I love listening to my music. MY music. I’ve been called close minded by some, for my lack of current artist inclusion. Don’t get me wrong. There are a very “few” newer artists that I like okay. Just about anything Dave Grohl does is pretty good. Is he considered new anymore? Now let me just say that I respect all genres of music and anybody who listens to whatever genre they dig. I do not like certain genres. I will not open myself up to these. I like what I like and I don’t like what I don’t like. Some say that’s sad, but I don’t care.
The thing is, I like to listen to songs I KNOW I like. Songs I’ve probably heard a million times before, by bands I’ve heard a million times before. The thing is, all these songs and bands tend to correlate to times in my life. I like hearing the stuff I like. If I’m not going out of my way listening to “new” stuff, it’s because I personally don’t think that most of the new stuff is better than the old stuff. Yes, I can dig on Taylor Swift’s new stuff. I happen to think she’s a musical genius. Seriously.
Now, my music takes me back and holds certain memories and that’s part of why I like old stuff. My 70s playlist makes me think of being younger, at home, in my room listening to a transistor radio and hearing these songs for the first time, my dad is still alive and I’m in my somewhat cozy bedroom, with Star Wars posters and Farrah Fawcett in a red swimsuit on my closet doors. And yes, her nipples had a little something to do with it. Sorry not sorry.
My 80s playlist is high school and college. Hanging with my friends at Niagara University, skipping class, rehearsals, drinking a lot at the Rat, our college bar. Listening to Genesis “Genesis” on cassette tape, while parked on Dietz Road, blowing off History class freshman year because I was still having trouble adjusting to not being in high school anymore. Almost failed, but thanks to my old history teacher from high school, Mr. Frieri, he tutored me and I passed. Songs that played nights out in Niagara Falls at The Library nightclub, or dance class early mornings downtown. First loves, first heart breaks, first, well, you can probably guess. I was a late bloomer. Sue me.
90s is where I started adulting. Marriage for first time, moving to Virginia Beach to teach, and learning about priorities and making mistakes along the way, mostly with credit cards, or as I like to call them, the Devil’s plastic.
I will occasionally add a new song to my music library if I like it, but most of my time is spent in the 70s, 80s, and with Billy Joel, Van Halen, The Beatles, 60s, Styx, The Hip, etc.
Call me a close minded golden oldie classic rock nerd. I don’t care. It’s what I like. It makes me happy, and isn’t that what music is for? Why should I force myself to listen to shit I don’t like just to be “hip” or “with it”? The answer is I don’t. You can try to turn me on to something new, and maybe I’ll like it. But don’t bust on me for liking the classics. And it’s true. They really don’t make ‘em like they used to.
