In a recent blog, I was talking about the results of a survey I'd read in which it was possible to categorise people into 4 broad groups when it comes to music. These range from the very enthusiastic to the not-at-all enthusiastic, with about 75% of the population more towards the latter.
The book I read this in, 'Nets, Blogs and Rock n Roll' by David Jennings, is proving to be a very interesting read. Further to the above I discovered that the survey had sub-groups for these categories too. One of these sub-groups at the top end (very enthusiastic music lovers) were called 'Curators'.
As I read the description of a Curator, I got this eary feeling that I recognised the person it was describing.... me! See what you think of this:
"They tend to rely on old trusted musical choices rather than engage with anything new or emerging- as a result, they now look backwards to fill the gaps in their collection rather than forwards to discover new music." "They sound like curmudgeonly-before-their-time men in middle youth...."
Well it's nice to know I'm not alone!!
It's true, I admit it, I find it hard to relate to new music, unless it's by an old artist releasing a new album, which I don't suppose really counts. I've never been one to follow fashions, in fact I react adversly to new trends and run in the opposite direction. At the height of the Brit-pop boom of the mid-90s I was in my late teens, peak age for following fashions. At this time my favourite group was Genesis.
You only need to take one look at my myspace page to see where I fit in, or don't fit, as the case may be. I don't care: my influences are my choice and I'm not going to compromise them to fit in. Sometimes it can be hard work though, especially in Britain. Touting for local gigs using myspace, I've occasionally come up against a promoter probably half my age, who clearly can't abide the idea of puttting an old fart like me on the bill. Venturing further around local band's myspace pages, I see long lists of influences I've never heard of, plus the obligatory mention of Nick Drake, or Johnny Cash.
Start mentioning Elton John and Phil Collins in that company and you're in big trouble! The North-West music scene has a big problem with these sort of names. I know from first-hand experience that it's probably better to keep quiet when they start on about musical tastes, or maybe mumble the name 'David Bowie' just to keep them off my back. Me and a music collegue call it 'Cheese Tolerance', in most cases there's is set way below mine.
When I was at Music College it was a similar tale. I remember once being scolded by a fellow-student for liking my 'dad's music'. What she didn't know is that my dad likes a lot more new acts than I do!
Also the occasion springs to mind when I did a gig in Leeds and I got talking to another act on the bill. I was waxing lyrical about Bryan Adams' music. Only later did I realise he'd said 'Ryan Adams'.
So there you have it. Old before my time in middle youth. I also prefer older women, but that's another matter.
The curating side of me involves seeking out lots of old releases. I'm trying to find out where it all came from. I'm also looking for songs to cover, or influences to include in future songwriting and producing. Next week I plan to start sharing some of my curating with you in this blog. A few notes about the albums I've been listening to of late, and I'll share a few songs you might like to check out. They'll all likely be crusty old artists who've sold a lot of records. People of North-West England, you have been warned!!
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