Random Ramblings from a Republican
Monday, April 05, 2004
*Due to lack of research material on the topic of Irish history at my disposal at the current moment, I am going to do a bit of personal reflection on the broad spectrum of music I have listened to in my 20 years.
Music and Life
Growing up I listened to a lot of classical and traditional Irish music, mostly because of the great influence of my grandparents on my childhood. I still have a soft spot in my heart for both these types of music, but my tastes and musical interests have expanded.
Around the time I was 10, I was exposed to gangsta rap (i.e. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, NWA, etc.) and became enthralled with the extremely suggestive and explicit lyrics that my parents so detested. I suppose it was my first expression of typically rebellious youthfulness.
My next stage was that of grunge, taking place around age 12. I still consider this type my all-time favourite and the genre of music that had the most influence on me. Nirvana was the major sway during this period of my childhood and inspired me to attempt to play guitar and bass. Sadly, I was never terribly accomplished at either instrument, though I enjoyed and still enjoy playing. Amongst the other groups of grunge I was into were Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Sonic Youth, and Stone Temple Pilots, as well as many others.
Following my entry into "Junior High", I began what my best friends and family refer to as my "dark ages". Aptly titled considering the music I started to listen to ... Most notably Marilyn Manson, but also White Zombie, KoRn, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Snot and Nine Inch Nails. This music made my parents very nervous and I admit now to using that music as an expressive outlet for other problems in my life at the time.
During my "dark ages" I was dealing with a step-father who I hated and who hated me right back; this made for what was obviously a shitty home life. Pooled with the usual amount of teenage angst, this was enough to throw me into an emotional tumult. The "big-time" music I was listening to, combined with the local scene I was involved in helped me to express my discontent with home life in a way that was safer than many of the alternatives.
*Part two tomorrow.
Growing up I listened to a lot of classical and traditional Irish music, mostly because of the great influence of my grandparents on my childhood. I still have a soft spot in my heart for both these types of music, but my tastes and musical interests have expanded.
Around the time I was 10, I was exposed to gangsta rap (i.e. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, NWA, etc.) and became enthralled with the extremely suggestive and explicit lyrics that my parents so detested. I suppose it was my first expression of typically rebellious youthfulness.
My next stage was that of grunge, taking place around age 12. I still consider this type my all-time favourite and the genre of music that had the most influence on me. Nirvana was the major sway during this period of my childhood and inspired me to attempt to play guitar and bass. Sadly, I was never terribly accomplished at either instrument, though I enjoyed and still enjoy playing. Amongst the other groups of grunge I was into were Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Sonic Youth, and Stone Temple Pilots, as well as many others.
Following my entry into "Junior High", I began what my best friends and family refer to as my "dark ages". Aptly titled considering the music I started to listen to ... Most notably Marilyn Manson, but also White Zombie, KoRn, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Snot and Nine Inch Nails. This music made my parents very nervous and I admit now to using that music as an expressive outlet for other problems in my life at the time.
During my "dark ages" I was dealing with a step-father who I hated and who hated me right back; this made for what was obviously a shitty home life. Pooled with the usual amount of teenage angst, this was enough to throw me into an emotional tumult. The "big-time" music I was listening to, combined with the local scene I was involved in helped me to express my discontent with home life in a way that was safer than many of the alternatives.
*Part two tomorrow.
