Doo dee doo...I'm psyched because I got a 95% on my Physics test. I guess my studying paid off, eh? Well, this is what I was originally going to post, and since I'm too lazy to hack it up...you can either run away in fear of its length or enjoy
Considered yourself warned...
Quote:
Originally posted by radrd
What's your story? |
"I never really listened to music until I was about 12 or 13. Probably at 14 was when I became familiar and comfortable with the kinds of music I like and don't like. Before then, I was bouncing all over the place.
People would ask me what my favorite bands were, or if I watched MTV, but because I've been homeschooled since fourth grade, I was never really exposed to that stuff I suppose, or the "mainstream". My parents and brothers aren't avid music listeners to any extent either. My musical tastes were something I discovered on my own, over time. They've been constantly developing and evolving since then. Which I suppose is the best way it can happen. No trying to be "cool" and wading in the endless murk of marketed mainstream crap. I sort of got lost in there anyway, but managed to pull out okay.
More on that later.
I suppose I started really listening to music when I got my first PCDP...I must've been 12. What brand it was I really don't remember, but I remember my mom had purchased it for me based on the fact that it was "blue".
Well, suffice to say, it died in a few days, we returned it to the store, and I got a $50 Sony model (D-E307 I believe?). Heheh, I can remember being in the store with my dad, asking him which kind we should get, and his rationale was, "How about a Sony? They made the dang things first, didn't they?"
I think I still have it in a drawer somewhere...it's pretty haggard looking. It's my second one, actually. I got it to replace the first when it died, and the second eventually died as well. By died I mean it would just stop playing the CDs for no reason sometimes. This happpened more frequently until it wouldn't play anything at all. I have no idea what headphones I used to use...probably whatever crap came with the PCDP. I later used mostly earbuds. Eventually I got a Panasonic PCDP with "Brainshaker" phones (more like "Headsplitter" - Ouch!), but getting back on subject...
My mom doesn't like a lot of noise in the house, and like I said, no one in my family is really an audiophile or music enthusiast, so we didn't really have a good speaker system, or at least one that
anybody used. So, from the very beginning, my experience with music has been inseparable from headphones, although only now am I beginning to move up the ladder and see what's really out there.
I think the first song I heard that really prompted me to go out into the music world and check out a band was, get this, the Offspring's "Pretty Fly For A White Guy". *cue gagging* Yeah, it's a horrible song compared to their other stuff (well, compared to any stuff really). BUT, it was awesome in my mind, and I remember burning a CD with the MP3 on it and listening to it like all night long. My headphones were junk of course, and it was more akin to blaring speakers in the night than listening to headphones privately in my bedroom, so my parents got pissed because of the noise. Oh well.
So I got into Punk music. Not because I got involved in a crowd or group or that scene or anything, rather because I loved the music.
*sigh* This is waaay too long-winded. I guess I should add too that while I was exploring the Punk genre, I was simultaneously getting into J-Pop/J-Rock, or Japanese popular music for the uninitiated. This is because I was taking Japanese classes at the community college at the time, was into Anime, had friends who knew people from Japan...etc. So I got to borrow and get copies of CDs of that sort.
I suppose I "lost my way" when two things happened:
1) I finished Japanese 4. No more classes, some friends went off to Japan, others I didn't see as much anymore, and my source of Japanese music was broken off.
2) My computer's HD crashed. I lost everything. It was a "deal" computer that my Dad had gotten from some obscure company -_-
So, all my MP3s were lost, mainly my Punk stuff, and for awhile I didn't have a computer. I hadn't nearly delved into all that Punk had to offer, but my exploration of that genre was jerked to a halt.
I was 13 or 14 with not a whole lot of money, so where did I turn?
Answer: I was drawn toward the mainstream. By this I mean MTV type stuff...Limp Bizkit...Kid Rock...I don't even remember what I listenend to. I've tried to blot it out I think. Think "the dark ages" of my music exploration. I don't know, I guess I just had to check out that kind of music for myself. I vaguely recall why I listened to what I did - I mean it may seem all appealing on the outside, but you lose interest in music with no real substance fast, though, so pretty soon I escaped the mainstream, MTV, and all their trappings.
I know any of you who like Punk will probably cringe at this, but it's true. The band that carried me out of the mainstream, and back into Punk and other types of music was none other than Blink 182 when I saw them on MTV. Boo, hiss, "you're not punk". Yeah yeah, I know a lot of people get all over groups like Green Day, The Offspring, and Blink 182 for being "sellouts", but without them, I'm not sure where I'd be. Of course I lost interest in Blink 182, but they served as a stepping stone so to speak.
I'll give a little summary of where this all led me to:
I tried the modern rock of the mainstream and there's just so few redeeming bands out there...I swear, feel free to dispute this, but it seems likes there's the Rap-metal scene, and then an endless stream of Creed sound-alikes. Neither impress me.
The main bands from Punk and its related genres that I love are Bad Religion, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, Offspring, A.F.I., Less Than Jake, The Get Up Kids, and Alkaline Trio. I don't think Bad Astronaut would really count as Punk, but it's a side project of the singer of Lagwagon and I can't wait to get their new release. Bands I initially liked, such as Blink 182, The Ataris, New Found Glory, Green Day, etc., didn't stand the test of time.
I've tried listening to older music; my dad likes classic rock, for example. I think from checking out older rock bands, the only thing that stuck with me that I really enjoy is Queen. Awesome band...I just really took to it. Bands like Led Zeppelin though, they're not really my thing. You can try to get interested in and like someone else's musical tastes, but if it doesn't work...it just doesn't.
As for classical and orchestrated music, I've played the piano since I was in third grade, so I've listened to and appreciated classical music for a long time. I'm taking a Music Appreciation class right now and really enjoying it. It makes me think about getting a pair of headphones just for classical/orchestrated stuff. I've always enjoyed film scores and epic soundtracks, and there are many video game soundtracks on the same level and scale IMO.
Recently I've gotten back into Japanese music, and since a lot of what I've been listening to is influenced by electronica/techno, I've been checking that out as well.
Well, call my tastes strange, call them eclectic, call me only 16, or whatever you want, but I think that pretty much sums it up. Make of this ridiculously long post what you will, because I'm dead tired
from studying for the Physics test that I took today and am going to bed."
I think I overdid it a bit...