Music is an obsession for me, so I almost couldn't help but do a better job of staying in the convo than most. If I'm wrong, then I’m just another drunk in the virtual bar.
My goal is to keep you from being this person, or an old geezer who says things like "Kids These Days".
But with that in mind, There Are Some Things About Me You Should Know. The following is a list of things that might provide insight into my taste.
I have a bigger-than-average (1,600 or so) record collection, with the inevitable gaps. I don't think I'd want every single record by anybody, and can speak with real authority about none. And I'm willing to accept the general consensus that, say, Dylan (1973) is a horrible album. I did, however, hear his version of "Big Yellow Taxi" and...shudder.
I have my own unique tastes and enthusiasms.
I'd like to think my center of gravity is pop music, but the definition of which changes daily, so to be more specific, I'll say "rock music" - bands that play electric guitars, preferably with some songwriting underneath it.
Rock 'n Roll should be fun. And if serious it should be very passionate.
I was always more Allmans/Dead than Zeppelin.
I like guitars that chime and that crunch. Loud, by itself, does nothing for me.
Great technical skill means nothing without good songs. The minimal skill required to put the song across is all that's really needed.
I am way behind on music by African Americans, only enjoying 70s (Funkadelic) in the last 20 years or so, and 80s/90s hip hop about now.
I find music from Africa - at least what I've been exposed to - to be very enticing. Probably because they like their guitars, too. The singing and the beats are a bonus.
I like “old” country music (Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, etc) but even then in small doses. (I don't ever see myself doing a "Country Weekend" at my house.
Modern county music just sounds like watered-down rock 'n roll with cornier guitar playing. Due to sexual - and political - politics, unless there's a female singer, I usually can't get through it.
I usually have my fill of bluegrass after listening to one album a year.
I also don’t see myself doing a “let’s play all my reggae albums today” unless I take up weed during my retirement.
I have a greater tolerance for blues, which I can play all day, but maybe not tomorrow. Not the summer, either.
Electronica would get its own day (by which I mean night).
Ditto ambient. Unless I’m in a depression, then it's for the duration.
Classical is best taken in small doses. But I can imagine a “classical-only winter” in my future.
I look forward to a jazz-only winter. In lieu of that there's always a John Coltrane Day, Thelonious Monk Day (in song title order, just for laughs) Miles Davis Day, etc.
I’m also a big believer in the “Don’t hate disco/funk/EDM, etc. because it’s got a beat, and don’t hate classical because it doesn’t”. It's like hating chicken because it tastes like chicken.
Each of these genres produces both good and bad music. My judgments are based on how well I keep up with the conversation. They may seem all over the place because of that - hating a perfectly pleasant album while loving something that doesn't even make sense to me. I will try to warn you when this happens.
And metal! How could I forget metal?
Because I want to.
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