required: a succinct answer to the question "what sort of music do you listen to?"

'A variety, from well known to obscure. This and that.' Intentional vagueness works wonders. If they press, I'll pull out a famous name like Elvis and leave it at that.

This comes under the heading of insoluble problems

Good music.

Oh fuck I hate that question. Especially if it comes from clueless relatives.
"oh you know... all sorts really... Beatles, Micheal Jackson... Death Cab For Cutie... "

-

I've got theaudience album which came with a seperate 'alternate version' CD. I've played it... four times?

Whatdoyougot?

"Everything." It's not strictly true but surely good enough for government work and relatives...

I tend to go with "You know that situationist idea about the city and how most people tend not to stray outside a triangle formed by their place of work/education, their home and the home of, er, their piano teacher. Well, it's like that, only instead of the city it's music and instead of my place of work/education, my home and the home of, er, my piano teacher it's Noel Coward, Spice Girls and Brian Eno. Er, or something"

I say something like:

God gave rock 'n' roll to you, Gave rock 'n' roll to you, But Satan turned it into Black Fuckin' Metal!!!!!!!!!!!

"Oh, I don't know, probably stuff you would't like"
"Like What?"
"Well... what do you like?"
"__________ , __________ , and __________ ... stuff like that"
"Yeah, I like stuff like that. I dunno. I got lots of weird obscure shit, too"

There is no succinct answer. A succinct answer would be misrepresenting myself and I hate to do that.

I pondered this recently, and the only answer that seems suitable is: Rock critics's music. It's true. Only rock critics and ILMers hop from the Spector box to Gorgoroth to "Off the Wall" to "TQIDead" to the Marley box to Neon Judgement to Aaliyah to, of course, "Trout- Mask Replica" or "Paris 1919". Slip in the 13th Floor Elevator and Photek, some Magazine and "69 Love Songs", and my, really, that's rock crit's rock!

I hate this question mainly because you come out looking like a snob when you name a bunch of groups the questioner has never heard of.

I still have random friends of my parents asking if I still listen to "industrial" music. Its both extremely awkward and funny. At a recent Thanksgiving dinner, someone pinned me down to tell them what industrial is. So instead of squirming out of it as I used to (I haven't even listened to that much industrial in like 4 years but these people will not drop it), I just went on a huge rant about how industrial came to be. Telling them about Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire and on and on, until I made their ears bleed! Well, not really, but it was effective.

To a semi-distant relative: "You know that guy who has to keep moving a rock up a hill or something and then whenever he reaches the top of the hill the rock rolls back down the other side -- that kind of music. Mostly country, really. How about you?"

"Uh, everything except rap & country."

"Not even that delightful new Billy Gilman song?"

"Dude, that song is so old."

'Funny'. I'm always at a loss for words when someone asks me this question. I start twitching; squirming and I start sweating profusely. Okay, so I'm exaggerating now, but for some odd reason it really makes me feel awkward, as I hate having to label what is it I listen to. Besides, the fuck if I know all the fancy genre names coming about. Usually now, I try to avoid the question by quickly muttering an "Oh, well what do YOU listen to?" half response.

It really shouldn't be such a big deal though, huh.

I listen to the pretty and the weird, random noise and transcendet beauty.

post-alternative acabret country worked wonders the other night.

some old toss or other.

or sinatra

My standard answer is "I like Texas, and Moloko"

Yeah. The implied snobbery is the part that bothers me when I'd -- accidently, y'know -- sniff, glance over their shoulder, fix my hair and say 'oh, whatever's not in the charts' or something.

So maybe it's better to rant and rave so much they regret asking the question, and will never ask you again. Or, indeed, speak to you again.

My current answer of choice : "oh, you know, anything from the last 50 or so years, really" ... when mumbled in a vaguely disinterested way, the effective subtext is: 1/ You don't really want to know ... and ... 2/ I don't really want to explain ...which usually has the desired effect.

Prog fuckin' rock, duuuuude.

x0x0

This is the killer question.

It bugs me because I've found without exception that the kind of people who use the answer "uh, everything" are the kind of people who actually don't _really_ like anything, just let it all pass them by in a vapid stupor, and if you ask them to listen to anything properly, they won't like it (regardless of its genre).

Me, I tend to go into a big rant about how 99% of all music is shite, but how you can't dismiss any genre, as it's the hunt for that 1% of sheer greatness that makes listening to music more worthwhile than anything else, maaaan...

That's because I am a cnut.

Around family, it's, "um...I don't know...lots of stuff," when my brother helpfully chimes in with all the metal bands I like.

At school, it's "um...I don't know...lots of stuff," in which case it is assumed I am trying to hide my 'NSync obsession. You can't win.

It's easy, really:

"Well, lately I've been really into this (band/musician/composer/whatever), ________, who come from _______. I heard about them from a friend of mine/read about them in _______/saw them open for _______, and I really enjoyed it."

"What are they like?"

"Well..."

And so forth.

In other words, rather than try to give a comprehensive answer, I like to talk about specifics.

I usually reply I am deaf.

"Probably nothing you've heard of, despite you having ears like the FA cup."

Motorhead, NWA, Tommy James & The Shondells....y'know, stuff like that.

using specifics is a good ploy. "the last thing i listened to before i came out tonight was ll cool j" is what i used once. people either think that's cool or they think it's funny - either works.

usually i use a mix of the general and specific, without going on too long and without trying to come off as elitist, something like "well, the stuff i was working on and studying is more experimental, like trying to make new sounds and put them together in new ways. but i also like a lot of indian music. i also like a lot of rock and some hip-hop. when i was younger i went through a phase where i was obsessed with led zeppelin. (room for other person to either reminisce about youthful passions or to talk about led zeppelin or to say "heh, yeah, i had some friends like that too"). but earlier i was even listening to (most well-known popular music far away from led zeppelin that i was listening to). . . what are you into?" any part of that leaves the other person room to jump in or ask something further, from which i can gauge his or her level of interest, from which i can gauge how to proceed further.

i've never done it but i'm tempted, if i'm talking to a really annoying dogmatic indie rocker, to say "i like all music except indie rock." freaky trigger has corrupted my mind.

what's an fa cup?

It's an English football thing.

so what does it mean if someone's ears resemble the fa cup?

"He always has a surprise up his sleeve, doesn't he?"

Motorhead, NWA, Tommy James & The Shondells....y'know, stuff like that.

Yeah, that's what I meant. And "Candy-O"!

He has ears like the FA cup = he has big ears

I once wrote an article touching on this topic..................

"Pop, mostly."

Which is untrue by a tight definition of pop but true by a wide one, and gives the right impression.