LotR and subgroups

[Legolas]

To clarify for the original poster - he is simply looking for examples of common interests among Tolkien fans that you might've noticed. alatar summed it up nicely, I think:

Though those that read may be considered more geeky than football starry, I'd think that you can find Tolkien readers across many demographics.

Thinlómien is not stereotyping, or looking for some narrow, always true classification/qualification system.

As for my own experience, I have found that many who like Tolkien also like good music. Led Zeppelin certainly was a reference point for me, and several others I know. When I was fifteen, I was able to move past my love of Queen. I lived and breathed Led Zeppelin for quite a while. It didn't take long to get past the studio albums to live recordings, websites, and figuring out what the songs were about.

There was a website then about Led Zeppelin lyrics (and the obvious/potential allusions to Middle-earth), eventually titled Stairway to Middle-earth (originally at http://www.auburn.edu/~speedhe/). It has now moved to http://www.ledtolkien.com (which redirects to http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~hayspeed/), though some of the personal content and less Tolkien-related content has been removed. Consequently, along with the newer graphics/layout, it feels a little less like the interesting little corner I found fascinating eight years ago. Nonetheless, just as Page had inspired my brother and I to pick up the guitar, Page and Plant inspired us to pick up The Lord of the Rings.

The only people at my high school who liked Tolkien (that I was aware of) were introverted and not ones to follow the crowd, but not antiestablish or nonconformists or something. Also, I often find '70s progressive rock fans that love Tolkien (possibly due to the focus on fantasy of each).