Face Your Music

It seems that the byword this past week was MUSIC.  

While shopping for coffee in one of the neighborhood stores, the shopkeeper asked me what I was bopping to on my iPod.  Here’s how the conversation goes:

Shopkeeper:  Who are you listening to? 

Moi: (answers confidently) The Libertines. “

Shopkeeper: Oh, I haven’t heard of them. 

Moi: They’re a British alternative rock band that broke up in 2004. (Thank you, Dan Radcliffe!)

Houston, we have established street cred.  Hahahaha! At least among the shopkeepers of Arthur Avenue.  

Whenever someone asks me what I've been listening to, there is a great desire to impress people with my taste in music.  Saying "The Libertines" leads to further inquiry (Sino?) while saying David Archuleta will probably end the conversation right there and then.  Unfortunately, Pete and Carl spent too much time singing "Can't Stand Me Now" to each other that they decided to go their separate ways.

And speaking of impressive, rumors have been swirling furiously about a world-famous band that is supposed to hold a hush-hush-top-secret-for-students-only concert at my school. 

  

(I love this video, especially the use of the Chippendale firemen in the back).

Alright, fine, it’s U2.  Insert shocked gasp here. 

I believe in the Jesuits, but man, if they pull this off, it would be a miracle!!! 

I don’t know if it’s true—whatever info I have is from Google--but I’d really really really rather line up for a hoax than miss the real thing.  ♬ You’re the real thing…even better than the real thing! ♬   God knows I’ve queued for less – Harry Potter, the Empire State Building, The Revenge of the Sith (still haven’t recovered from that!).

So, in the wake of this news, the following conversation was heard on the grapevine:

Neighbor 1: Malamang sasama si Kristinesync doon sa concert.

Neighbor 2: HUH??? E, di ba mahilig sya sa boyband?

Cue Debbie Downer music here :). 

To quote Lizzie Bennett: I deserve neither such praise nor such censure. 

But can you stop yourself from bopping to this?

 

You can’t.  

Before the Jonas Brothers, before Dancing with the Stars, there was *NSYNC.   The album "No Strings Attached" sold 2.4 million copies in its first week of release, a record beaten only by the Beatles’ “1.”  During my younger years, I fancied myself in lust with JC Chasez (he's the guy who sings better than Justin Timberlake). Why I have to be younger to fancy him when he's my age, I don't know.  Since then, he has moved on to Eva Longoria (pre-Tony, of course) and I’ve moved on to other, more accessible objects of lust. 

But contrary to popular knowledge, I was a U2 fan long before *NSYNC was even a glimmer in the record company’s eye.  My sister bought a cassette of Achtung Baby when it first came out in 1991 and we’ve been rocking to it since, so much so that one day, the tape finally refused to play. 

Hindsight is always 20/20, and I thank my sister for buying that tape.  Knowledge of U2 is essential when cute guys from the last frontier are trying to maneuver you into a one-on-one conversation in an Irish pub (say that you liked Achtung, hated Pop, and he’ll follow you around like a puppy dog).

  

I guess it is easy to imagine that people stick loyally to a certain artist, a certain album, a certain genre.  We like to keep things simple and organized.  The truth is, iTunes playlists are just as complicated as the people who own them.  Try putting all your songs in shuffle, and you’ll probably end up with Franco Corelli, Shonen Knife, Beyonce, Paulinho Moska and Barry Manilow in the first five clicks.  Just because I listen to Boyzone doesn’t mean I don’t listen to Muse, and because I love the Sohodolls, doesn’t mean that I can’t hum along to Hilary Duff (♬ …when you wake up, it will seem so yesterday, so yesterday…♬).  Besides, knowing Boyzone songs increases my chances of getting a 95 during a videoke contest :).

Here's Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders parodying a boyband :).

  

Because people tend to be nosy (and nasty) about other people’s iPods, it is tempting to create a music persona, a version of me whose taste in music is impeccable or at least, obscure.  I, for example, own the track “Mickey.”  To dispel any doubt about the identity of the song, yes, it’s the one that goes: “Oh Mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey!  Hey Mickey!”  Shameful, embarrassing things like this, I usually hide in a playlist called “Pop” or “Various Artists” or “Miscellaneous” – and I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only person in the world who does this.  We like to put the certain tracks up front (this way Chris Martin and Cat Power), and the baduy ones in some vaguely-named list (budge up Air Supply).  

It is probably in my best interests to delete “Mickey” but one of these days, you never know, you might get the urge to put on a cheerleading outfit and sing “Oh Mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey!  Hey Mickey!”