Music is my least favorite thing to discuss with strangers. When I meet new people, I always take extreme measures to steer clear of any questions about bands, genres or concerts. Some of the worst situations I can find myself in are being in a room with someone who decides to turn on MTV, or riding shotgun in a car with someone who feels obligated to let me choose a radio station. I despise these scenarios because I think of MTV as a cancer and I haven’t listened to the radio on purpose in years. Unfortunately, this armor of musical elitism I’ve encased myself in has also made me a lightning rod for friends looking for new music.
The question, “Can you suggest some new music for me?” stirs a cauldron of disordered emotions inside of me, and few of them are positive. My experiences in fulfilling this request have convinced me there are only two types of people that listen to music. The first are those who treat music like Twinkies or any other kind of junk food that can be swallowed without any consideration of the taste. They listen to music for the same reason they scarf down a Whopper Jr. after a drunken night at the Keg: They need to fill a void.
They’re not concerned with what the music says or the emotions behind it, they just want something to hum to while they drive or do homework.
The second are freaks like me who make music part of our lives. Music is something that gets under our skin, something that can’t be ignored or pushed into the background. When we turn on the stereo or put on our (unreasonably priced) headphones, listening to an entire album is our only course of action. We still buy CDs from time to time, but we all know vinyl is better because the sound feels warmer. One of the hardest decisions we make during the week is choosing to turn off a song halfway through so we won’t be late for class.
Friends requesting music from me have led to very few good experiences because they’re never as elated as I’d like them to be. I’ve had friends turn the dial off halfway through the songs I suggested, replace my iPod with their own, or ask “Are we still listening to this?” or (my favorite) “This is scary, put on something else.”
The last question angers me the most because it assumes all music should cater to the listener, but some of the best music just isn’t meant to sound or feel that way. Music isn’t meant to be a product. It doesn’t come with a “satisfaction guaranteed” label or a “one size fits all” tag. The best music is the kind that challenges you to understand it for what it is and make it part of yourself. Whether you listen to pop, rock, jazz, rap, metal, electronic, classical or even noise, good music is all the same, but don’t expect it to be love at first sight.
