Joe Jackson is genius! I’d rate him higher than Elvis Costello even, if I had to. And yeah, I think you nailed this argument on its head with your comparison to art and film. I LOVE “Starry Night” by Van Gough, but honestly, not much else he did, or other impressionists did for that matter (he’s an impressionist painter, right?). Am I some sort of un-refined, heathen because I happen to like the most popular painting? Well fuck em if I am, it’s what I like, haha

Do we get more tolerant the older we get? I always looked at my parent’s generation and thought they got less tolerant as they aged, so how can I say we’re any different? But you know, we started out on very different footing… so, I’m unresolved on the matter. It’s a thought-provoking statement, and one I get behind.

You and your two weeks in the Caribbean! What a wonderful time you must have had, dearest. Thanks for popping by so soon after coming back, you were missed, xoxoxo

I dont think I can ever really put my finger precisely on what it is that makes me fall for a piece of music. As a post-punk new wave kid, I automatically detested things I love nowadays – Leonard Cohen and Neil Young spring to mind. I’d also like to think that some current mid-40s who three decades ago laughed at some of the stuff I spent my paper-round cash on have also mellowed their views and now accept that the guitars on records by the likes of Buzzcocks and The Skids, and the level of musicianship by such as EC & the Attractions and Squeeze were every bit as good as the likes of Led Zepellin, Yes and Genesis…..if we are going to be anything like a half decent meber of the human species, we should get more tolerant and understanding of many things in life (incl music) the older we get.

Some artistes I’ve listened to in depth on the i-pod lying on a Caribbean beach over past 2 weeks:-

The Jam
Kylie Minogue
Curve
New Order
Malcolm Middleton
Eminem
Woody Guthrie (after re-reading Billy Bragg biography)
Pet Shop Boys
Mersault
Wedding Present
Arctic Monkeys
The Auteurs
Johnny Cash
Sons & Daughters (reminded of them cos they did a song called Johhny Cash)

There were many hundreds of others who came up on random play….all sorts of music with the exception of metal and classical (i can take the latter in a live setting but not in any other form….I struggle very badly with all forms of the former).

But why do I like, for example, Pet Shop Boys but have little time for Erasure? I like New Order but can happily leave most of Depeche Mode alone. I couldnt give you the name of any other 40s/50s folk artist other than Woody Guthrie…and I’ve never been able to understand the adoration folk have for Bob Dylan.

Eminem?? He’s a genius in my book. Most other rap artists I’ll pass on…

Arctic Monkeys?? Still liking what they’re doing but I’ve turned away from most of the other early 2000s guitar-bands that appeared out of nowhere (other than maybe Maximo Park, but in ever-decreasing returns).

I guess music in some ways is like all other forms of visual and performing arts…..there are different things that appeal to different people….and just you like one partucular painting by an artists (or one movie by a director) doesnt mean to say you have to like everything that looks or feels the exact same.

I dont know if this makes sense….I got bad jet lag. But I just wanted to try and somehow say that taste is always personal….and no-one should be pigeon-holed into a category of music lover just because they like or admire some songs/artistes in that genre.

Oh and respect to you dearest T for the love of Joe Jackson (or Joe Jockstrap as the metal boys at school christened him).

@ tepup your wife thinks you’re weird for remembering when you first heard a song, or having it bring back memories of a time in your life? now i think your wife is weird. no offense. doesn’t everyone relate to music that way? i am far from an aficionado – i don’t know who most of the bands are that people talk about here – but songs are definitely very strongly related to events in my life – to the point where i can’t listen to certain songs because i’ll cry, etc.

@ milo i got that about ‘whip it out’ even if tart missed it. gwan whip out your ideas, i’ll ponder them til they explode.

and who the fuck doesn’t love Journey???

kisses all!