I’m definitely not as in to music as many of you.
I own a decent pile of albums (iTunes says I have about 400) and I listen to music every day while I work.
But despite my father’s best efforts I’ve never been blown away or deeply moved by the music itself.
He loves classical, especially piano, and describes some of his listening experiences in almost religious terms. He is genuinely surprised that I’m not able to feel the same way.
It is “pretty” I guess but I would never just sit and listen to music and not do something else.
And I very rarely see live music because I find it boring.
That said there is some music that I would say is important to me. Favorites that I’ve loved for a long time and that have moved me deeply. Many of my favorites were on my playlist when I was a teenager, and still are. And newer stuff that’s resonating today.
And as I’ve gotten older I’ve sort of figured out that what matters to me about music is:
Sincerity
Story
And surprise.
My favorite musicians are the likes of:
Tom Waits
John Prine
Emmy Lou Harris
But also more esoteric lyricists like:
Michael Stipe
Regina Spektor
Elvis Costello
And I also like strong female voices like:
Neko Case
Gin Wigmore
Luscious Jackson
I suppose what I get from it is different than some people but my goodness, when John Prine sings…
…“A person can’t tell his best friend he loves him. Til time has stopped breathing you’re alone on the hill.”…
I feel a little jealous that I don’t understand music they way others do, but then for just a second I imagine I really do.
Archived Post
This post is archived from my account on li.st, a social media app that shut down in 2017. Some posts have been edited slightly to fix typographical errors and correctly represent the gender of some individuals. You can view the full archive here.