Defining Music Taste

I remember when I was young and started defining my own taste in music. Even remember the precise moment it happened. I was sat watching Stars in Their Eyes. There was a big man came on the show, cloth in hand and belted out this amazing song, 'Anything for Love'. The music captivated me, the voice was interesting, powerful. I was old enough to know that this show was about impersonating famous singers. Enquiring who this man, 20 minutes later I'm listening to Meat Loafs 'Bat Out of Hell' album.
From there my interest in music and that era exploded. Queen became my first love, I spent hours cruising through my parents CD's and LP's.
In the LP's and singles I found Guns 'n' Roses, Appetite for Destruction, in the singles I found Alice Cooper's Poison. In the CD's Cher and Def Leppard.
My love for 70's and 80's rock grew. Would often result in being hollered at to turn it down. Not for the sake of the neighbors though, we lived smack bang in the middle of nowhere, for the sake of my poor grandparents who lived at the far end of the garden.

My music taste is a lot broader now, admittedly not a lot of it is recent. I dislike just about anything this side of 1992. But I range from 60's up to the odd present song, classical to heavy metal, country to R&B. I love to dance and sing (albeit badly) laugh and cry. When in doubt music is my haven.

My son is 9 now and in the last year or so he's started doing the same. I'm watching him develop his own taste in music. Although I will always be a firm believer in being allowed to find his own tastes there is one exception... Justin Beiber is banned from the house on a permanent basis. I think his interest in music started when they used My Sherona in the Weetabix advert. I had the song on a compilation album that was promptly hijacked and played over and over again.

My husband bought me a bug radio for my birthday last year to keep in the kitchen, so I could bop around to my albums while baking, stewing, cooking and generally making a mess. I had it the grand total of 3 weeks when it was whistled away upstairs and my son is singing at the top of his lungs along with Freddie Mercury. It petered out for a bit, I retrieved my radio but not for long. I introduced him to David Bowie just after Christmas when I bought his best of album. I had it for 2 days before it, along with many others from my collection, vanished upstairs. Changes will be worn out before the summer. My Billy Joel CD is also one of his favourites at the moment, he jumps between the 2 at night. Yet like me, his taste varies. He started the way I did, with 70's and 80's, but while studying music at school he has asked Grandad to compose him a CD of Beethoven!

I'm proud to watch him create and learn his own taste in music, I'm also glad that it has stemmed from my tastes in music. That he enjoys what I do. I think this will prevent many arguments in the future. At least i won't be yelling at him to turn down some hideous music! I just hope that when he goes to high school he doesn't loose sight of the music he enjoys just to fit in...