Music

Ten Questions Any Music Lover Should Have Quick Answers For

How many of these could you immediately answer if pressed?

It’s been a while since I’ve jumped on a writing challenge bandwagon, but if anything was going to get me back in the game, it would be the questions Scott-Ryan Abt recently posed.

Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you they “like” music. It’s an easy, noncommittal answer — you might as well be asking if they like oxygen or if they’re a fan of sunlight.

It’s only when you start chipping away at the monolithic platitudes and generic comments (“It's got a great beat that I can dance to” ) that things get interesting.

I decided to meet his challenge and answer the questions he uses as a litmus test to separate the wheat from the chaff.

You can see his answers here, as well as answers from Alex Markham here, and Paul Combs here.

Let’s get into it!

What kind of music do you like?

My musical diet ricochets around enough to give most people whiplash. I used to say, “I’ll listen to anything bit country” (an answer Scott is quick to dismiss), but the truth is I will listen to just about anything, including country. I'm in if it moves me or makes me want to move.

If forced to narrow it down, I would go with New Wave, late 80s/early 90s alternative, and post-punk. But really, (almost) anything goes.

What kind of music did you grow up on?

When I was little, all I knew was what my parents listened to. That meant early '60s pop (The Beach Boys, early Beatles, etc.) and contemporary jazz (Earl Klugh, George Benson, etc.).

I would sit in front of our stereo, put on our “good” headphones, and listen for hours. Sometimes to their records, other times to the radio. I learned what pop/rock were when I started school, and I would hear something at a new friend’s house. It felt like an entire world opened up in front of me.

I went 3-for3 on attending overcrowded schools, but the upside was being exposed to many different tastes and sounds.

My high school years also coincided with the peak of grunge and alternative genres, and I spent a lot of time (and money I didn’t necessarily have) going to shows and buying music.

What’s your favorite band?

New Order. Jawbreaker, Talking Heads, Wire, and The Replacements round out the Top 5.

This list can- and often does- change, but these five are pretty consistent.

What is the first show you went to on your own?

New Order in May of 1989. On the morning the world learned about the Exxon Valdez, I walked a few miles to our local mall to buy tickets. They were on the road supporting Technique, and it was amazing.

To this day, I’m still surprised my mom agreed to let me go. I was meeting friends there but had to take the bus across the metro area to get downtown. I was 13. On some level, she just knew this had to happen. I’m very grateful she listened to that intuition. Throwing Muses of all bands opened for them, and they, too, rearranged my mind.

What’s the first record/CD/tape you bought with your own money? And do you still have it?

The first tape was probably in a batch of 12 you'd get for a penny from Columbia House. The first CDs I bought were actually a group of four: Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, Siouxsie and the Banshees' Peepshow, The Cure’s Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, and G & R’s Appetite for Destruction. I bought those along with my first CD player when I was in 8th grade.

I sold Appetite to a kid my sophomore or junior year, but I still have the rest somewhere (I think?). The first record I bought was probably Jawbreaker’s Unfun. I’m listening to it as I type this.

What is the best show you’ve ever seen? What was the worst?

The best show I ever saw was Jawbreaker’s reunion show at Riot Fest in 2017. They were back after almost 30 years, and it felt like they’d only been gone a week. Their fanbase tends to be all in any way, and the energy in that crowd was intense. People were crying; people were singing every single word. It felt like 10’s thousands of people collectively having a very cathartic experience. Absolutely unreal.

The worst show I’ve been to was at one of those local band “showcase” events in Portland. Most people were making great music back then, but that doesn't mean everyone was. Worse, some people had decided that having a gimmick or being weird for the sake of doing so was their best shot at success.

My irritation with that had been building for several weeks. Anyway, a four-piece band came out, and the bassist was in full body armor. And it was just the one too manyieth time I’d seen something like this used to paper over a lack of talent. If I’d wanted to go to Medieval Times, I would've done that, you know?

And they sucked. I don't mean in a so bad they're good kind of way, either. I mean objectively awful on all fronts. I’ve been to 100s of shows, and to this day, it’s still the only one where I’ve seen an artist booed off stage.

What is the next show you are going to?

Good question! I was planning to see Louise Post (formerly of Veruca Salt) this weekend in Minneapolis, but she just canceled the balance of her tour dates due to illness. A few bands are coming to Madison later in the year, but in between now and then? I have no idea.

What is one band that you still haven’t seen that you want to, before it’s all said and done (for them or for you?)

Bruce Springsteen. Ask ten music fans their opinion on something, and you usually get 11 answers. But I have yet to see anyone say anything bad about his recent run of dates. He hasn’t lost a step, and it sounds like he mixes up the set list so fans of all eras get a shot at hearing their favorites.

Also, I recently went down a rabbit hole watching live clips of “Tunnel of Love," which all sound amazing.

What is the greatest song ever written, hands down?

New Order’s “The Perfect Kiss” was my default answer for years. Still is, probably. But I’d have to say that The Replacement’s Talent Show, Jawbreaker’s Chesterfield King, and Talking Heads’ This Must Be The Place all warrant a spot on the podium. Paul Westerberg’s “A Love Untold” and “To Be In Your Eyes” by The Church deserve mentions, too.

What is your greatest regret, musically?

That I was a snotty gatekeeper for so many years. I was insufferable. The early 90s were weird enough without all the orthodoxy and purity tests we added to everything. Like what you like. Enjoy it on its own merits.

And if you want to check out my favorite band, who am I to keep you from it?

That’s a wrap! I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of these answers. Feel free to comment ( or yell at me) below! Better yet, feel free to jump in and join the fun with your own answer!

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