Creativity Quote by Pat Mastelotto

That opening list reads like a dare: country twang, disco, bluegrass, accordions. Mastelotto doesn’t just claim broad taste; he spotlights the genres people love to sneer at, the “uncool” sounds that get coded as kitsch, provincial, or corny. The punch is in the “even.” It admits the social pressure first, then rejects it. Taste, here, isn’t a badge of tribe membership. It’s a working musician’s toolset.

Coming from a drummer known for navigating prog’s precision and experimental rock’s weird angles, the line doubles as a quiet manifesto about groove. Country “twang” and bluegrass aren’t just styles; they’re time-feel and articulation. Disco is a masterclass in pocket. Accordions carry the history of dance music before dance music was a brand. By lumping them together, he’s flattening a hierarchy that rock culture spent decades building, where complexity and seriousness sit at the top and anything “for dancing” or “for grandma” gets shoved down the ladder.

The subtext is professionalism over ideology: if you’re serious about sound, you can’t afford to be precious. It’s also a sly comment on identity in late-20th-century rock, where fans and critics used genre as moral sorting. Mastelotto’s stance is less “I’m eclectic” than “I refuse your shame.” In an era of algorithmic omnivory, it lands as a reminder that open ears aren’t passive; they’re chosen.