What is meant to be gleaned from Patrick Bateman's love of specific musicians in American Psycho?

Question

I've just finished reading American Psycho, and I'm confused why the book took the time to devote entire chapters to Bateman's love of different 80's artists. Specifically, Bateman spends upwards of ten pages just talking about why he loves Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, and Huey Lewis And The News with no impact on the immediate plot.On one hand, everything Bateman is knowledgeable about (clothing, food, art, shampoo, bottled water) reinforces how incredibly shallow his life and the 80's yuppie culture is, so it would make sense that his love of specific music would function the same way. There's also some precedence to music being used to portray a dying culture in the book, such as deafening INXS playing in clubs, Bateman's use of sound systems as status symbols, or the use of walkmans to block out human interaction.On the other hand, Bateman's explanation of music is far more nuanced than his exposition on anything else. He may talk about how a certain combination of clothing is desirable offensive or about how a certain club scored highly on Zagat, but he never goes into detail on why he feels that way. Arguably he feels nothing at all. When he talks about music in the dedicated chapters he writes intimately about why the music is good and he treats the artists as complex and valuable people, moreso than any other person he interacts with directly.After thinking about it, I think there's good arguments from both sides. Is there a specific takeaway that I'm supposed to get from the book?

Answer 1

I think you provide a great answer to your own question! Despite the fact that Bateman seems to develop his interests in music more by devoting whole chapters to it, this still ties into Bateman's shallowness as a person as well as his larger obsession with capitalist consumer culture. He is a character that lacks emotional depth and Ellis wants us to be aware how little he feels as a person. Even his musical interests, which are all notably the top-10 artists of the 80s, are meant to highlight not only Bateman's sheer apathy but also his investment in consumerism. Why? Notice how didactic his descriptions of the music sound. He almost sounds a bit like a recited text book or a pedantic critic, not someone who is entirely invested in it simply because he enjoys the music. I think you're right to notice that Bateman in American Psycho appears to value music above all else, but notice the things Bateman focuses on (e.g., offensive clothing, the club, and even the laughable scene with the business cards!). It all ties into who he is as a character for sure and your observation is spot-on!