Standing in a Rochester airplane hangar, waiting for Donald J. Trump to take the stage at his rally, I thought about what I could write about the experience. No matter where your vote is leaning, he occupies a singular place in the American collective conscience: the filterless human sideshow with a real chance at the presidency. Being at a Trump rally, where (terrifying) absurdity is the norm, I had to figure out a way to disseminate my thoughts on the event. But I didn’t want to write political coverage; my colleagues in news and opinion are better equipped to do that. Instead, I decided to play to my strengths and analyze what you all really want to hear about anyway: Trump’s playlist.