Music is in my heart and my soul. I love so many different styles, from ancient Japanese drumming to modern alternative and almost everything in between.
I say almost, because I like to keep things like jazz and gabba at arms length. You'll have to ask my mate, Little Rob, about gabba. I heard it once and my brain has long since locked the memory safely away where it can do no harm. But all things considered, I really do like most styles of music. Which is not the way it used to be.
When I was young and full of life, nobody could tell me anything because I knew everything, already (sound familiar). And I knew that rock ruled. It rocked my world. I would listen in disgust to sugary pop tunes that floated around my ears in shops, restaurants and (when I was old enough) pubs. I would cringe when someone's parents tried to influence me with their favoured artists. But play me something with a tub thumping drum beat and some choppy guitar licks and I would soon be standing in a puddle of my own warmth, beaming like an idiot.
I'm still a rocker at heart, bands like Kings Of Leon and The Zutons keep me on the right track, but now I listen to bands that don't rock, yet still manage to get my blood pumping. If I'd mentioned to one of my friends, many years back, that I have all the Scissor Sisters albums, I would have been laughed at and ridiculed. To my face. My friends let you know, there and then, when you were making a bad call. Funny looks could follow you around for weeks and... Not really. But you did get told to "Get a life!". Which you promptly did.
"Maybe I won't get that INXS album, after all."
And then, when nobody was looking, I'd buy it, anyway. After all, everyone should own a copy of Kick. It's a classic. And over the years, I've acquired a fairly decent library of musical tastes. Many albums have been lost, lent or sold but what I have remaining paints an honest picture of my tastes. The band that kickstarted my musical adventure was Queen. I saw them performing on TV at Live Aid in 1985, so I would have been 12 years old, and they left one hell of an impression on that young boy. To this day, I still listen to their music.
Since then, I've treated my ears to so many artists. You don't have to read the list.
Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, Massive Attack, Bjork, Leftfield, Groove Armada, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Rage Against The Machine, Gorillaz, Black Eyed Peas, Lily Allen, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, The Velvet Underground, One Eskimo, Ray Charles, Alice Cooper, Lemon Jelly, Foo Fighters, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, etc.
The list goes on but the point I'm trying to make is that although I love rock and roll (sorry, I couldn't help it), I have opened my mind to many more styles of music and and as a result I'm far better off for it.
