Do you find yourself listening to certain types of music now, that 5, 10, 15 years ago, you would have preferred not to hear?
When I listened to a lot of music back in the 80’s, with a few exceptions, I would change the dial if I came upon pop tunes. And my definition of pop, at least in the 80’s, was singers/groups like Debbie Giboson, Tiffiny, New Kids on the Block (damn they sucked!!!), and so on. And even though singers/groups like Prince and Duran Duran were prevalent in the 80’s, most of their most famous songs I’ve only heard recently in the late 90’s or early 2000s, seriously.
Anyway, when I listen to old 80’s songs, or even modern ones, I find myself liking pop/dance music a lot more often than I use to. Although there’s some which I can’t stand and will never listen too, like boy band music, or crap from singers like Brittany Spears, Jessica Simpson, and so forth, I find myself liking a lot of other dance/pop tunes.
So what do you like now that you didn’t before?
I used to knock on techno all the time. I said, “What’s the skill in sampling somebody else’s music nad replaying it with another person’s music?” I had no respect for people who couldn’t play an instrument, or at least sing. Now, though, I find myself listening to the likes of Diesel Boy and Amon Tobin (formerly Cujo). I guess I’ve come to realize that it takes some serious skill to put together a coherent song out of fragments of others. Not to mention the awesome drum beats they can string together.
I listen to a lot more jazz than I used to. I don’t know if it’s just maturity, or 15 years of tap, or what, but I really love complex rhythms, and can now “hear” stuff in jazz – not only rhythmically, but in terms of dissonance, etc. – that went straight over my head 20 years ago.
Country music.
Being a 60s - 70s teenager I hated all country music.
About 12 years ago I started to appreciate things like Patsy Cline, Don Gibson, Dwight Yoakham, BR5-49, Steve Earle.
Country and Western, although I’m picky about it – so far, the only artists I really like are Johnny Cash, Freddy Fender, and Toby Keith.
Rap, again picky about it – Cypress Hill, Nelly, and a lot of the really old school rappers (Sugar Hill Gang, anyone?).
Country I haven’t really ever liked, except for a few older Country/Pop crossover hits, like some songs from Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbit, Crystal Gayle (and Eddie Rabbit & Crystal Gayle singing Just You and I :D) And such.
But modern Country/Pop crossover artists like Shania Twain I don’t really listen to.
I really don’t like rap much. I did like some of the older stuff, you know hits from people like DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Tone Loc, Young MC, MC Hammer, but that’s about it. About the only modern rap songs I’ve liked, and they’re getting a few years old now, is Everything is Everything by Lauren Hill, and Sorry Miss Jackson by Outkast, but nothing else they’ve done.
Heavy metal…I’ve liked metal but now I prefer heavier stuff than I have in the past
Electronica…synthesyzers
Kraftwerk…Gary Numan
I used to really, really, really hate country music. I think it had something to do with being raised in a rather rural area. Now, all I listen to is country, and went to a Toby Keith concert last weekend.
BTW, does anybody else think he’s cute?
Wow, an old thread of mine resurected. How about that.
Hmmmm. I would have to say that I have definitely developed an appreciation for classical music as I have grown older. Jazz too. Also I have definitely been getting my big band pop freak on too.
I used to despite rap with a fierce and fiery passion…
…now I’m slowly getting into it. 
(My hate for country and western music still burns with the fire of a million suns, though. Where is lno, is he still around?)
Chilean Folk music. The only reason I didn’t like it when I was a teenager is because it’s not too popular in the US and I’d never heard any. (Plus, even if I had, at age 15 it would have been uncool to admit to liking it.)
Also blues musicians such as Robert Johnson and Leadbelly, for similar reasons.
Classical music. I listened to it a lot as a kid, and respected it, but never really liked it until about 10 years ago. Now, I’m a big fan.
American popular music. I mean the great American popular composers of the 30s – Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Warren, Kern, etc. I didn’t much care for it because it wasn’t rock. Now, I love it.