Ave. Funny guy.
I started using generics quite some time ago. Eric Johnson (guitarist) started this thing back in the day, because he claimed he could hear the difference between Alkalines and Carbon Zinc batteries in his distortion pedals. Well, when you're a tone junkie, you can't let this slide and you have to try it for yourself. Well, I'm one of the people that felt that there was a difference. There has been endless discussion about it in guitar circles, but the primary idea is that the carbon zinc batteries have a voltage sag which affects the circuit. It's subtle, but there is a difference. It's supposed to be much more pronounced in germanium based pedals than it is later transistor distortions and compressors. It's even given enough merit that boutique pedal makers actually recommend carbon zinc batteries over alkaline.
Short story long, after dicking around with this battery debate, I found that pretty much any battery was lasting as long as any other, so I stopped buying Duracells and Energizers and just went with the cheaper stuff. And in my regular alkaline use, I've found that Ray-O-Vac alkalines last just as long as Duracells and Energizers and are pretty much half the price.