The History of Music Through My Eyes

It's true. I started thinking about all of the movies that have been discussed online, and I was thinking that I would take time to share what music I listen to. So the last two CDs that I have purchased? John Fogerty-The Long Road Home and Nickelback-All the Right Reasons. Before I go any further, I should say that I have to admit, to most people, my music choices are lame. So I suck, I don't know what to say. Mostly, I like Rock. It drives me nuts when people say, "I like a little bit of everything." Mostly, I think that phrase annoys me because all of us usually like a little bit of everything. At some point, I tried to think of a better way to classify what I like. There isn't a particular genre that I don't like, except for punk and the newer version of punk-the punk-pop stuff. I don't know what that's called.

I have loved listening to music. Since about the time I was 7, I have paid attention to it. At about this time by brother was around 15 and he was into Metallica, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, and Cinderella. One of my favorite pictures is with him in his bedroom with all of his 80s metal posters on his wall. Because I was at that phase in my life where everything I did was to impress him, I learned to like all of these bands. When I played the ever popular game, M.A.S.H., I always opted to hope for the coveted job of bodyguard and the prized husband in Vince Neil. He was the great love of my life before I reached 10. In this way, I have found that most people are surprised that I was listening to metal at the time, but I'm proud to admit it.

It seemed natural, then, to transition from loving metal as a youth to falling into the grunge scene in the 90s. I was pretty sure that I was the only person in the world that truly understood Nirvana. I couldn't bring myself to read the suicide note left by Kurt when it was posted in Rolling Stone, I had myself convinced that he wouldn't have wanted that. For some reason as well, ages 12-15 happened to be the time when my mom had married a old dirty hippie (trust me, she'd have less positive things to label him now) and he would take me to all of these great concerts. I am priviledged enough to say that at the ripe old age of 11, I went to see my first concert: Guns'N'Roses with Smashing Pumpkins as the opener. **Yet another great Oklahoma moment was watching them get booed off of the stage because right after the first two songs, Billy Corgan had the audacity to scream "Hail Satan" in the middle of the bible belt.** Apparently, their manager must have told them to back off from that routine because the second time I saw them, they were more the cynical frail ultra liberals that were trapped in their own world of desperation, rather than the angry fuck authority band. I also got to see the Black Crowes, Megadeath, Metallica, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, and Bush. I laugh now at the Bush concert, because that was about the time that everybody got a hankering to try the moshing and crowd surfing thing. Back in those days (now how much do I sound like an old cooter) only the really "hard core" concert goers would dare the mosh circle. Lesser known bands that were openers at this time included No Doubt, Reverend Horton Heat, and Candlebox. Whew.

After the grunge fog cleared, I was left in a musical limbo where I didn't know what to listen to. For the second time in my life however, I went through a phase of idol worship. My friend Sara, was into the club scene and Oklahoma City used to host this under 18 club, Star Seven. I started going to the club with her at 16. And for some reason I really caught on to the music. I started my now infamous collection of Deee-lite CDs, and then I started going to the "darker" house electronica, such as Chemical Brothers and Underworld. From there I followed a boyfriend into the P.J. Harvey, Mazzy Star and Liz Phair world. By then, rock started making a comeback, but it was these new lame bitch-bands like Blink 182, Weezer, and Presidents of the United States of America. We needed a cheerier version of rock after grunge, I guess. I got angry and started listening to pop.

This began the demise of music coolness. I missed the heaviness of rock and I couldn't figure out any new good electronica bands to listen to, so I turned to Justin Timberlake and crew to become my new block rockin' beats. I don't know what the hell I was thinking. At some point, I even turned to listening to Hanson. Which, to paraphrase Scott Ian, lead singer of Anthrax, there's no good reason to hate Hanson, they were a talented group of young boys. If a rocker the likes of Scott Ian can love Hanson, then so could I.

Thank god I discovered professional wrestling. It is there where I found Disturbed, Godsmack, Saliva, and Drowning Pool. And no, I've never been a Korn fan. Nor have I ever been a big Tool fan. So now, I ask, why have I ended up with such lame music tastes? I'm not proud to say that I own Nickelback, it seems like pop-rock to me, if it wasn't for damn song Photograph, I would have never requested the album. I don't know when I started hating everything I heard. Now, just like every other krusty old-rocker, I would rather listen to the "bands from the old days" rather than try to like some new band. Even now, I would prefer to give Poison's Greatest Hits a spin in the dusty CD player rather than try to give Aviril Lavine a chance. As a matter of fact, I was pretty disturbed when I gave Papa Roach a whirl after the single, "Getting Away with Murder," thinking that the rest of the CD would have a harder flavor, but instead I got songs like "Scars" where the band talks about their weaknesses including thins such as "caring too much." At the risk of sounding like one of my students, WTF, man. WTF.

So here ends my History of Music. I have started going back in time and listening to the old rock foggies (no pun intended) and I have actually enjoyed the CCR classics. New rock pisses me off, I don't have the energy to find all of the underground club groups and Brittany Spears and Ashley Simpson have effectively turned me away from pop. It sounds crazy to say that the last two concerts that I graced were the Van Halen concert and the Motley Crue: Red, White, and Crue Tour. It was odd, because while we were standing in line to get into the Ford Center, we were whispering about how this hard core couple had brought their daughter, who couldn't have been more than six, to the concert. My counterpart thought this was amusing, considering that this girl is now no older than I was back when I was a huge Crue fan...Such is my history of music. I'm open to hear what you think I should be listening to, at this point, I'm willing to try anything new so that my music coolness can once again be established.