i don't even know where to start with this one. i could tell you my life story in music. it's been such a key part of my survival, of how i've related to others, of how i've seen myself.
i grew up listening to an odd mix. there was, of course, my parents' music. to this day, the music of santana, eric clapton, yes, and heart are, to me, real rock and roll. then throw in the fact that i grew up in the eighties. so we had the songs of madonna, prince, and george michael on the radio. my first cassette was debbie gibson, out of the blue. i still remember the choreography my sister and i made up for our favorite songs. to add another layer, i started playing violin when i was eight, so i listened to classical music, as well. not many preteens could tell you their top three favorite violinists. (itzhak perlman, shony alex braun, and isaac stern, in that order.) music was an important part of my life from the get-go.
i hit high school. i hadn't been much for the music my peers were listening to. i liked weezer and oasis and no doubt, but i didn't get the whole grunge thing. i thought kurt cobain was an ass. ( i think i was right about him.) and then two things happened: my loser first boyfriend dumped me, and my best friend introduced me to punk music. it changed everything. it. changed. everything.
from there, all the musical doors were open. i went through all kinds of phases, being obsessed with blondie, david bowie, radiohead, pavement, obscure music-snob bands. and they all got me through tough times.
kurt vonnegut said that when he died, he wanted his epitaph to say, "the only proof he needed for the existence of G-d was music."
he was right.
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