I was humming in the shower today. This happens more often than not, but today it was a punk rock song that I haven't heard (much less hummed in the shower) in many moons. I realized that my musical tastes have changed significantly over the course of my lifetime and I mused at the thought that it would be fun to track and see the evolution of my musical taste. That being said, this may be a long, possibly painful, but hopefully amusing process. Let us begin.
Part I: Birth to Bedlam
Aside from the singing of heavenly choirs when I was born, I am not cognizant of any exact moment where my musical tastes really started to begin forming. I seem to remember that my parents had a goodly amount of music around during my early childhood years. In fact, I remember we had an old school vinyl record player and a small collection of records that we played once in a blue moon. Included within the collection was The Beatles ‘Revolver’, Bill Cosby (not music per say but still a great record), and another record with lots of flower power and paisley art on the cover. No doubt this mystery album was a product of the 70's, and my best guess it was the Mama's and the Papa's. Speaking of Mom and Pops, it was my parents who primarily influenced my musical taste during this phase of my life, and of course it being well into the eighties, some of these influences were less than ideal.
Example A: One of my first musical memories occurred while driving in the family car when I was about four or five years old. Back then, we lived in the south part of L.A. My father's family lived just an hour or so up the coast, so we would often drive up the Pacific Coast Highway (aka PCH) to visit. My love for the beach was cultivated during these drives as I watched the coast out the window and listened to the tunes on the radio. It was on one of these visits that I was scarred forever. I distinctly recall hearing a certain song played on the radio. It was over two decades ago, but I'm 99% sure it was "Straight Up" sung by Paula Abdul. Don't ask me how I remember this, I can't explain it and even if I could…I wouldn't want to explain it. This particular instance was significant because I remember realizing that I had heard this song before, driving up the PCH, around the same time of day on an earlier day.
In my five year old mind I started to think deeply as only five year olds can. I eventually determined that since I had heard the song played at a similar time of the day (2:00) before, in the very same place (PCH) as before, the radio MUST know to play that same song every time we were driving up the beach at 2:00 in the afternoon. It was pure genius. I remember feeling a glad satisfaction I had figured out another small piece of my ever-expanding world.
Fast forward to a subsequent trip down the PCH. It was a sunny day, around 2:00 in the afternoon. I remember it very clearly...almost like it was yesterday. I waited anxiously for the clock in the car console to blink form 1:59 into 2:00. According to my five year old reasoning Paula Abdul was surely to come on sometime soon after 2pm. However, the magic moment was not to come. 2:00 turned into 2:15 within no time at all, and I still did not hear the song I had expected to hear. This is the first real moment in my life I remember experiencing true disappointment. In fact, I think this episode is the foundation of my undying hatred toward the world of pop music. Even looking back on the experience and acknowledging my lack of thorough reasoning on the matter, I still believe my current resent for eighties pop music is still correctly founded.
Ever since then, I have not turned to the corrupted airwaves for direction in my musical consumption, as many in society seem to do in this day in age. No my friends, instead, I have relied on my immediate friends and family to supply me with music worthy of my ears. And I have not been disappointed...
My next phase of musical development was comprised of all the auditory nonsense that kids are exposed to through things like television and more specifically in my case, TV theme songs. To this very day, I can quote...verbatim mind you...every word of the Ghostbusters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Inspector Gadget theme songs (even as I write this I am quietly mumbling...go gadget gooo, ba dum dit dit bum bum, ba dum dit dit bum bum ).
TV theme songs get drilled into the heads of impressionable children like myself primarily because of two very significant reasons:
- Repetition. Every single Saturday morning at 8:30am kind of repetition. Such exposure leaves its mark and is not easily removed in this life or in the life to come.
- Tv Themes are a superb blend of both compression and "catchyness." Within 30 seconds one not only learns the detailed history of how four small turtles acquired kung-fu mastery but can also be indocrinated in the eternal struggles of good vs. evil and pepperoni vs. three cheese pizza.
These TV themes not only left their impression upon my long-term memory, but upon my musical psyche as well. At a young age, I formulated a pre-disposition to quick and captivating tunes that would set the stage for the next great development in my musical journey.
Turn in next time for Part II of my musical exegesis beginning with the "Walkman revolution."
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