I’ve always loved traditional music.  When I was a kid and kids my age were supposed to be favoring the “black shirt bands” – at least that’s what I called them – I just could never see what everyone saw in the music;  I definitely couldn’t hear anything lovely either.  While over the years I’ve (somewhat begrudgingly) come to understand that some scream better than others, finding talent amongst the people screaming at me has never appealed to me much. (BTW, that screaming thing comes up with comedians too – I’m not fond of the screamers!)  Though I’ve come around somewhat on hard rock, I think at this point in my life since metal is still not my favorite I doubt it will ever be.

I definitely grew up in a household that favored traditional music – Dad was a big fan of the Golden Oldies, we called them then, so I did develop an appreciation for first generation rock music. But when the thrashers came along in the 70s and 80s my taste just couldn’t find purchase on the things so many of my friends seemed to love.  Since “alternative” music, a genre I still appreciate, was also developing concurrently, at the time I was and I now remain perplexed about the popularity of the Priests and Osbournes and Simmonses of the world (top-notch hair and makeup and audacity aside, obviously).

Juxtaposition seems in order:

A very Merry Christmas to you from Bing and Axl and me!

Whether you’re a die-hard G&R groupie or prefer Tiskets and Taskets, I hope you have a Christmas (or at least a day off) full of things you love.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan