I want to talk more about some of the philosophical points I made last week, but it’s a complicated topic, and the words aren’t coming as smoothly as I’d like. So while I continue to mull it around/procrastinate, let’s take a look at some lighter fare: music!

I think it’s safe to say that almost everyone listens to music of some form or other, and I am no exception. Music can be many different things. It can be background noise. It can be an intense multisensory experience. It can be an intentional soundtrack to your life. It can be a way to drown out the infernal shrieking of the baby in the plane seat behind you. It can be an expression of your innermost personality.

Need I go on?

In other words, there is something very human about music, both in its creation and its consumption. For me, it can be all of these things depending on what sort of mood I’m in or what sort of activity I’m pursuing. As such, I listen to a wide variety of genres and artists, which could be generously called eclectic.

I often half-jokingly say that I’ll listen to almost anything except Country/Western and Gangster Rap. I tend to use music to reinforce whatever mental state I’m in, whether to prolong it or hurry it along to its inevitable conclusion.

So what kind of music do I listen to? Well, I will say I’ve branched out since elementary/middle school; I went through a phase where all I listened to was either Classical or Disco. These days my taste seems to run the gamut from pop to death metal with some stopovers at techno along the way. So we’ll take some time the next few days and look over my MP3 collection, and all the sordid secrets held within.

Also, you’ll get to watch me struggle to try to categorize various bands and artists into subjective, ill-defined categories and genres. Come for the dirty secrets, stay for the angst! Truly, this will be a modern marvel of entertainment! That’s right, it’s time for the return of NOUNS I VERB!

(and yes, this entry is mostly a cop-out to give me more time to do said sorting)