"Play that ugly drug music" Elvis Costello, "13 Steps Lead Down"
"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?" (Nick Hornby, “High Fidelity”)
John Cusack, one of my favorite actors for sentimental reasons, admits to being a “music snob” and considers himself cliquey when it comes to music, reminiscent of Rob Gordon, the character he portrayed with such aplomb in one of my favorite movies, High Fidelity.
I was quite amused by his unabashed confession because I have encountered his kind in this lifetime – people who judge people by the music they prefer or listen to. I also fall into this tendency sometimes but not to judge people but to determine if a guy is a skirt-chaser or a crotch-grabber.
I am not insular when it comes to music. I am the exact opposite. I pimp my favorites, as a matter of fact. I used to burn CDs for people with unaccustomed diligence just so I could impinge on them my revered musicians. I am rather unsuccessful on this account.
I wish people listened to the late Jeff Buckley more than they listen to American Idol alumni. I wish REM and Blur were more appreciated. I wish people stumble into Simon and Garfunkel or Jim Croce before they graduate from college. I wish that instead of numerous cloning of Elvis Presley, people are introduced to Elvis Costello.
Yet at the end of the day, it is our own musical journey anyway. You get to pick your drinking buddies. One important rule everyone must follow, I must insist: Pump up the volume!!
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4 comments:
hi, dyn!
it’s so nice to be reading this kind of pop/alternative culture stuff from you again. in my case, i go by what i’ve read from someone a long time ago: never apologize for your taste in music, even if i sometimes think some people should apologize for theirs, hahaha, just kidding. i do admire people who are unapologetic about their own tastes.
i wish i could go home this summer. wish we could hang out and listen to blur, REM, springsteen, STING. i have recently taken out my paul simon cds again. haaay, still so good, and “crazy after all these years”.
Oh my golly gee, i lifted the same excerpt from High Fidelity for this thing I started writing a long time ago, that i never finished. Something about soundtracks of each house i lived in since leaving home. So it was bit weird reading the first few lines! after that music or misery line, i wrote:
‘In High Fidelity, Rob (the character played by John Cusack in the movie version) said that he arranges his CD collection in chronological order—according to significant events in his life. Another time, he arranged them in the order of which he bought them—so that “I can write my autobiography without picking up a pen”.
I am suddenly inspired to go back to that - para we can have that music and misery series…
And I remember that interview with Kate McGarrigle, about staying in a place where “your friends judge you by the music you listened to, the books you read.”
No wonder Rufus Wainwright can sometimes be a wee bit snooty.
hi ate dyn!
i found your post very uplifting. wish i was one of the people who received your ‘mixed cd’ — im in constant need to diversify my musical literacy, always feeling like i dont know even 1% of all the beautiful/important compositions already created. and of course, new ones are being written every day, so it’s impossible to keep up.
stumbled upon one cool radio station that now helps me in my quest (http://www.wfuv.org/), channel 5 on my car radio. ive learned about new artists that no other stations or tv shows play. admittedly, many of this station’s selections are just too unfamiliar/peculiar for my taste (like eating a dish so foreign my brain cant decide if i like or hate it, if i should take another bite or not)….but i did find out about some really cool artists, like asa (asha), nigeria’s edgy diva. today, i got her latest cd which i ordered online and i cant wait to spin it all night long.
happy day!!!!
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