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Off the Beaten TopicJun 12 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Yes, buy this.
Pros: How can you put a price on such a thing? Cons: Neighbors may complain, but so what? The Bottom Line: Listen to me. And then do what I say. That will make me happy. OK? Recommended: Yes As I get older, I discover that I care less about what my friends think of me and my peculiar tastes in entertainment, especially music. I respect my friends, but I no longer let my peer group determine what I enjoy, and I try not to apologize for liking the things in life that give me great pleasure and harm no one. That being said, I would like to list a few of my Guilty Musical Pleasures, in no particular order. I highly recommend each and every one to all the open-minded people out there. 1. The Monkees Remember the totally un-hip Don Kirshner? Well, he wasn’t all that un-hip, coming from the great Brill Building scene and all, but he was one of the guys behind the manufacturing of the Monkees, TV’s version of the Beatles. They shot to stardom in the mid-Sixties during the tail end of the British Invasion, and many of their fans had no idea that they were an invention, a faux rock and roll band. All the members were actors hired for the part. Sure, their show was funny, but only one friend of mine actually owned any of their albums. (He was embarrassed but stuck with them...I had to admire that, even then, although I did tease him about it at the time.) The Monkees were considered shamefully artificial, a desperate attempt by Show Biz to co-opt the youth movement, albeit a couple years late. Even the members of the group rebelled against their owners, causing their entire goldmine to come crashing down around their ears. I guess that’s why I like them now. They wanted to prove to the world that they were viable artists. Without the high powered music machine supplying songs and studio musicians to them, they revealed themselves to be pretty much mediocre talents, except for Mike Nesmith. They also had a great string of pop hits that still sound good today, even though the Monkees themselves did not have that much of a hand in what was released under their name. 2. The Partridge Family Another TV show rock and roll group that put out records that were completely manufactured for your listening pleasure, especially if you were a non-discerning pre-teen that believed in Santa Claus and David Cassidy and the Tooth Fairy, not necessarily in that order. Actually, they had one of the all-time great pop songs in “I Think I Love You.” (Or is it “Wah Think I Love You”?) It’s almost perfect in its construction, and David Cassidy had a pretty good voice. Of course, I was mad for Shirley Jones, who played the mom. She was hot. I wanted her, in that way teenage boys want an older woman who is not their mom. The show was funny, too. I never admitted to any of my buddies that I watched it. (I was a junior in high school. I would have been beaten mercilessly and left by the side of the road somewhere.) 3. Neil Diamond Sure, he turned into a balding Elvis and a bit of a musical joke, but his early stuff is incredible. I remember finding an album by him in the bargain bins called “Velvet Gloves and Spit.” I had no idea what that meant, but it sure sounded poetic. I never managed to work that phrase into any conversation, though. Anyway, I revisited his music again, and the memories came flooding back. I listened to his “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” right after losing my dearly beloved cat Ulysses to kidney disease, and I was comforted by it. It made me think of my kitty wandering somewhere, transformed and reincarnated, his time with me over, but not his existence. Listening to Neil helped through that sad time. 4. Dolly Parton When I was growing up in Indiana, Dolly was the featured singer on the Porter Waggoner Show, a country and western variety show that I would watch with the sound down just to see Dolly Parton. I didn’t want to hear her, I just wanted to see her. And be smothered by her. I actually despised country music back then. Any one who liked country music in my crowd was considered a “farmer” and there weren’t many things worse than that, to us. Years later, I rediscovered Dolly, who had since become a showbiz superstar and actress. I found out that she was actually an excellent singer and songwriter, a true artist deserving of much more popularity than she ever has received as a movie star. She also seems like an incredibly nice person, who could still smother me. 5. ABBA I joined in with my buddies when it came to despising this group, even though two members were statuesque babes from Iceland. You just don’t see many of those. Most babes from Iceland look like Bjork, not that there's anything wrong with the way Bjork looks. In the 70s and early 80s their pop hits were everywhere. They threatened to eclipse the Beatles in sales. That was blasphemous. God, how I hated them. But there was something catchy about their songs. And I admired their layered sound. Years later, when I saw the movie “Muriel’s Wedding” I discovered that I actually liked their songs! They sounded great. And again I realized that my friends were keeping me from enjoying the musical stylings of statuesque babes. 6. KC and the Sunshine Band (can substitute with any disco performer, such as The Trammps or Monty Rock III or Gloria Gaynor) No babes here, but you just had to hate them in their heyday. My friends and I were into Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, not the mindless disco. But disco was energetic and had fantastic production values. It was music for going out on the town and partying under bright, flashing lights. Girls wanted to go out dancing, not sit around with the dudes listening to heavy metal in somebody’s smokey living room. Again, the disco resurgence in rave music made me appreciate the music of that era. At least I’m not still sitting in somebody’s living room digging Uriah Heep. (Although I still like them, too.) 7. Steve and Eydie Definitely the influence of my parents. Sure, Sinatra and the Rat Pack are cool. Tony Bennett is cool. But Steve and Eydie? Well, I think it is their total uncoolness that makes them cool. Does that make sense? I rediscovered them on a Lounge-a-Palooza CD, doing a version of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” I’m sure the producers thought it would make a great joke, but it actually succeeds as music. It’s slick. It made me go out and buy their greatest hits. Unbelievably slick! And Eydie has one of the clearest, most dynamic female voices of all time. 8. The Bee Gees I was in a record store a couple months ago with a buddy who had to tell me how much he hated the Bee Gees. He wanted them dead and burned. I listened politely, waiting for the right moment to tell him that I dearly loved the Bee Gees. Always had. Always will. They were one of the most creative groups of the 60s, strongly influenced by the Beatles, churning out one great album after another. Many people of my generation hate them because of their popularity during the disco era, but they have always gone much deeper than any musical trend. Their voices also manage to turn off many males, because of their trembling trebles. But I am here to tell you that they were great then and may become great again, even though they are past their prime. Their last album actually did very well in England. My favorite: “Odessa”...very hard to find double-album that came out around the same time as “Sgt. Pepper.” It took me a while but I told my friend about my love for the Bee Gees. He did knock me down a couple notches on his Respect-o-meter, but I didn’t care. I found out later that he likes Barry Manilow. Hee hee. To sum up, I would like to say that we must enjoy our legal pleasures where we can find them. If a certain song gives you joy, revel in it. Ignore your friends’ pleas for you to turn it off or turn it down…They are just folks like you, and their tastes can be questioned later when they’re not expecting it. (Barry Manilow, indeed. Not that there’s anything wrong with liking Barry Manilow. Hee hee.) My prescription for good living: Listen to and like as much music as you possibly can throughout your life. You will be a happier person and much more fun to be around. Great Music to Play While: Waking up  |
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