-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parents:
I was extremely luck growing up because both of my parents had good taste in music, as far as most parents are concered at least.
-Dad tended to listen to classic rock. The Who, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, CCR, Stones, Moody Blues, CSNY, Jethro Tull, Neil Young, Golden Earring, Lou Reed, Dylan, Guthrie, Beach Boys, etc.
-Mom religiously listened to Motown and other Oldies (from Diana Ross to Strawberry Alarm Clock to Simon & Garfunkel) resulting in Jolene and I being able to sing along with almost anything that comes onto the radio.
But I've always felt this was an excellent basis for my musical taste. Especially when it comes to my "strong lyric" necessity for a good band. All of the songs by these artists aren't always amazing but all of them and many more that I've listened to do tend to have a strong lyrical base in their songs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sibling:
-Jolene, I can't leave her out, not only did she buy me the Deep Blue Something CD (one of my first CDs, and a favorite, I have no shame) but I have to give her a lot of credit for introducing me to Pearl Jam and DMB, "college rock", and leading to REM and other Athens rock. Up to that point I was pretty much only listening to the classics of my parents and really scary alternative music they played on 103.9 The Edge and Z93.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Me:
-I've got to give myself some credit as well. Going off the music knowledge I had and accidentally stumbling through the scan on the car radio I discovered 97.7 The X, the future of Rock N Roll. And Bam, it did change my life. When I discovered music downloading their 2000 of 2000, while not quite perfect, it introduced me to a wide and historical range of music that I doubt I could have ever gotten from listening to corporate radio. Now that I've grown up a bit I still appreciate the station though I'm no longer a "God fearing WOXYite" like some.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends:
-"Paco" of the OG fame introduced me to the concept of emo one night at the Upperdeck. I already had Pinkerton as well as some Husker Du but he got me interested in that branch of music. While I do not consider myself an emo fan, to the point of bordering on loathing it at times, it certainly did open up a new window and has a very interesting history. And some emo isn't that bad, just some of it makes me prefer self mutilation.
-"Greeny" deserves a big thanks as well because without her I would never have started appreciating Bowie, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, BRMC, and so forth.
-Other friends need to be thanked, no names of course, for introducing me to music that I can now say I hate/abhor. They need to be thanked because this created more "guide lines" for what I consider good/listenable music.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boyfriends:
-Rein's musical taste is amazing! While I had been listening to some good things before I ever met him I do have to give him a lot of credit for introducing me to a whole new world of music I probably never would have stumbled upon on my own. Zita Swoon, Rialto, Palace, Moondog Jr, Madrugada, Leonard Cohen, Kula Shaker, Kiss My Jazz, Gore Slut, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Flowers For Breakfast, Evil Superstars, Daan, dEUS, Dead Man Ray, and who knows how many others. Granted that a couple of these bands could be described as variatons or the evolution of Moondog Jr but I still love them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Movies:
Thanks to Rushmore, Empire Records, Rules Of Attraction, High Fidelity, The Graduate, Brat Pack Movies, and many others that currently aren't coming to mind that introduced me to a wider scope of musical talent. 80s new wave I heart you..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
