It all started with the Beatles. I read the entire wikipedia article on them, and also the articles about Paul and Ringo, although I haven't gotten around to John and George yet. I thought it was all really interesting.
Then I decided that I may as well look up all my favorite bands, because part of being a hard-core fan is knowing all there is to know, right? Liking a band is one thing, but knowing a band is a completely different thing. So, I wiki-ed all my favorites, adn some of my close seconds.
Then one day I was at the library and I happened upon some books about the origins and development, if you will, of certain genres and I was really intrigued. I had a vague idea of how some genres got their start, but I hungered for more. So I checked out a couple of books about genres and influential artists and stuff.
And it was really cool. I sort of became obsessed. I went on Pandora and listened to songs from all of the artists mentioned in the books and stuff. I wanted to pick it apart piece by piece and figure out how it all worked, you know? I'm especially intrigued by why people like certain styles of music better than others. Why do I like hard rock but not metal? Why does someone else like trance and hate reggae? I wish there was an exact science behind it. Something like, if you have brown hair and blue eyes then you like techno. If you are tall and have skinny chicken legs, then you have to like R&B. Then I could just take one look at a person and figure out what kind of music they like. Unfortunately for me, it doesn't work that way, but I still want to delve deeper into the science of music and personalities and stuff. It's incredibly interesting.
But anyways, back to researching groups. I read in one of my books that "The Rolling Stones reintroduced U.s. musicians to the blues roots of rock, and paved the way for the hard rock and heavy metal sounds of the late 1960's through to the 1980's." Another thing I thought was interesting was "The Stones were seen as the rebellious alternative to the squeaky-clean Beatles." This made me want to learn more about the so-called "Stones." I have some of them on my iPod that I've just never bothered really listening to, so I picked out a couple of the hits mentioned in the book ("Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction") and I have to admit, they're okay. Although, I still prefer the Beatles, just for the record.
So, if you haven't noticed already, this thing has become a major obsession for me. I just find it all extremely interesting. It's so exciting to have a new hobby.
Also, I'm sorry if you're all drooling all over the keyboard and half-asleep by now. I don't mean to bore people half to death, I just get carried away and over-explain things. Pretty much the same way I'm over-explaining this.
2 comments:
I took a class in college called "History of Rock and Roll." It talked a lot about the evolution of music and was way interesting. The best part was that I had already lived through most of the history. I did really great until the "glam bands" and "punk" section, then I had to start studying! You've got the music in you.
Love, Gram
ALYSSA! (this is Megan , from Moscow, by the way...) I, too, adore the Beatles! :D I have loved them for a long time now! haha, strange coincidence, I am listening to them now! Oh, and the Rolling Stones are pretty good too. I don't think the Beatles were necessarily "squeaky-clean" as your book said. They fueled many War protests, performed illegally on top of the Apple Corps. building in London, half-invented the whole psychadelic era, and so on.. But I LOVE THEM. (I too, have done my research.)
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