What music has taught me

I used to have a unhealthy attraction to anything to do with music. I have never truly grown out of this phase but I have improved to say the least. I no longer am parked outside the local music shop waiting for albums to be released, I no longer spend $100’s of hard earned cash on music mags each month seeing what new bands to watch out for and I am not addicted to buying the whole entire back catalogue of a band that I started listening to 25 mins earlier.

Yes these days have passed. I have the internet now J

My daily ( yes daily ) music info fix has been turned into an easy click to many different sites that tell me what is happening in the world as well as numerous sites such as iTunes, Spotify, Youtube, Pandora, Last.fm and Grooveshark. Rolling Stone online mag and The Source also get a look in on an almost daily occurrence too.

So much has changed in the 27 odd years since I started my musical journey that I will always wonder where it will end. What songs will be played at my 40^th, 50^th and 60^th birthdays? What song will be played at my funeral and what song would suit me? This question will always be an ever evolving topic with it more than likely changing every few years due to what I am into or what new songs had come out and also what people thought of me.

If I died tomorrow ( not planning on it ) what song would I play? There are several contenders. A personal favourite is ‘He ain't Heavy, he’s my brother’ by The Hollies. Another would be ‘I will follow you into the dark’ by indie favourites Deathcab For Cutie. As long as it is nothing by Celine Dion or Eric Clapton I will pretty much be happy to trust the decision unto my friends and family. If it was a few years ago, it would have been something stupid like ‘Down in a hole’ by Alice in chains or other inappropriate songs such as 'Bro Hymm' from Pennywise or 'Gold' by Spandau Ballet.

I have been to a few funerals in my life - Mostly the older generation and it is full with church favourites such as 'Amazing Grace' and 'Lord is my Shepherd'. One funeral stands out of a friend who passed away when I was 24 years old. This guy was one of the coolest people I have ever met and as they played 'Hero' by Foo Fighters, his coffin was taken from the church, I do not think there was a dry eye in the house. Even now when I hear that song it really moves me because I think of him. Personally I am not a fan of The Foo Fighters but this song, this moment, this person - it fitted him and it fitted everyone who knew him.

Music really is about the 'Here & Now'. Songs can transform you back years to memories and to events that really stuck in your mind or even in the far reaches of your mind that have been long forgotten until out of the blue a song triggers a thought, a murmur in the back blocks of your consciousness and everything comes flooding back.

Music is a memory and a past and a future all rolled into one. This is how we evolve as people and how we create our personalities. By what we listen to portrays us as people. Music teaches us.

Frank Sinatra taught me to dance
Public Enemy taught me to think
Bob Dylan taught me to care
Sly & the Family Stone taught me to groove
Black Flag taught me to fight
Red Hot Chili Peppers taught me to boogy




Music taught me to live




* For the record if I died tomorrow I want 'Take Me To The Water' by Nina Simone and Die Young by Ronnie James Dio ( Robb Flynn from Machine Head version though ).