When people listen to my iPod, they immediately make strange faces and want to know why I would listen to something like that. I reply that I have eclectic musical tastes and that I believe that makes me a well-rounded person. They look at me like I’m some kind of idiot, but they can’t help but explore its deep recesses. That’s when I am usually told that they would rather just listen to the radio.
I understand that I am weird when it comes to music. I am part OCD and part schizophrenic. For example, I bought “Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” and became obsessed with having each song on my iPod. I don’t necessarily agree with the list, and it seems a little self-serving. After all, “Like a ROLLING STONE” by Bob Dylan is #1. “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” by The ROLLING STONES is #2. There is no way that two songs that include the name of the magazine should rank as the top two. Surely, there are tunes more deserving that include the names of another magazine.
Despite my disagreement with the list, I simply had to put the songs on my iPod. I already had a bunch, but I am currently on #445, “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by The Stooges. I figured it was financially prudent to download them slowly, so it has taken a while to get through it. This means that I have a lot of songs that I don’t particularly like, but I am learning some cool info and expanding my musical palette.
Therefore, while my tastes are schizophrenic the 500 Project causes the list to be more eclectic than it would naturally be. When I explain that nobody understands. In fact, they think downloading all of those songs is totally off the wall. Unfortunately, putting the iPod on random often proves them correct. Let’s try it and see. I will randomize the iPod and list the first 20 songs it plays.
1. “I Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash
2. “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel
3. “Wild Night” by Van Morrison
4. “Setting Sun” by The Chemical Brothers
5. “Get Back” by The Beatles
6. “Theme from Truck Turner” by Isaac Hayes
7. “When Doves Cry” by Prince
8. “Wonderful Remark” by Van Morrison
9. “Walk Away Renee” by The Left Banke
10. “Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol
11. “Blow On ‘Em Baby” by Stacy Mitchhart
12. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee
13. “Streets of Bakersfield” by Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens
14. “River Deep, Mountain High” by Ike and Tina Turner
15. “Sugar Vols – 1985” by John Ward
16. “Star Trek Theme” by Alexander Courage
17. “The Final Countdown” by Europe
18. “Josephine” by Snooks Eaglin
19. “Osborne Interview (The History of Rocky Top)” by The Osborne Brothers
20. “Welcome to My World” by Jim Reeves
So, there is a small sampling of the 2,809 songs on my iPod. That 20 would force my girlfriend to jump out of my moving car.
In an attempt to get away from the randomness of it all, my musical guests limit their exposure by surfing my playlists. Their attitudes don’t get much better. My playlists are titled:
1. For God’s Sake – a list of religious themed songs (weird since I don’t believe in God. That is another subject for another post.)
2. Gridiron – a list of football based music and dialogue
3. Laugh Track – a list of comedy routines
4. Location Location Location – a list of songs with place names in their titles
5. Metal Shop – a list of hard rock and metal songs
6. Print The Legend – a list of songs from western movies or with western themes
7. Psyche Out – a list of songs that just sound weird
8. Something Wicked – a list of songs about Satan, Hell or anything in connection with them
9. Soul Train – a list of soul songs
10. Tennessee – a list of songs about my home state (You would be surprised how many there are.)
11. What’s In A Name? – a list of songs with a person’s name in the title
See. that’s pretty OCD and schizophrenic at the same time. What does your iPod sound like? Does it belong in the mental ward too?
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
Random 20 songs, you say?
1. Passion Pit – To Kingdom Come
2. Magnetic Fields – Two Characters in Search of a Country Song
3. Bar Kokhba Sextet – Quelamia
4. Quantic – Sweet Calling
5. Plaid – Anything
6. Beastie Boys – Hey Ladies
7. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – It’s Nasty (Genius of Love)
8, Foo Fighters – Let it Die
9. Japancakes – Blown a Wish
10. Clutch – Cypress Grove
11. The Thermals – Alone, A Fool
12. Magnetic Fields – Irma
13. Explosions in the Sky – Snow and Lights
14. Neutral Milk Hotel – Communist Daughter
15. Polvo – Mexican Radio
16. CAKE – Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town
17. Clutch – I Send Pictures
18. Kurtis Blow – Christmas Rappin’
19. Rilo Kiley – Does He Love You?
20. Spacemen 3 – Repeater (How Does It Feel?)
Wow. I have playlists like ‘Songs Sampled by the Beastie Boys’ (which is where the Grandmaster Flash and Kurtis Blow came from) and ‘Dem Melted Popsicle Blues’ (songs about summer.
Man, that’s some great stuff. Especially CAKE.
Here is another random 10:
Rockin’ In The Free World – Neil Young
Pecos Bill – Sons of the Pioneers
Suddenly Last Summer – The Motels
Mercy Mercy Me – Marvin Gaye
Orange Blossom Special – Benny Martin
Next To Me – Clyde McPhatter
Dazed And Confused – Led Zeppelin
Scotland The Brave – Queen’s Royal Pipers
Let’s Dance Two-Step – Al Berard and Errol Verret
Angry Cockroaches – Tito and Tarantula
As an example of the true eclectic diversity of my musical tastes, I’m going to shuffle my iTunes (over 15K songs):
Frank Zappa – Disco Boy
of Montreal – Cutie Pie
One Latin – Koolaking
Ben Folds Five – Song for the Dumped
Rocket from the Crypt – Made for You
Rilo Kiley – Papillon
Ben Lee – End of the World
Bambi Molesters – Corazon del Loco Jorge
David Bowie – Fame
Psapp – Eating Spiders
Magnetic Fields – Two Kinds of People
Adele – Crazy for You
Japancakes – To Here Knows When
Corrosion of Conformity – Albatross
Hypnolovewheel – Antmusic
John Zorn – Den of Sins
Beastie Boys – Lighten Up
Clutch – The Drifter
Secret Chiefs 3 – Akramachamarei
Hüsker Dü – These Important Years
15,000??? That’s huge!
Yeah, I know. I have a slight problem with acquiring music. I find a band I like and I must have everything they’ve ever done. I have 8 gigs of just Radiohead.