iPod One vs Ragryph's iPod

Sometimes I come across stories or news articles that should be prefaced ‘hey Rob this is something you should rant on for your blog’. Here is one time that I just can’t resist that urge. **NOTE** this rant contains some quotes taken from the cnn.com article. I don’t feel the need to footnote them, sorry.

Last night I saw a story on NBC Nightly News, and I read the same story on cnn.com today, about President Bush’s iPod. First of all this story belongs buried at the bottom of the ‘Who Cares!’ file. But, since they published it I guess I can rant on it.

Apparently he is coming under some level of scrutiny for his choice of songs. One person from Spin magazine (who automatically looses my respect because of his employer) says that having “My Sharona” on his iPod isn’t “consistent with Bush's image as protector of conservative values." Because it is a song about a man pursuing a much younger women and contains lyrics such as: ” Such a dirty mind. Always get it up for the touch of the younger kind”. Another ‘journalist’ from the London Times, Caitlin Moran noted: "No black artists, no gay artists, no world music, only one woman, no genre less than 25 years old, and no Beatles."

Being a rather big music fan, and an owner of an iPod with some 650 tracks on it, this got me wondering what these people might say about me based on my choices of music.

I meet the criteria of having black artists with; Marvin Gaye, Arrested Development, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Dr Dre, ray Charles. I think I meet the criteria of gay artists with; Depeche Mode, and Duran Duran. I have what could be loosely defined as world music in Ashley MacIssaac. I have several women artists, including; Julianna Hatfield, Bjork, and Twisted Sister, er ah Shakira. I have plenty of stuff that is newer than 25 years old, and sorry Derek, I have several tracks by the Beatles.

So what? What does all this mean? Can you really pshyco-analyze someone based on the music they listen too? I wonder what my music says about me?

Would you say that I am about to join the Green Party because I love Pearl Jam's music? Would you say that I endorse heroine use because I listen to artists like; Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and heaven forbid Nirvana? Does it mean that I’m a womanizer because I enjoy Ray Charles, and Motley Crue?

What does it say that I have Marilyn Manson, and the Sex Pistols songs that make frequent references to being the anti-christ along side songs written by Marin Luther an songs performed by Amy Grant Michael w. Smith and DC Talk?

Am I ready to denounce my citizenship and become Canadian because I listen to Our Lady Peace, the Gandharvas, and the Barenaked Ladies? Or am I going to become Irish because I like U2, the Cranberries, and the Corrs.

Am I going to start wearing makeup and burning my own personal hole in the ozone from hairspray because I like Poison and Def Leppard?
What does it say that I like Rage Against the machine, Rammstein, and Bob Marley?
Better yet what does it say that I like Bach, Pacobel, and Motzart. Or that one of my all time favorite songs is a half hour long performance written entirely in latin?

Maybe it says that I’m from Detroit that I listen to Kid Rock, Eminem, Bob Seger, and Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise.

What about my guilty pleasures, like; Avril Lavigne, Falco, LL Cool J, Save Ferris, and Hayden.

The beautiful thing about art, and especially music, is what I love and can’t possibly live without you might think is crap (right Derek). Or what you like I can’t for the life of me understand. I love music and can’t understand when someone can quickly and easily peg one song or one band as their favorite. In my opinion anyone who listens to just one genre of music and rejects any other genre of music just doesn’t know enough about music and the unbelievable beauty in even the crappiest song.