Music

I had a friend comment recently on my bipolar music taste. And it’s true I cannot deny it! If you looked at my music library you would probably think that I have multiple personalities. However I have grown up around so many different types of music that I was just bound to be a bit eccentric. Let me give you a bit of background on what I mean. I am super close to my family if you haven’t gotten a hint of that already. I know you are saying duh and begging me to move on.

Well my mother the queen of bipolar music taste would listen to all sorts of classical, Broadway tunes, opera, oldies, and even the occasional Gregorian chant(I am not joking the cds are still in the house). It is from my mother that I gained my appreciation of classical music and Broadway show tunes. Often long card rides involved Sarah Brightman, a Jazz artist, and some YO-YO Ma. However I was able to influence my mother a bit when I got older, this was a very hard task as my mother was just stubborn as me if not maybe more. Rap is never an area that I have been able to get either one of my parents to like, so I consider it a lost cause and move on. My father on the other hand is a bit differently musically. I did Indian Princesses with my dad, which was sooo fun! I remember evening drives to camp grounds with Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, and Stevie Wonder on cassette because that was before CD players in cars. I mean Copacabana so doesn’t know that song or cringe at least a little when it comes on because I know that I do now. That was the music my dad listened to though, and god love him when I was 6 I thought it was great too! He has expanded is selection in the car rides to some Santana, Eric Clapton, Beach Boys, Elton John and others. However there is one cd that I wish I could hide, and erase from the iPod I got him. That would be John Denver, I mean we all love country roads and thank god I am a country boy. But please for the love of all, when that cd comes on I want to break out in hives and I swear I start bleeding from the ears. What I often beg for being the nerd that I am is for my dad to put on Kenny Loggins greatest hits. Don’t judge me its great! He did the Caddyshack theme song and pretty much all of Top Guns soundtrack!

Anyways on to my sister which deserves its very own paragraph. My sister is 7 years older than me and growing up we were super close except when we both went through our teenage years. Phew that was some type of bickering in our house. I idolized my sister when I was younger. She was skinny and pretty and I was convinced that somehow her Barbie’s were better than mine. That however is a whole other hilarious story that you will have to ask me about! But I grew up with the great 80s and 90s music coming from my sister. What does this include you might ask? New Kids on the Block, Whitney Houston(before Bobby and the crack), Mariah Carey(before she went crazy), Tiffany and many many others. And yes most of these were all on tape too, most of which I stole and ended up ruining. And oh gosh how could I forget Ace of Base!! As my sister grew up so did her musical taste and mine right along with her. In started rock music, oh the days of Y100 back home. Neither one of my parents really listened to this so it was a whole new world to me. It was from her I was introduced into Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Beastie Boys and all the like. Now my sister and I tend to exist on the same plane of music floating between each genre like it is nothing strange. My poor nephew I am afraid we ruined him in the music area as well by listening to Simon and Garfunkel in the car and then flipping to Eminem or Britney Spears. However, right now he seems to be on the hip hop kick!

You might be wondering after this lengthy discussion of what my family listens to what is actually in my music library. Well there is a lot in my library but not only from the influence of my family but also from my ex’s. All of my ex's actually left me with was good music. So what you may find in my library is everything from Mozart’s the magic Flute opera, Adele, Britney Spears(don’t judge me it’s catchy), the soundtrack of Rent, Eminem, Ryan Adams, Blink 182, Alkaline Trio, Def Leppard, The Eagles, Etta James, Fall out Boy etc etc. Have you gotten an idea where I was going with all of this? I am a music whore so to speak. I love it singing to it, driving to it, dancing around to it, and whatever else. I have been singing since I was little and semi-professionally in choirs and the such since 3^rd grade. I have been playing the flute since 4^th grade pretty much until I graduated college, sadly I haven’t picked that up recently. I love music, and I have some many memories in my life where I can remember the song that was playing, though I feel like we all have those memories. It is great to sit back and be like oh gosh you remember this song what were we thinking by liking that! Music also allows me to act like the biggest dork out there just driving in my car somewhere and singing at the top of my lungs. My sister and I do this a lot together and it is great, sometimes my dad even breaks out into song. My mom used to be we also tried to beg her not to as she was semi-tone death. It was still fun regardless and sometimes I am sure my mother sang off key just to watch my sister and I cringe. It was the how much can I embarrass them factor. I am off tangent though.

Regardless, I love my bipolar music taste and I do not care if anyone laughs at me about any of the bands I have in my collection. Just know I would be a formidable opponent in a name this artist contest!

Till next Time!

Meg