when it comes to music. Once upon a time I did, potentially, use the term elitist when it came to my taste in music. And yes, this post might be somewhat of a defense when it comes to that term that has been tossed around. I admit to using it and also admit that it was used in poor judgement. I apologize for any disrespect I might have given towards the musical choices of those around me.
However, I have seen the errors of my ways and realized I used the wrong adjective when describing what I like musically. It's simple really...I like music that doesn't suck. Plain and simple. It can potentially grace the airwaves of popular radio (they still play music on that right? MTV having VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS when they don't air music videos anymore has me wondering on that one.) and still be something that I like....of course I'll admit chances are that if it plays on a Top 100, I'm probably not as enthused to listen to it....but I'll suffer..errr learn to like it :)
Music is a very neat element of your lives. For most of us it's there in some form or another at any given point of our day. We can listen to a track and INSTANTLY be taken back to a memory that is forever associated with that tune. It can be the summer you broke up with someone (even though we really know they were the one that broke up with you.) Perhaps it's that time in your life when everything was on the up and up. Or maybe it was one of the darkest times when everything seemed to be as low as it could go.
Doesn't really matter, chances are there is a tune associated with it in your musical library. And when it comes to me....OY VEY!!! Growing up my fatherhad still has one of the biggest record (for those of you under 30, records were pre-digital download, CD and cassette tape...and if you are not sure what that last one is...DIAF! (that is Die in a Fire for all of you that know what that last one is)) collections that I know to exist. As such the daily diet of music was as such....Frank Zappa, Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Steely Dan, Queen, Various Jazz artists and of course a DEEP collection of seasonal favorites.
Naturally growing up I had to rebel against my fathers 'dumb' taste in music. Only to latch onto my own group of musicians, that in due time would be considered dumb by others. In that would come a love of Grunge, Neu-Metal, Rap, Hip-Hop (and yes those are TWO separate categories....not one as they like to do with it these days) Classical, Electronic, Techno, Funk, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Alternative, Pop and especially Soundtracks.
So with a vast range of tastes and a large library of musics it is easy to be caught up in the quality of music that one has in their library. And this is what I did....I singled out...persecuted....I was the musical version of Torquemada (hello obscure Spanish Inquisition/Mel Brooks/Monty Python reference.....NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!!!!) Roaming the land like a ronin warrior slaughtering all that were musically inferior to me.
After a bit of doing that I realized that I wasn't TRULY thinking that I possessed a better taste in music than others around me. I just like a larger variety than a GREAT many people.....I was one of the most musically diverse people that did not play an instrument.
So you see I'm not 'better' than you cause you listen to Top 100 all the time...I just eat more musical pie than you do....so I'm just fatter...musically. It's not your fault....it's all gland related. I kid....but just to show you, I' ll leave you with some samples of the wide range of music found in my library.
Radiohead, 'Pyramid Song', Amnesiac
Stevie Ray Vaughn, 'Life by the Drop', The Sky is Crying
Led Zepplin, 'The Ocean', Houses of the Holy
Just a quick side note....HOLY JESUS!!! You could transplant this performance (update the clothes PLEASE) and they would pretty much put just about EVERY rock group currently performing to complete and utter shame.)
Johnny Cash, 'Big River', Single Release
LMFAO, 'Party Rock Anthem', Sorry for Party Rocking
Flying Lotus, 'Robertaflack', Los Angeles
Bad Brains, 'Banned in D.C.', Bad Brains
Metallica, 'The Call of Ktulu', Ride the Lightning
Soulive, 'Steppin', Turn it out
However, I have seen the errors of my ways and realized I used the wrong adjective when describing what I like musically. It's simple really...I like music that doesn't suck. Plain and simple. It can potentially grace the airwaves of popular radio (they still play music on that right? MTV having VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS when they don't air music videos anymore has me wondering on that one.) and still be something that I like....of course I'll admit chances are that if it plays on a Top 100, I'm probably not as enthused to listen to it....but I'll suffer..errr learn to like it :)
Music is a very neat element of your lives. For most of us it's there in some form or another at any given point of our day. We can listen to a track and INSTANTLY be taken back to a memory that is forever associated with that tune. It can be the summer you broke up with someone (even though we really know they were the one that broke up with you.) Perhaps it's that time in your life when everything was on the up and up. Or maybe it was one of the darkest times when everything seemed to be as low as it could go.
Doesn't really matter, chances are there is a tune associated with it in your musical library. And when it comes to me....OY VEY!!! Growing up my father
Naturally growing up I had to rebel against my fathers 'dumb' taste in music. Only to latch onto my own group of musicians, that in due time would be considered dumb by others. In that would come a love of Grunge, Neu-Metal, Rap, Hip-Hop (and yes those are TWO separate categories....not one as they like to do with it these days) Classical, Electronic, Techno, Funk, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Alternative, Pop and especially Soundtracks.
So with a vast range of tastes and a large library of musics it is easy to be caught up in the quality of music that one has in their library. And this is what I did....I singled out...persecuted....I was the musical version of Torquemada (hello obscure Spanish Inquisition/Mel Brooks/Monty Python reference.....NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!!!!) Roaming the land like a ronin warrior slaughtering all that were musically inferior to me.
After a bit of doing that I realized that I wasn't TRULY thinking that I possessed a better taste in music than others around me. I just like a larger variety than a GREAT many people.....I was one of the most musically diverse people that did not play an instrument.
So you see I'm not 'better' than you cause you listen to Top 100 all the time...I just eat more musical pie than you do....so I'm just fatter...musically. It's not your fault....it's all gland related. I kid....but just to show you, I' ll leave you with some samples of the wide range of music found in my library.
Radiohead, 'Pyramid Song', Amnesiac
Stevie Ray Vaughn, 'Life by the Drop', The Sky is Crying
Led Zepplin, 'The Ocean', Houses of the Holy
Johnny Cash, 'Big River', Single Release
LMFAO, 'Party Rock Anthem', Sorry for Party Rocking
Flying Lotus, 'Robertaflack', Los Angeles
Bad Brains, 'Banned in D.C.', Bad Brains
Metallica, 'The Call of Ktulu', Ride the Lightning
A Tribe Called Quest, 'Award Tour', Midnight Marauders
Soulive, 'Steppin', Turn it out
word! some good tunes. And yes I haven't heard of some of them. Maybe I can enlarge my glands by checking out some of their other tracks too.
ReplyDeleteTried to represent a many genres as possible. But at the same time didn't want to make it too long. Perhaps I'll do a part two to highlight some of the more electronic of my taste.
ReplyDeleteYay for suffering!
ReplyDeleteAmazing what growing up in a house of over 4,000 LPs will do for ones musical taste and proclivity to search out new material....
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing what 4k+ LPs will do for someone. Although I could have just as easily never really sought out music off the 'beaten' path of popular radio as well.
ReplyDelete