Can you judge someone based on their music taste?

Depends. If you're going by the typical Indie Rock band such as The Kaiser Chiefs, I'd bolt like a shot because I can't stand them

Such people are also likely to listen to Amy Winehouse, Kaiser Chiefs, Oasis, Radiohead, The Stereophonics, and a whole other host of bands I dislike.
So to save myself grief and to save them having to put up with me bitching about their boring tastes in music, I just leave them to it. Granted, not everybody's going to like the same sort of stuff I do (which covers a fair portion of the metal sub-genres and most of the punk sub-genres), but listening to nothing but Indie Rock constantly would do my head in (no offence).

That being said, I see your point; more people are going to be into that sort of stuff.

I actually think you'd be incredibly surprised at how many people who do this are scientifically minded. Music is quite methodical and can therefore be analysed reasonably easily using simple mathematics (seeing how certain notes in a scale or pattern actually relate to the rest of the song as a whole, for example). I'm quite maths-minded and there's nothing better than listening to a piece of music and escaping into it, listening to every note and subtle nuance of the music. People who smoke weed and stuff probably seem deep and insightful to themselves, but I wouldn't necessarily say they are.

Just my observations, yah know. I know a fair few scientists/mathematicians and nearly none of them really have a mature music taste. By that I mean that they might enjoy music, but they don't really develop their own taste or whatever. But really the people I've had the best conversation with about music (genre irrelevant) have been people who study music or fine art and what have you.

There are exceptions. I once met a super physics geek kinda guy, yah know, the stereotypical geek, from Imperial College London, at Sonisphere and went to see Opeth with him and totally loved it. My dad studied comp sci and he has a pretty good music taste as well. I also know some 'artsy' people with some pretty atrocious, follow the crowd kinda music tastes. But they also tend to be pretty bad at art...

With regard to cannabis use, I'm sure I read a study that found a positive correlation between drug use and intelligence... I don't think it's the stuff you say when you're high that represents how smart someone is, that's always rubbish ('What if we're all just characters in a giant computer game, being controlled by some crazy giant 8-year-old from outer-space'; 'what if colours don't actually exist' etc. etc. etc.). What I was referring to more was the kind of open-mindedness to try new things, think about abstract (if incredibly wacky) ideas, which is also kind of conducive to an openness to a lot of different music, and a lot more philosophical music which the majority of 'mainstreamers' would find boring or whatever.

I did, however, state in my post that these were just observations not fact I'm glad you're mathsy and like music. Now I think about it, philosophy, one of the most traditionally wishy-washy stoner subjects, is actually full of maths (logic) so you're probably right, mathsy minds aren't excluded from open mindedness

i'd say the only people that should be judged by their music taste would be those that exclusively listen to the music on the radio / in the charts and do not find bands / producers out for themselves and therefore have a music taste suited to them, instead they blindly follow the artists they are spoonfed. these people are fools

That's interesting actually -- quite a lot of the intellectuals I know (regardless of their field) have a deep appreciation and love for music. I guess this is the inherent problem with having a minute sample size!

Yeah, that's pretty cool. I know a few so-called lovers of music and arty types who just follow the crowd with music and only listen to what's in the charts too, and yes, they're all pretty bad! Definitely a correlation there.

Yes, self-destructive behaviour correlates with high intelligence. Possibly because of the link between intelligence and curiosity. There are links between intelligence and alcohol abuse and usage of psychoactive drugs too.

A lot of people have actually tendered accusations that people like Bach and Mozart are "mathemusicians" rather than pure musicians -- purely because their music is "perfect", mathematically/musically speaking. You can definitely hear this when you listen to them (less with Bach, though). And yes, definitely Maths is one of the most abstract and conceptually "woah" subjects around.

This is what I was getting at. I was a bit unclear so sorry for that but yeah :P

One thing I would like to say though... How have you lumped Radiohead in with that lot I'm serious, that makes me feel genuinely sad! I so strongly dislike indie and Radiohead have so far surpassed most other music I have heard in the last few years. I thought the same thing when I first heard them. The rather cliché guitar etc. etc. but then I relistened a few times and it has seriously grown on me.

Listen to this and tell me it's indie/boring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDVPDaKKe00&feature=fvst

I've never been a big fan of Radiohead, it's nothing personal
Rock, to me, is AC/DC, Led Zep, Def Leppard, etc etc. Any rock released in this day and age I generally don't bother listening to because it lacks the balls that rock had "back in the day" (ie; when these bands first came about and started developing).

I've never been a big fan of Radiohead, it's nothing personal
Rock, to me, is AC/DC, Led Zep, Def Leppard, etc etc. Any rock released in this day and age I generally don't bother listening to because it lacks the balls that rock had "back in the day" (ie; when these bands first came about and started developing).

A lot of people have actually tendered accusations that people like Bach and Mozart are "mathemusicians" rather than pure musicians -- purely because their music is "perfect", mathematically/musically speaking. You can definitely hear this when you listen to them