Name: Luke
Location: Ontario, Canada
What was the first single you bought?
****, it was U2's Vertigo. I was a newbie to CD shopping on my own and I thought, what the Hell is this? Two ****ing songs on a CD!? Go suck your dog. But I bought it anyways because it was about $3. And then I discovered Goodwill and I've owned more copies of albums and singles by Sinead O'Connor and Ace of Base than I probably should. I can't remember the first single that I bought that I loved.
First album?
It was ****e World. Oddly enough, not their first. But I liked it a lot more. That album
was 1997 for me at the time. If that was a '97 release. I cried when Jeri left.
But the first record I bought myself (when I got into my good tastes) was probably Metric's Old World Under, Where Are You Now? and it seems really hipsterish of me but I never thought of indie music as a well loved area of music or elitist at all. My intention were pure! I always thought it was a few thousand people who new about Metric and Feist and Stars and Broken Social Scene and it was all of the classics like Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell and The Mamas & The Papas that
everyone knew more about. I was really old fashioned. And it wasn't that bad at all, thinking that way. It was definitely more comfortable and I would be more happy with it now. Me and my stupid *** ruining it for myself.
How old were you?
About 7 for the ****e Girls, and around 14 for the Metric.
Who is your all-time favorite band or artist, and why?
Joni Mitchell. Her music and her interviews will be a fixture for me for a very, very long time. Her music is timeless. And it feel incredibly Canadian (which would make sense). When I went through my major depression, my hormonal depression, my existential dilemma, my prescription testing phases, etc., I usually had a Joni Mitchell playing when I needed it the most and the moments when I needed it were always clearest. I didn't listen to her all of the time but she's my musical defense mechanism. When I really hit rock bottom in 2006 I had her music propping me up enough to get away from going catatonic in a psych ward somewhere (which I could've easily done if I'd chosen to). I didn't branch out into the rest of her albums until after the first year I knew of her and I'm glad I did take the time. At first I was scared that I'd hate her 80's/90's albums like I was supposed to but I grew right into them (not that I listen to Dog Eat Dog, but I can still see why she made it, I guess). And I've never been less disappointed by an artist in my life. In fact, she's never ever disappointed me because my expectations have always been too vague for conviction.
What song always makes you happy?
I'd have to say something by The Sugarcubes, like Eat The Menu or Birthday. They've always had a calming effect on me and since I usually have paralysing anxiety I'm not the kind of person who goes for energetic, peppy music unless it's something like The Go! Team. So that, Bjork's I Miss You, The Flaming Lips' In The Morning of the Magicians. And Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister. Anything I can see myself drugging myself out of consciousness to.
What song makes you cry?
Bjork's Visur Vatnsenda-Rosu. It's so sombre and that flute interlude lays the bricks on me. I get really teary with the "spacious", mournful songs. Like Jon Brion's Row (from Eternal Sunshine) Nico's These Days, and a ****ing slew (understating word) of other songs. And I mean about 1/3 or my entire... catalogue? Radiohead's Let Down, Regina Spektor's Daniel Cowman, Skeeter Davis's End of the World, The Cranberries' No Need To Argue, etc.
Do you think music and politics are a good mix?
Not at all. The most you can do is appeal to the public and become the rah-rah support for the cause but there's no place in the practical world of politics for music anymore. No one takes it seriously at all.
Did someone in your life influence your taste in music?
My dad made room for jazz for me. All types of jazz too, fusion, progressive, freestyle, scat, etc. And he has a hippie buried somewhere in there too, but he's a humongous tight *** so you'd never guess unless you were extremely observant. And my sister was always listening to The Cranberries and Guns N' Roses and that was the good side of pop for me. That's what I grew up on. My brother was always into rap and metal and it didn't really interest me, except for a fews years I spent when I was younger listening to Linkin Park (which seems like a godsend nowadays). But I've always been behind the times when it comes to music scenes. And I enjoy it, I get the idyllic retrospection of everyone else when I finally start listening to the music.
Oh, and my mum introduced me to Cat Stevens and ABBA and Neil Young. She was all over the place when it came to music. And she's never too picky even now. She used to listen to Evanescence and Coldplay and she even considered going the The White Stripes before my sister took the ticket.
My friends have never been into music all that much. My best friend's into classical rock though, so I'm happy with that. But I cannot stand the arena rock/speed metal/showboat **** a lot of the people I now know are into. Give me Grace Slick & The Great Society and some hash. **** that 80's hair metal ****. It's not up my alley.
Have you met any of your favorite musicians? How was the experience?
No. Never...
What was the first concert you went to?
How old were you?
Oh ****, the Backstreet Boys. Which sounds really nice now that I'm delirious from a lack of sleep. I found a crisp $20 bill at the amphitheatre. The programs were even more than that and it was just 10 pages. Some guys on swan boats came buy and everyone started freaking out because that thought it was them. We had to wait in line for about 2 hours. Time flew when I was a kid.
What was the last?
The White Stripes? I cannot even ****ing remember, but that one seems clearest. Jack White is amazing live, so much better than on the albums. I really enjoyed it, regardless of some complications. And I almost bought one of the knock off T-shirts because they were so bad.
What is the next one?
I have no clue but probably something like Bjork or Feist or something.
I missed my chance to see Shonen Knife last week.
Favorite concert memory?
Screaming **** you at the BSB concert with some random kid I didn't know. And attempting to dissuade the fangirls. Which was incredibly useless.
What is the most embarrassing CD in your collection?
I have no clue. I have The Darkness in there. And I listened to it before I discovered Hole (the point of no return!)
What are the 5 (only 5) albums that you would bring if you were going to be stuck on a deserted island?
Joni Mitchell's The Hissing of Summer Lawns
Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music For Airports
Broken Social Scene's Feel Good Lost
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind OST
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions' Bavarian Fruit Bread (and I'd burn the two EPs if I could!)
and as a back-up in case I changed my mind at the last minute, I'd put in Regina Spektor's Soviet Kitsch
What was the last album that you bought? Was it online or in a shop?
Shop. I bought The Puppini Sisters' The Rise & Fall of Ruby Woo, The Mamas & The Papas' Gold, and Stars' In Our Bedroom After The War all at once. I don't know why. I won't listen to any of those as often as I thought. As usual... ****...
What are your thoughts about the digital music / mp3 format?
I understand that it's incredibly convenient and the quality for audiophiles is much better than CDs or vinyl or even cassettes if you want to go that far but I can't help but love purchasing a hard copy of an album. I remember when I bought Feist's Let It Die back in 2004 and I didn't stop listening to it for an entire month. I couldn't get over it. And before that I had it on computer and all that junk, but to have the CD player in my pocket was enough for me. And when I used to rent a pile of CDs from the library and listen to them all in one day. That's how I discovered Joni Mitchell. I rented Court & Spark and Blue from the library and I kept it all to myself and listened to it on trips and at home all night and whenever I went out, when I went for walks, to the supermarket, to school. It was important that I had the CD too. And I don't see why that should be a problem today. People still make vinyl (a lot of the times I've seen with free online downloads to compensate even) and I don't see CDs disappearing anytime soon. Not everyone wants to make the jump to iPods and USB keys and all that jazz and we can
practically survive without doing so.
Do you / Did you ever buy vinyl?
Yes, I love vinyl, but usually the vinyl I buy is too ****ed for playing or I never bother playing them. The last vinyl I bought was an ELO record but it only has the one disc. And it doesn't have Mr. Blue Sky on it either. But I definitely will get into that Kate Bush I got. Someday.
Is there a band or artist that you cannot stand, why?
No, I could see liking any sort of band or artist. I could always come up with reasons not to though. and I usually do.
What ****es you off about record shops, radio, or video channels? Do you think the state of music is healthy?
Record shops rarely have what I'm looking for, like Hedwig and the Angry Inch which I Still do not own because I can't find it any time I go out. When I go for good oldies like Etta James or Janis Joplin it's always just their greatest hits which I've had for years. Let down. Radio is depressingly bad. And video channels don't even play videos regularly, unless you're like me, up at 4am. And even then there's a good chance you'll see tween crack voting tween crack out of the tween crack shack.
Are you in a band? Care to pimp 'em?
Oh dear God no. But maybe someday. With enough drugs and theory training.
Linear Mode
