How Music Became Everything

Ok, let me just start by saying this: I love music. I mean I seriously love it and not just any one genre in particular mind you. Although my heart belongs to all things rock and metal, I love all kinds of music. My iPod has anything and everything on it – Megadeath to Manilow; Lita Ford to Celine Dion; Iron Maiden to…yes, I’ll admit it – the Backstreet Boys.

I don’t believe I’m underestimating when I say that at least half of an average day of mine is spent listening to music. I honestly don’t think I could live without it. Depending on the song, I am always reminded of something. I can track all the highlights of my life with music. Call me corny, but I really believe that everyone’s life has a soundtrack.

I owe my love for music to my parents. My formative years were spent listening to whatever my dad was into: Bob Seger, Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Orbison, Rod Stewart to name only a few.  My mom wasn’t as into it as my dad, but she bought my sister and I records. We had a sweet little record player that played only 45’s and a case that was filled with songs that were all over the map. We had Ram Jam’s Black Betty all the way to Rick Dees’ disastrous Disco Duck. We were always begging our mom for those little vinyl gems when we went out shopping.

I vividly remember two of the first singles my mom ever bought me because they were to be the foundation of my 30+ year love affair with music.  The first was Calling Dr. Love by Kiss (1976 Rock and Rollover). It just sounded like something I wasn’t supposed to be listening to, and, at around seven years old, it probably wasn’t. Hey, it was the 1970’s and a lot of parents weren’t aware of the dangers of rock and roll on impressionable young minds yet Hellloo sarcasm! I remember being glued to the TV at my grandparents’ house with my sis and cousins the night the beautifully tacky Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park aired in the fall of 1978. It totally freaked me out, and I loved it.

The second was the live masterpiece I Want You to Want Me by Cheap Trick (1978 At Budokan). I simply couldn’t get enough of that song. I wore that record out – back when you could literally wear a record out. Every time I listened to it I sang and danced my heart out. In 1981 I saw them live at the historic Chicagofest with my cousin. *sigh* My first concert!! I still think they’re one of the most underrated bands ever. I have seen them countless times since then.

Don’t get me wrong, I went through a very cheesy period. I loved Leif Garrett, the Bay City Rollers and Shaun Cassidy. I repeat – It was the late 1970’s. I was young and bound to fall victim to what was popular at the time. I don’t regret a minute of it either, and when I hear that fluff, I remember it fondly. My sis and I still crank that shit up in the car and sing along at the top of our lungs.

Fast forward to around 1984. I was 13 and did the first of two short summer stints working at a carnival. Don’t ask… I worked a game across from a ride called the Flying Bobs, which had loud rock music blaring from it all day. The guy running the ride loved classic and hard rock. The music hit me like a punch right to the face – Styx, The Who, .38 Special, Led Zepplin and Journey were just a scratch on the surface.  It was there that I was introduced to Iron Maiden via the rockin’ Flight of Icarus (1983 Piece of Mind) and the Scorpions by way of No One Like You (1982 Blackout).It was akin to a religious experience as a flurry of others wormed their way into my brain, and it became all things rock for me for a while.

By the time I got to high school – it was over. I was in full-blown obsession mode. My locker was covered with pics of the bands I loved. I scrawled lyrics all over my notebooks. Joining the working force became a necessary evil to support my addiction. Music became my life.

That same summer my best friend and I discovered, albeit a little late, Motley Crue, Dio, Def Leppard and Ozzy Osbourne. I became insatiable. I couldn’t own enough music. I began to amass a bragging rights-worthy collection of records and took my infatuation a step further by having to see all my favorites live. At the age of 15 I beheld the greatness that was Iron Maiden. I have not missed a tour since.

I could go on for a while with the rest of how music has impacted my life, but that’s a lot years, a ton of bands, and it’s not really the point. I just wanted to give an overview of my early years and where my roots lie.

Over the course of time, I worked to widen my horizons. Now I have achieved the open-mindedness that I believe a true fan of music should have. While finding comfort in the music of the past, I have found that I love listening to what’s new and can be quite fanatic regarding what I feel should be heard by the masses.

So the point is I love to talk about music. I also love to hear what everyone else thinks about it as well – the good, the bad and the downright insulting. Well that’s the plan anyway….