Music

You will be so very, very sorry you asked about music. On so very many levels!! So buckle your seatbelts...

First of all—I mostly listen to NPR (National Public Radio) not because I just adore hearing about the economy in Burkina Faso or organic gardening...but because the voices of the friendly and non-threatening talking people keep me company. Between that and Facebook, my hermit lifestyle is 100% enabled. As for music in the studio—I have a series of mix CDs which are all for the purposes of me singing along. Loud. Very loud. I belt ‘em out, baby! This is the real reason I can’t work with assistants. It would violate the Geneva Convention.

My tastes are truly eclectic and more than following any one artist for the duration of their career, I am more apt to like a few songs by a huge range of artists. If you actually read or skim the list below (which is every artist on my ipod) be aware I have a lot of single songs by an artist and would be very, very happy to hear nothing more from them ever again.
In general my taste runs from hipster approved obscurata to guilty pleasures that will horrify you. “Gloria” by Laura Branigan, anyone? Original Cast Soundtrack to “Hair”? I dare you to hate me for this!!! Basically, my taste was formed in the early 1980’s. I am a dyed in the wool New Wave/Punk fan. My favorite album of all time is probably Gang Of Four’s “Entertainment”. Perhaps the most perfect song I've ever heard is "Heroes" by David Bowie. I love Mission of Burma, Iggy Pop, Devo, Patti Smith, the B-52’s, The English Beat, Talking Heads, and Joy Division et al. A little later, I was into Gun Club, Sisters of Mercy dark stuff like that...later still Guided By Voices, Palace, Mark Lanegan.
I love classical and country too! Mozart, Debussy, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline—bring ‘em on! Folk music like Pete Seeger? Great stuff! I like a good sea shanty too.
My passions lately run the gamut from Sufjan Stevens to Godspeed You Black Emperor! And lately I’ve been listening to a LOT of Macha.
I have two musician friends whom I think are geniuses—Andy Prieboy and David E. Williams. You would do yourselves a world of good by buying lots of their music!
Also—I like to work out at the gym and the music for that is necessarily very loud and fast. So my ipod has three main mixes: “fun” “superfun” and “spaghetti werewolf” which is funner than superfun. At the gym, I am inclined to like very rude, rowdy metal, industrial and dance music. Ministry, KMFDM, Metallica The Jesus Lizard, LCD Soundsystem that type of thing. I’ve beaten my personal best on an elliptical trainer thanks to KMFDM.

Read the list!

Soundtrack to Hair
Soundtrack to The Sound of Music
10,000 Maniacs
The Zombies
Zero 7
Young MC
Yello
XTC
X
Mozart
Wire
Wingdale Community Singers
Willi Stasch
Will Oldham
The Who
Was (Not Was)
Wall of Voodoo
The Vines
The Verve
Verbow
Velvet Revolver
Urge Overkill
Underworld
Ultravox
U2
TV On The Radio
Turing Machine
The Trolleyvox
TRex
Tom Waits
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Todd Rundgren
Throwing Muses
Throbbing Gristle
Three Merry Widows
Thomas Dolby
The The
That Petrol Emotion
Tegan & Sara
Tears for Fears
Talvin Singh
Talking Heads
T.S.O.L.
The Sweet
Suzanne Vega
The Sundays
Sugar
Sufjan Stevens
Subrosa
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strapping Field Hands
The Stranglers
The Stooges
Stone Temple Pilots
Steve Wynn
Steely Dan
Soundtrack of Our Lives
Soundgarden
Soul Coughing
The Soft Boys
Snow
Smog
The Smiths
The Smithereens
Smashing Pumpkins
Slint
Sleator/Kinney
The Sisters Of Mercy
Siouxsie and The Banshees
Sinéad O'Connor
Simon & Garfunkel
Silver Jews
Shriekback
Shocking Blue
The Shins
Shawn Colvin
Shakira
Carmina Burana
Seal
Screaming Trees
Scrawl
Rush
Rush
Roy Orbison
Roxy Music
Romeo Void
The Romantics
The Rolling Stones
Rocket From the Crypt
Robert Pollard
Ringo Starr
Rick James
Richard Thompson
The Rezillos
Reykjavík!
The Replacements
The Raveonettes
The Raspberries
Radiohead
Radio Birdman
R.E.M.
Queens Of The Stone Age
Quad City DJ's
Pure Prairie League
Public Image Ltd.
Prince & The Revolution
Prince
Pretenders
Portishead
The Police
PJ Harvey
The Pixies
Pink Floyd
Pinback
Peter Murphy
Pete Seeger
Pet Shop Boys
Peregrins
Pere Ubu
Pentangle
Pell Mell
Peggy Lee
Pearl Jam
Paula Cole
Patti Smith Group
Patti Smith
Patsy Cline
Palace Brothers
Out In Worship
Opal
Ondar
Olivia Neutron Bomb
OK Go
OHO
October Project
Nirvana
Nine Inch Nails
Nina Simone
Nico
Nick Lowe
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
New Radicals
New Order
Neil Young
The National
Natalie Archangel
Naevus
Movietone
Motorhead
The Motels
Morningwood
The Moody Blues
Monster Magnet
The Monkees
Mogwai
The Modern Lovers
Moby
The Mission U.K.
Mission of Burma
Minutemen
Minor Threat
Ministry
Midnight Oil
Michael Nesmith
Michael Murphey
Mia Doi Todd
Metallica
Meat Puppets
Mark Lanegan
Marianne Faithfull
Marc Beck
The Mamas & The Papas
The Magnetic Fields
Madonna
Macha & Bedhead
Macha
M
Lush
Luscious Jackson
Lulu
The Low Road
Lou Reed
Lou Gramm
Lou Barlow
Loreena McKennitt
Lone Justice
Liz Phair
Live
Lindsey Buckingham
Linda Ronstadt with The Stone Poneys
The Levellers
Lene Lovich
Led Zeppelin
LCD Soundsystem
Laura Branigan
Labelle
L7
Kristin Hersh
Kraftwerk
The Knack
KMFDM
Klaus Nomi
Kinski
The Kinks
Kings Of Leon
The Kills
kEn
Katydids
Kate Bush
Kansas
k.d. lang
Juice Newton
Judybats
Judy Henske & Jerry Yester
Judith Schaechter
Joy Division
Joni Mitchell
Joe Jackson
Jethro Tull
The Jesus Lizard
Jerry Corbetta
Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Cantrell
Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Jefferson Airplane
Jane's Addiction
Jakatta
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
It's a Beautiful Day
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
Iggy Pop
Iggy & The Stooges
Husker Du
Hot Chocolate
Hooverphonic
The Hollies
Hole
The Hives
Heatmiser
Heart
Hannah Marcus
Hank Williams
Gun Club
Guided By Voices
Gravenhurst
The Grass Roots
Grand Funk
Grace Slick & The Great Society
Goldfrapp
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
God Bullies
Go West
Glenn Gould
Glen Campbell
Girls VS Boys
Gin Blossoms
Genesis
Gary Numan
Gang Of Four
Freakwater
Ravel
Foo Fighters
The Folk Implosion
Fleetwood Mac
The Fixx
Fischerspooner
Figgy Duff
Felt
Feist
Fatboy Slim
The Fall
Fairport Convention
The Ex
Eurythmics
Espers
The English Beat
EMMA
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Elvis Costello
Elton John
Elliot Smith
Electric Light Orchestra
Edith Frost
Echo and the Bunnymen
Earl Greyhound
Dusty Springfield
Duran Duran
Duncan Sheik
Drive-By Truckers
The Dresden Dolls
Dream Syndicate
Doomed to Obscurity
Donnie Iris
The Donnas
Donna Summer
Dolly Parton
Do Make Say Think
The Dirtbombs
Devo
Depeche Mode
Nutcracker Suite
Def Leppard
Debussy
Death From Above 1979
Dead or Alive
Dead Can Dance
David E. Williams
David Bowie
Dave Edmunds
The Darkness
Dandy Warhols
The Damned
The Cure
The Cult
Crystal Waters
The Crystal Method
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Cowboy Junkies
Cornershop
The Corn Sisters
Concrete Blonde
Collective Soul
Cocteau Twins
The Clash
The Church
Chris Whitley
The Chills
Chickasaw Mudd Puppies
Cat Stevens
Casket Salesmen
The Cars
Carla Bozulich
Cameo
Buzzcocks
Butthole Surfers
Buffalo Springfield
The Broken Prayers
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Brian Eno
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Bobby Vinton
Bob Mould
Bob Dylan
Blur
The Blood Brothers
Blondie
Black Mountain
Black Eyed Peas
Beth Orton
Berlin
Beck
The Beatles
Bauhaus
Barbara Schaechter
Barbara Manning
The Band
Bananarama
Badfinger
Bad Religion
Bad Company
The B-52's
Au Pairs
The Association
Ashlee Simpson
Argent
April March
Apocalyptica
Annie Lennox
Andy Prieboy
American Music Club
American Analog Set
The Allman Brothers Band
Alice In Chains
Al Stewart
Air
AC/DC
ABC