Honest Playlist
The Guardian news website have a recurring feature in their “culture” section called Honest Playlist where they ask various celebrities about their music listening habits. There are a dozen or so stock questions that they use to grill their guest, although they don’t always use the same ones. I think it makes for interesting reading so its a column that I often visit. As I haven’t published a post based upon an internet questionnaire for a while, I thought I poach this particular line of questioning and have a crack at it myself. I have chosen the ten questions that I think are the best and by that I mean, they have the most scope for interesting answers. I didn’t include the one about karaoke because it’s not something I especially like. Each to their own. Feel free to similarly purloin this set of questions and write your own responses. I’m always fascinated by these sort of things.
The Guardian news website have a recurring feature in their “culture” section called Honest Playlist where they ask various celebrities about their music listening habits. There are a dozen or so stock questions that they use to grill their guest, although they don’t always use the same ones. I think it makes for interesting reading so its a column that I often visit. As I haven’t published a post based upon an internet questionnaire for a while, I thought I poach this particular line of questioning and have a crack at it myself. I have chosen the ten questions that I think are the best and by that I mean, they have the most scope for interesting answers. I didn’t include the one about karaoke because it’s not something I especially like. Each to their own. Feel free to similarly purloin this set of questions and write your own responses. I’m always fascinated by these sort of things.
The first song I remember hearing
My mother had a record collection that she regularly played when I was growing up. A lot of the music was from her youth, so it was predominantly artists from the fifties. Hence, I have distinct memories of listening to Connie Francis, Michael Holiday and Nina & Frederik. However, during the early seventies she took a liking to Abba, so I became aware of their work. My sister used to watch Top of the Pops, the weekly UK music chart show, so I have some distinct memories of bands from the Glam Rock era. I specifically remember I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am) by Gary Glitter, as it incurred outrage from my father. That particular song got a lot of traction in the school playground which made it stand out. It’s a banging tune but sadly tarnished by the crimes associated with its singer.
The first single I bought
I never really bought singles during my teenage years. By the time I started being interested in music I owned a stereo radio/cassette player or “boombox” as they’re know in common parlance. Hence I tended to buy albums on tape. If I wanted a copy of songs currently in the chart, I would record them from the radio on a Sunday afternoon when the Top 40 records were broadcast on BBC Radio 1. My sister bought a lot of singles. Our tastes were not identical but there were bands and artists we both liked. I remember she bought a copy of Can’t Stand Losing You by The Police and it had a very striking sleeve. It featured a guy hanging himself by standing on a block of ice in front of a heater. It was also a white vinyl version which probably makes it quite a rarity these days.
The first song I fell in love with
This is a difficult question to answer because I was enamoured with various bands and artists while a teenager. It comes with the territory, or least it did back then. Music being a key influence and social marker. I would go through cycles of becoming obsessed with a song and then playing it to death and then moving on to another. That being said, there is one particular song like this that I never quite became bored with and fell out of love with. When I first heard The Stranglers’ cover version of Walk on By I was greatly surprised how a piece of soulful, easy listening could be re-imagined in such a radically different way. The emotional theme of a lost love were still there but it was underpinned by a heavy, brooding bass line that makes it something far more imposing. Even sinister. One music journalist described it as a “psycho singing karaoke”. The album version with the 3 minute plus musical break is my preferred version.
The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
This one is easy. Seven Nation Army by White Stripes. My son played this song a lot. When he decided to learn to play the violin, this is the song he chose to perform. So I learned the lyrics through “musical osmosis”. It’s a good song, although at the time my son’s repeated playing of it really got on my nerves.
The best song to play at a party
The best song to play at a party is highly subjective and also extremely contextual. It depends on the party and who is there etc. I’d prefer to turn this question around. What are the worst songs to play at a party. Songs that as soon as you hear them you know that the party has taken a turn for the worse. With that in mind I would place Sweat Caroline by Neil Diamond at the top of this list. I fucking hate it. When I think of this song I immediately think of Dad dancing at weddings and drunken karaoke. If it ever gets played at a social event it is an immediate cue for me to withdraw.
The song that changed my life
I won’t go so far as to say a song changed my life but I can certainly name one that made me think very seriously. The song in question being Low Self Opinion by the Rollins Band, from the 1992 album The End of Silence. Henry Rollins is an interesting character and has a knack of articulating feelings that many of us have over the course of our lives. The words are honest and certainly gave me pause for thought at a time in my life when I was uncertain of where I was going. The song contributed to a degree of self reflection, that then lead to decisions that took life in a more positive direction. Who ever said that songs were trivial?
The song that make me cry
I Remember You, specifically the Slim Whitman version, as it reminds me of my late Mother. It brings back fond memories but there’s always a tinge of sadness when being reminded of a parent who is no longer with us.
The song I can no longer listen to
Until recently I’d have said all of the songs associated with the animated film The Lion King. Mainly because when my son was growing up, this film was watched virtually every day for a year so it all got somewhat wearing. However, I recently went to see the stage production and found that the songs were still very good and that the intervening years had been kind.
The song I secretly like, but tell everybody I hate
I can’t really answer this one as I don’t see the point in lying about something like this. You either like a song or not. Why the deception? Is it all about looking cool or something? The thing is I’m 58 and not 18, so I such things aren’t really a factor any more. By default I am uncool.
The song I want played at my funeral
So What by the Anti-Nowhere League. It is concise and offensive. Its point is to highlight the utter irrelevance, pomposity and futility of bragging rights and its associated culture. Apparently this song is popular among UK Special Forces. Ignore the Metallica cover version as they chickened out and have sanitised the lyrics.
