How narrow are our musical tastes and they may be getting even narrower.  Even when two people agree, for example, Dearieme and myself on jazz, he likes certain instruments and angles and I like others – differences in emphasis but nevertheless differences.

I blogged on it once before but in Russia, one of my many mistakes was to have both my mate and my girlfriend in the one room for a dinner I’d made.  The dinner didn’t poison anyone but the music choice did.

For a start, I don’t like background music, do like the window open and like a port afterwards.  She wanted to be dancing or doing something else like going out.  He wanted to talk and was happy enough for there to be music.

Well, that’s where it started.  She wanted anything womanly, from Sting to Enigma, he wanted Paul McCartney or Zeppelin.  I don’t mind those but would have chosen something like twenty4seven or Neil Diamond or whatever.  I put on a Doors track.  Well, they both hated it.  She put on some modern howler doubling as a crooner and we both hated it.  He wanted Paul McCartney and neither of us were putting up with that.

All three, after a polite time after the dinner went our separate ways and I’m sure were listening to our own music at our own place.  I’ll never forget that look we gave one another when it was clear we could have NO music that evening, as we simply could not agree – three strong-minded people.

Below is a selection which illustrates what I mean about it being a highly personalized matter.  All are my favourites but it would be interesting to see how many you also like.

You might not like Hawkwind so turn it down but still look at the fabulous phot/vid collage of the space/Vietnam era.

Didn’t have space to fit in jazz, The Doors, Vivaldi or Bob Marley. By the way, if you want an insight into my true character [and let's face it, who would?] then the Hawkwind from around 3.05 to 4.30 is what I’m like and the film clip from 4.38 to 4.46 is so James Higham in every way.

Filed under: Arts & culture