Musical influences

[fingertrouble]

Pete why_a_duck suggested a topic: How music has influenced you or how you have influenced the music choices you've made. That's not worded very well but something along the line of your favourite music from your teens to now and why.

Well - it started with my dad, who as well as being an engineer (and a metallurgist early on, and in the RAF) used to play guitar in pubs and clubs and joy of joys, sometimes for me...he'd just get out his Hofner Verithin and Vox AC30 and play. I can't describe the feeling of someone you care for playing music for you - it's a drug and amazing, however good they are; to have that connection and have someone express themselves is something I sadly feel is rare nowadays, musically at least. I wish I could play an instrument...if music lessons had been part of school as in some countries, I would - there simply wasn't the money when I was young for music lessons.

So my first experiences was bouncing around to the Beatles and my dad playing country and jazz to me on his guitar...later on I got into Pop with a big P, Kate Bush and a-ha and 80's Genesis and Fleetwood Mac and the like, nothing too dissonant (apart from Cathy) and very AOR/pop...I quickly got into electronic music, this was the house/acid house boom and dance music said FUN! and something your parents hated - ditto early hiphop/daisy age rap. Was talking about this with Steve holy13nation last night at the KA - the early jazz-funk disco that was SO UNCOOL like Imagination and Linx et al that kept disco alive after the US disco crash was a love of my sisters along with Soft Cell I picked up, and along with Depeche Mode (See You, Leave in Silence era) was a touchstone of the more dancey electronic music I was into later on.

Then I went into rock and indie and baggy Madchester rave from 1989 onwards - seeing the likes of Shaun Ryder on the cover of NME made me buy it and just want to hear the music just cos of the way he spoke and looked - then 808 State introduced me to techno; I was buying DJ International records and house compilations and taping whatever I could find, from KLF to Klubheads. Strangely I never went to a rave, being young and broke; I really regret that, but like me coming onto the gay scene post AIDS rather than diving in right into the storm it probably was wise...

When I was young I’d listened to the radio, waitin’ for my favorite songs (shooby doo lang lang - yep another one of my early loves pre-Sonic Youth/mass idolisation, when they were teh uncool) but I never really was into it, mostly commercial, it was the record shop and library (I'll never forget hearing LFO's Frequencies and KLF's Shag Times and Substance from the library) and friend's tapes I heard new stuff - used to swap tapes with Kirk and James at college, make tapes for each other, compilations which eventually became full of original songs and sketches and such stuff, a lot of fun and where the podcasts come from. I also used to dumpster dive in charity shops and a lot of my vinyl collection was made from people throwing out their records for CDs, I'm sure they regret it now!

MP3s and blogs widen this even more - I listen to radio (digital BBC Radio 6) still, but the second hand record shop became history after my mid 20's - I got bored with trying to find some rare vinyl and spending hours trying to find it - now I can find it at a click of a button. People feel nostalgic about the old way, I do for the chance finds, and the object, but I can spend far more time now listening to old and new music rather than stuck in boring damp basements full of smelly vinyl and rude staff...the hunt online is more fun as I can share it, and not have to get home and find it is scratched to fuckery or the tape is warped...

Comments

[why-a-duck.livejournal.com]

ex-cellent...