My taste in music is rather… eclectic. One minute I’ll be listening to oldies like The Sex Pistols, and the next I’ll be listening to Dean Martin or Green Day. But a lot of stuff on the radio bores me. When I was in L.A. I listened to KROQ – 'L.A.‘s Alternative Station’. Y…eah. It’s kind of ‘Alternative’. Loads better than Brittany Spears or whoever. Up here I found 107.7 The End. It’s sort of the Seattle version of KROQ, but not quite as good. Too much talking and commercials anyway. What I really miss is KXLU. Since it’s a college station I was often out of range when they were playing Indie music. It’s KXLU that introduced me to The Pogues in the early-'80s, and where I heard The Butthole Surfers a couple of years before KROQ started playing them. There’s a lot of good stuff that really is an alternative to commercial stations.
We have this new temp in the office. I figured she’d be the one to ask for some good music, and she gave me the frequency to a station broadcasting out of the UW. And what I heard was pretty good. Somewhat eclectic choices, maybe a little less energy than I’m used to, but overall a good station to play at my desk.
And then it occurred to me that I’m old enough to be her father. How weird is that? Fat Boring Old Fart wanting to listen to Indie rock? Well it’s what I like, dammit! (OK, among other things; but you know what I mean.)
So do you ever find yourself doing something and thinking, ‘Wait a minute. This is outside of my demographic. Oh, well. It’s what I like.’?
My music selection varies from the 1920s through 1990s. I must have a few bits from the last seven years too. So I can relate. Main-stream radio makes my teeth itch.
In answer to your question: Yes. All the time. And I never let it bother me, I hope I never will. I’m not defined by anyone’s expectations, even my own. I’m happy with being me because I’m having fun.
I am 35. I love Boleros from the 50’s and love to watch Pocoyo (a cartoon for preschoolers). I prefer the company of people in their 50’s and 60’s, although I have no problem spending an entire morning playing peek-a-boo and Lego with my kids (or putting together toy train tracks without them!). I do like many things appropriate for my age group, such as reality TV, videogames, and entertaining at home. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.
ETA: My truck has no mods and looks exactly the way it did when it came out of the dealer, but I love to go off roading and splashing on mud poodles.
In the past, I’ve taken pupils to task over comments along the lines of ‘you wouldn’t like it’ or ‘it’s not your kind of music’. All I do is fire up iTunes and have them scroll through what I’ve got. It’s normally hip-hop that really flummoxes them. Sure, I teach you the violin, but do you really think I only listen to classical music? Oh, you did think that. Bloody hell.
So yes, maybe I’m outside of some demographic. But I suppose a thirteen-year-old fascinated by Beethoven is outside of any demographic, too. In short, one part of my job is to screw with statistics
Me too. I love Los Panchos (actually 60s and 70s). I have a bunch of cassettes I recorded in Barranquilla from an AM radio station called “Radio Reloj” that plays that kind of music all night long. (They also would say the time after each song, hence the name. of the station.) Older folks are surprised by my interest.
I also like the salsa from the 80s. (And Gran Combo’s greatest hits are amazing.) Marc Antony, however, is insipid, IMHO.
