Who's who in Acclaimed Music Forums : the demographic thread

[Greg]

i think you're right, i've definitely never seen a woman show off!!

[HRS]

All the women I ever met that believed to understand a lot of music, and arts in general, were an arrogant show off! And they didn't even want to discuss their opinions, just put them out there for you to deal with their so-called truth. Moreover, most of them used to despise a lot of female artists, with some of the most sexist arguments to back it up I had ever came across. The kind of people who read Ulysses in days just to say they read such a book; The people whose type switchs to competitiveness when they feel threatened by others who may have read or understood such a work better. I've had awful experiences like those with males too - gay and straight. Not everyone is willing to discuss their opinions, back them up - even if subjectivly - or even consider changing them in face of stronger arguments coming from someone else or from time itself; It's more a matter of self-absorvence, so common in young adults. How many people out there believe that are fully superior to the masses just because they listen to a couple of Pink Floyd or Leonard Cohen's albums? I'm willing to meet new people that enjoy arts, but arrogance may kill even the most fully developed on the subject of them.

[Harold]

My friends call me Keith, but you can call me John.

Just kidding. (Bonus points for getting the reference!) My name actually is Harold, and I'm 43. I live in Chicago, have a Master's in film studies from the University of Iowa, and work as an administrative assistant to the provost of a local university.

I have been a music geek, and a music-LIST geek, for as long as I can remember. I have always been a compulsive devourer of album guides and other all-time/EOY lists; one of the first things that I did after I started grad school in Iowa in 1991 was to check to see whether the library had archive copies of the Village Voice, and then spend an entire day going through microfilms (keep in mind this was pre-Internet) and transcribing all the Pazz & Jop lists that had been published up to that point. So, as you can imagine, when I first stumbled across Henrik's work (a list of "20th Century's Most Acclaimed Albums" posted to a European website back in 2000) I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

Acclaimed Music itself was created in 2001, and the rest is history. As many of you no doubt know, I am the proud and quite insane owner of the entire top 3000 all-time albums list, all on good old CD. I am very much looking forward to the new update, and am reasonably sure - as the new additions will mostly be from 2010-2012 - that I won't need to purchase too many more, as I've naturally been keeping up with the recent EOY lists.

This forum is fairly unique among music boards, or indeed web boards in general. There's a wide range of opinions expressed here, but the arguments - if you can even call them that - never devolve into "You're the dummy"/"No, YOU'RE the dummy" posturing. (On those exceedingly rare occasions that they do, Henrik has been quick to shut the thread down.) It's a very welcoming place, and I've always appreciated that. May it continue to be so.

[John]

I didn't get the reference Harold so I looked it up, and it led me to something I've heard a lot about but never actually watched! Thanks!

[Henry]

Hi, I'm Craig. I'm 38 and live in Newcastle, Australia (just north of Sydney). I am Married with 3 Kids, one girl who is four and is my boss, and 2 boys 8 and 10.

I fondly remember my stay in Bondi Beach in December/January 2009/2010. My daughter had been in Sydney since October 2009 and had landed a job with the Ferrari dealership as a receptionist/assistant for the sales team. She had a blast and met Russell Crowe when Russell was trying to set up his rugby recruit, Sam Burgess with some fun. My daughter only had one date with Sam and a single night on Crowe's yacht the same night she met Sam and Russell.

I don't know when I will get back to Sydney, but it was beautiful and fun.

[nicolas]

I'm bumping this for two reasons

1) There are many new faces in the forum. If you feel like telling us a little more about yourself than the occasional list, this is the place

2) I really think we should make a "sticky" thread so that people can introduce themselves easily and get to know each other a little better.

[Nassim]

Well it seems that I never posted on this thread but only in the old forum.

I guess it would be time for an update anyway.

My name is Nassim, I am 28 (soon 29), French and Tunisian, though being born and raised in France and not being able to speak arabic, I feel more French I guess. Anyway, I grew up in Amiens, a nice enough French city with the most beautiful cathedral ever. I stayed there until I was 20, living a pretty common life, though always going through school with a lot of ease, always at the head of my class without breaking much sweat. While this ease, logical mind and good memory have always been an asset, it also made me quite lazy, which is still an issue in the workplace 8 years later ! Thanksfully I usually work much faster than most people, so that compensates a bit, and people seem to enjoy working with me so they don't complain too much either !

I am a graduated Engineer, from a college in Lille (or well, what we call "high school", French tertiary education system is very peculiar). I am considered a "generalist" Engineer, though slightly specialised in production and supply chain. That's not really a vocation, it's more "the thing I feel like disliking the least and even enjoy part of".
My first long term job was for Pepsico in Paris, I stayed there exactly 4 years before quitting because I was bored by both my job and my private life in Paris, most of my friends being at this point of life where you get married and sometimes even have kids, while I was still leaving alone with my Xbox and being bored by most girlfriends after a month.
So after deciding to quit my job and leave for a year in Australia, that's when I started dating this awesome girl of which I was still not bored when, after 3 months, it was time to take my plane to Melbourne. Now that I'm back, I'm thinking of the best way to get her back
I stayed 10 months in Australia, mostly in the fantastic city of Melbourne but also traveling and enjoying the many sights of this great country. This wasn't as open minding or revelatory as I hoped but it at least confirmed things about me : I am better at finding what I don't want to do than what I want to do, I don't want to be this far from my friends and my main motivations for working is being with people I care for and getting enough money not to have to worry (I mean as in "knowing that at the end of the month I will have food to eat and a place to sleep", not as "buying everything without caring 'cause I'm so minted")
Back in France it took me 2 months to find a job... in Belgium ! I now live in Brussels, making sales forecast for the Kellogg's company. Since I don't know much people here, I try to meet them through meetup and its French equivalent. That worked pretty well in Melbourne and starts working here to, based on 2 of my interests : board games and pub quizes (and I must say I am fairly good at both). Favorite board games ? Hard to say : Time's Up, 7th Wonder, Small World and Cards Against Humanity are the first to pop in mind but I have tried dozens and dozens of others.

People "IRL" tend to consider me the cultivated one, the music savy, the brainy... so it's really humbling to be in AM. I honestly don't think I know half of what most regular AMers know in music (or other arts for that matter) and if you talk about sonofsamiam or mindrocker, this probably would drop to 10% !
I still listen to music a lot and go to the movies as much as ever, but I don't read as much as I used to (and have less time to play videogames, but that's a different issue). Internet probably is responsible for that since I spend a lot of time wandering in it, whether it is in music and cinema sites or in most fun ones like memebase and other cheezburger related ones. I really feel like my concentration span has decreased a lot since my first chats in AOL a dozen years ago. Before that I always have been quickly bored, switching from an interest to the others, one year it would be mythology, the following one astronomy and the next dinosaurs. I also get bored of jobs, school subjects and well, pretty much everything (I sometimes stop video games and books halfway because of that... heck, even movies sometimes... I actually never finished the Godfather...), so I'm glad to say I am still as excited by music as ever !
As the other French speaker said, it sometimes is a bit frustrating around here not to be able to express my opinions properly... I am fairly fluent, but to properly express music related impressions and feelings I feel that you need a sensibly more elevated language (even if to be honest I have troubles expressing music related feelings in French too, though I did write my share of critics in indiepoprock.fr). I am not too bad at puns though. By the way I am usually considered a very funny and fairly witty person, though it is easier to hear in French ! But my main quality is supposed to be that I am "nice", I don't like conflicts and I usually try to help people, that being said I can also be very sarcastic and kind of a deadpan snarker, which isn't that nice !

I feel that music can sometimes express my personality and my feelings more than I can, I relate a lot to the following 4 artists for this reason :
Beastie Boys represent the social me : tongue in cheek, mostly fun, adaptative but at times a bit more serious or laydown
Queens of the Stone Age represents what I would like to be more : sexy, confident, unstoppable, rock'n'roll
Elliott Smith would be the intimate me, though I am far less self deprecating that his lyrics, I feel the music itself represents tenderness, sadness, hope, anger and faith that can inhabit me
Built to Spill is the unconscious part, representing things I have trouble putting words on but that are the core part of me... I feel that Broken Chairs, I Would Hurt a Fly or Velvet Waltz are perfect depictions, both lyrically and musically, of things deeply rooted in me and that I can't express any better. I feel very lucky to have found music I can relate that much, and it is AM I have to be thankful for discovering Perfect From Now On, now my favorite album of all time.

Most of the music I love descends from all the revolutions of the late 70s (punk, hiphop, Kraftwerk...) developed on the following years (in pop, metal, hardcore punk, college rock...) and boomed at the end of the 80s (with the hip-hop masterpieces 88-89, Detroit house and the birth of the indie rock). I don't find much to enjoy between 72 and 76 but the years before that, though not as cherished in my heart as the 90s and 00s, still have their lots of music I like. While I could pinpoint why I don't like the middle of the 70s, it's hard for me to explain why I don't relate to the 60s as much as more recent years, but I guess I am a children of my times !

I don't know when I started going to AM, it had to be before 2007 since I'm pretty sure I was here at the beginning of the first 90s poll. What I'm pretty sure is that I found it very simply by typing "best albums of all times" or something like that in google. Back then all I knew were the DDD lists which, even with my much more limited knownledge of back then, were not really satisfying (not to beat a dead horse I swear).

[o.m.]

My friends call me Keith, but you can call me John.

Easy! Keith Moon in "The Kids Are Alright" (1979)
Did I win the 3000CD's.....?

[Sweepstakes Ron]

Well, I guess I can post a little bit here.

My real name is neither Ron, nor Sweepstakes. It is Jacob. I live in the United States (that's as much as I'll reveal about my location) and I'm 15... yeah, I guess I'm too young to really have an interesting life story. But I do have some interesting things to say. One thing about me that not a whole lot can claim to is that I am a very, very amateur animator. My uncle actually bought me Adobe Flash a year or two ago, and I have been getting private lessons from my neighbor who was self-taught in using the program. I can't reveal who he is, but his biggest claim to fame so far is an iOS app called Space Kiwi (a VERY cartoony shooter game). But back to myself.

So yeah, music. I have played the trumpet as a hobby since I was 10 (and I played in the school band for two years, and will most likely continue), but my real passion in music is simply listening to my favorite, and finding new stuff to listen to. I'm not as much of an albums person (I probably lack the patience to listen to one all the way through), and it's probably been at least a year, if not more, since I've listen to a whole one, but I plan to maybe get into them sometime. For a time, music in my eyes (er, ears?) was divided into two categories: "The Beatles" and "not the Beatles". This separation has decreased lately (especially after finding AM), but I still have a significant preference towards them. Besides that, my taste in music is somewhat abstract, though I can say that I'm not a huge fan of country.

As for how I came upon this site: it was quite simple. I was looking at the Wikipedia article for the Beatles' song "Rain", saw the song's ranking on AM mentioned, went to the site, and never looked back.

Feel free to ask me any questions you want, as long as they aren't TOO personal.

[Brad]

As for how I came upon this site: it was quite simple. I was looking at the Wikipedia article for the Beatles' song "Rain", saw the song's ranking on AM mentioned, went to the site, and never looked back.

Wow - the exact same song/article that brought me here several years back!

[Listyguy]

As for how I came upon this site: it was quite simple. I was looking at the Wikipedia article for the Beatles' song "Rain", saw the song's ranking on AM mentioned, went to the site, and never looked back.

Wow - the exact same song/article that brought me here several years back!

Me too! That's incredible!
It also appears I have lost my crown as youngest forumer...

[Sweepstakes Ron]

As for how I came upon this site: it was quite simple. I was looking at the Wikipedia article for the Beatles' song "Rain", saw the song's ranking on AM mentioned, went to the site, and never looked back.

Wow - the exact same song/article that brought me here several years back!

Me too! That's incredible!
It also appears I have lost my crown as youngest forumer...

Wow, three people!

This isn't the first time I've been the youngest forumer. That also happened when I joined the forums of a certain video game-based webcomic when I was 11. The regular forumer there who was younger than me had disappeared months before. Of course, I'm certain that title has been stripped from me on those forums after four years!

And don't be sad that you're no longer the youngest! At least you can have someone to look down upon now!

[Luke JR68]

Well, this is as good a time as any to introduce myself, even though i've been kinda floating under the radar for a bit

My name actually is Luke, i'm 16 years old and i live in VA. I remember i first got into music sometime around 6th grade, my father gave me a little mp3 player and i remember stuffing it full of Beatles songs
As time progressed, i moved on to pop music, which lasted me all the way through middle school, the Hot 100 was my thing and i remember memorizing the all the number one songs of the 2000's... Of course, pretty soon i realized how truly terrible some of those songs were *cough Jennifer Lopez cough cough*, so i moved on to the British Charts, hoping that would satisfy my thirst. Again, the variable quality of the entries proved to be too much for my tastes, and after a little dallying in slightly niche topics, i came upon this site... Unfortunately, i was foolish and didn't recognize the brilliance in this site , instead i was disappointed by the poor showing of 2000's music (i still felt fiercely loyal to the music released in my lifetime for some inexplicable reason), and i moved on with my music loving life... Later on, i had gotten into Pazz and Jop and i happened upon this site as a result of my searching and a little browsing revealed just how minuscule my experience had been up to that point... Anyway, sorry for boring you guys with the tale of my life, i'm indebted to this site for expanding my musical horizons and the more i look around here, the more amazing stuff i discover that a few years ago i would have passed over with disdain

I guess in summary, i'd like to extend a hearty thank you to Henrik for making this site a reality, and here's to the critics, for helping enrich us all

Hopefully i didn't overdo it with the emoticons...

[Bruce]

I'm Bruce, born in 1957, but my favorite music is R&B/Rockabilly/rock and roll from 1951-1958. Lived in New Jersey all my life. Also love the 60s, although I'm not as crazy about the later 60s as I am about 1963-1966 or so. I like 1960-61 better than 1968-69, which not may people here would agree with. After about 1973 I don't like all that much music, although I did have a decent resurgence from about 1977-1983 with new wave/punk stuff and some R&B from that time. Have almost no personal interest in any music from the past 25 years, although I do try and stay aware of what the hip stuff is as I work fpor Digital Dream Door and have done more lists there than any other editor, I think. Have lots of things I like from before the 50s too. I have a girlfriend Diane (13 years now) who is just as crazy about music as I am. She's the one who got me into the digital age. She was born in 1948 and her two favorite artists are Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley. She's got a youtube page:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EvaDStruc/videos

[DocBrown]

I am also a Craig, but go by Doc Brown because I usually have a grafro. Although not in this very recent photograph with my first grandchild, born this past May. {edit} sorry, thought i had a profile photo here... I live in Edmonton, Canada and work as an environmentalist. I have two adult daughters, one of whom lives with me, and a variable number of dogs.

I was much into music from the early 70's through the mid-80's, running a few record stores, doing on-air, promoting shows, etc., and then completely abandoned music until the early years of this century. Now I'm an indie-rock, trip-hop, chamber pop, folktronica, etc. fan who sincerely believes that the best music ever is being created right now, in small artisanal batches. You just have to avoid everything popular to find the good stuff.

[JimmyJazz]

Hi, my real name is James and I live in Arizona. I'm currently working my way into college to learn Film Studies. I hope to become a filmmaker and critic in the future. My main passion is film, but I'm also a big audiophile. I came across this amazing site via another great internet haunt: TheyShootPicturesDon'tThey? I saw the name "Acclaimed Music" in the links section on the site, and out of curiosity, checked it out. I was truly amazed! I would like to give major props to Henrik (as well as others) for their much-appreciated hard work in creating and continually undertaking this massive venture. This site has exposed me to so many different music acts and genres that I had never even heard of prior and have fallen in love with ever since. Over time, I started browsing the forums and was delighted to see the most civil and polite discussions to be found on the internet. So many forums are always rude, aggressive, and hostile, everything this place is not. I finally decided to join for the hell of it. My music tastes are very broad. Rock, jazz, hip-hop, classical, country, blues, Afrobeat, trip-hop... whatever genre it is, chances are I probably like something from it.

[Blanco]

Since there are new users, I thought it would be great to use this topic again. And since I never introduced myself, I will do it now. It is never too late!

My name is César Blanco. I was born in Mexico City, and I'm 22 years old. I was born in a normal middle class family that lived near the center of the city. When I was about 2 years, my father gave lodging at our house to one of his friends, a man nicknamed "Rocco". Both worked in the same publishing house that Rocco founded, that it was called "Editorial Nueva Imagen". Rocco lived with us only a couple of years, but the influence that he and my father had on me is immense, especially because my father liked to kept some of the books that they published, thanks to which now I admire authors like Julio Cortázar, Mario Benedetti and Quino.

When I was 6, my family moved to Toluca de Lerdo, in Estado de México. Toluca was a rural village with blue sky and cows that grazed in front of my house, something very different from what I was used to in Mexico City. In Toluca I made great friends and had my first girlfriends, but despite that I still remembered wistfully Mexico City, but I was unable to do anything to change that, because I was very young.

It was not until I was 15, when I took all my stuff, said goodbye to my family and friends, and went back to Mexico City. The fresh start was very difficult at first. I knew no one, and did not even know how to move from one side of the city to another. Gradually I met more people, and learned how the city worked. I spent the next year dedicating myself to fix personal computers, and then I did the entrance exam to high school. I approved, and when I went back to school, I decided that from then on, I had to use every opportunity available, and stop waiting for things to happen. So I studied a technical career in photography and other technical career in museology. I worked organizing events for a government institution dedicated to student scholarships, among other things. (Although, of course, always looking time for social life.) I finished high school and got accepted at the UNAM, where I now study a degree in philosophy. I love philosophy, but my true passion is literature. I hope someday to make a living being a writer. I do not know if I'm good at it, but it's what I like to do. (Although I accept that I write very badly in English. Hahaha.) I hope to finish and publish my first novel before finishing the career, because I want to avoid working as a teacher, as often happens with philosophers. But we'll see.

As for the music, even though I support the Latin American music in this forum, my musical tastes are shared equally with music in English. I do not remember exactly how I found this site, but I must say I found people here that I appreciate, despite not meet them in person (yet).
Finally, I must say that, from my perspective; listening to music, like writing, are very personal things, even solitary activities. Thanks to everyone in this forum, one can share those personal things not only with the people in the same room, but with someone on the other side of the world. Thanks for that.

[DocBrown]

It was not until I was 15, when I took all my stuff, said goodbye to my family and friends, and went back to Mexico City... I decided that from then on, I had to use every opportunity available, and stop waiting for things to happen.

You call this waiting for something to happen? You're a very impressive young man, Cesar. Thanks for your story and for the thread bump. I hope our newcomers will join you.

[pablonovi]

Hi All,
My name is Pablo, and this is my first post here. I first ran into the site about two weeks ago. I downloaded the two main Excel files (Albums & Songs) and have been playing with them (all kinds of sorts; listing everybody by last name (rather than first name, where applicable). Why? Two main reasons: I love numbers and I love music.
Born in 1949 (so that might make me the oldest; if that guy from 1929 was only story-telling; I can't tell for sure). Got my first transistor radio in 1955; so I started listening to Rock & Roll when it first started. I remember (well) songs from the late 50's onwards. Started buying singles and LPs. Ran a personal competition, amongst my 200 LPs; with them all placed up on my room's walls in order of rank. I liked Roy Orbison more than Elvis. My first "favorite" group was the Four Seasons. I liked the Rolling Stones more than the Beatles (because their music was "tougher"). My next favorite groups were: Led Zeppelin and Pink Floy d.
My favorite music site was/is: Digital Dream Door - I think I've seen a guy named Bruce here that writes for them. I've made my own two lists: Pablo's 500 All-Time Greatest Hard-Rock Songs (and Soft-Rock Songs). My Hard-Rock Song list includes all of DDD's 250 Greatest Guitar Songs & Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 100 Guitar-Solos.
Personally, I've been extremely happily married for almost 30 years now (we made love twice a day, everyday until the last year; when I've finally started to slow down to a little over once a day). She's a marvelous person (never says "no"; always wants more). We have two grown kids that have been out on their own for almost a decade now. They turned out great; we never worry about them. I'm mostly retired; having worked in a large series of jobs/occupations: from construction and factory jobs to accounting.
Outside of personal love (wife and kids) and working for a living, the main thing I've done is organize: against U.S. wars of aggression (10 years of 40 hours a week against the Vietnam slaughter; and onwards since then); against racism; sexism; other forms of discrimination; in support of struggles in other countries (vs Apartheid in South Africa, for example); and especially, as a labor organizer - for unions in non-union shops; and to strengthen and democratize unions where they existed.
During this past decade, we've lived in Mexico. I've/we've been partially-paid dancers each weekend at the annual Fiestas (Fiestas Patronales); going from town to town in a circuit of about 50 of them a year. My wife is a professional dancer, and I'm passable; enough so that while I'm the second most visible person at the dances; people pretty much ignore me - she's so beautiful and skilled. We also are mariachis. So we are the "life of the party/town" those weekends.
All my adult life most of my close friends were/are Mexican/Mexican-American. Life in Mexico has been a total revelation n for me/us. In the small towns there's a saying, "Si te portas, te quieren; si te portas mal, te corren." "If you behave well, they love you; if you behave badly, they run you out of town." Because we give so much in all these places, the people have responded to us with just an outpouring of appreciation and love. We feel deeply privileged to be treated so warmly. It's kind of like a return to my hippy days from some 40-50 years ago; but amongst many thousands of friends now, rather than a few dozens (back then).

P.S. I've edited this by adding a space near the end of "Pink Floy d" and the word "revelatio n" because, for some reason they appear in green as if to link to someplace or other. Also, I was born in New Jersey, U.S.; lived 40 years in San Diego, California before moving to Mexico (where most of the time we live in the country-side; but also, sometimes, we are in the Distrito Federal with family & friends).

[Henry]

Pablo - I will gladly give up the mantle of oldest in the forum. Hopefully, your story is authentic (I'm pretty sure the guy born in 1929 was putting us on) and we will be able to enjoy your participation in the 1970's polls this year.

[Blanco]

It was not until I was 15, when I took all my stuff, said goodbye to my family and friends, and went back to Mexico City... I decided that from then on, I had to use every opportunity available, and stop waiting for things to happen.

You call this waiting for something to happen? You're a very impressive young man, Cesar. Thanks for your story and for the thread bump. I hope our newcomers will join you.

Thank you very much, Craig! And yeah, hahaha, maybe not in this case. But there are other things, like losing that year of study. Although I can not complain. In the end, thanks to both the good things and the bad, I have this present. And for that I can only be grateful.

[Blanco]

During this past decade, we've lived in Mexico. [...] All my adult life most of my close friends were/are Mexican/Mexican-American. Life in Mexico has been a total revelation n for me/us. In the small towns there's a saying, "Si te portas, te quieren; si te portas mal, te corren." "If you behave well, they love you; if you behave badly, they run you out of town." Because we give so much in all these places, the people have responded to us with just an outpouring of appreciation and love. We feel deeply privileged to be treated so warmly. It's kind of like a return to my hippy days from some 40-50 years ago; but amongst many thousands of friends now, rather than a few dozens (back then).

Sounds great! Your story, and the way you describe Mexico, reminded me of the Beats, especially Jack Kerouac. Have you read "On the Road"? I think you might like it.
Also your activism seems great! Now you have another friend in Mexico.
I hope to read you again, and welcome to the forum.

[pablonovi]

Pablo - I will gladly give up the mantle of oldest in the forum. Hopefully, your story is authentic (I'm pretty sure the guy born in 1929 was putting us on) and we will be able to enjoy your participation in the 1970's polls this year.

Hey Henry,
Yes, my story is authentic. Pretty much my life's earliest memory is from 1955 when I was 6; my dad bought each of us (his kids) a radio. It was a black thing (electric), with a big white dial on the right-hand side. The two-thirds of it on the left-hand side was barred, with grooves to let the sound come out. So I did get to listen to Rock-Around-The-Clock when it first came out - though I don't much remember anything in particular until about 1958-1959. In the early '60's, besides the 4-Seasons, I was into a number of the earliest of the girl-groups (Shirelles, etc.); and the Motown Sound groups.

Another memory that may help people know that I'm from back then; is that my dad, who was a (terrible) navigator during WWII, was a huge pre-NBA and early-NBA fan; particular of George Mikan. I started watching the NBA with him in 1955; but only remember from about 1958-9. I got to see the entire career of those 5 '60's greats: Wilt The Stilt, the Lakers' West+Baylor, the Big O, and Bill Russell at the head of what I called/call the "Celtics All-Star Teams. (I saw the last half of Bob Pettit's career; he was the earliest great pro-ball player whose career I saw part of.)

Another memory: I was young teenager, in a Catholic-Christian high school seminary (studying to be a Carmelite-order priest), just outside of Boston (North-East about 30 miles), from 1963-67. I remember EXACTLY where I was (what I was looking at, while I was on my way (to actually join a couple of other crazy fools in jumping thru the ice that had formed on top of the school's swimming pool)); when I heard about JFK's assassination. That shocking news saved me from freezing my butt / private parts that particular time.

btw, I'd be most thankful and honored to be pointed in the direction of any polls you (or anyone else) would care to suggest I check-out / participate in. (Specific links might be particular useful; thanx in advance).

P.S. I just read a science article today that says that people have been wrong about old people losing their memories. It turns out that we "old-fogies" just have so much accumulated info stashed away "upstairs" that it takes us longer to process new stuff. i.e., we're not as quick, but we're more profound (hehe).

I also read a few months back that scientists are getting close to being able to market something that will restore memory for older folks who do NOT suffer from Alzheimer's. They better hurry up; because my memory is NOT what it used to be. They wait too long; and I'll probably end up forgetting I wanted to take the stuff!!

[JimmyJazz]

Pablo - I will gladly give up the mantle of oldest in the forum. Hopefully, your story is authentic (I'm pretty sure the guy born in 1929 was putting us on) and we will be able to enjoy your participation in the 1970's polls this year.

Hey Henry,
Yes, my story is authentic. Pretty much my life's earliest memory is from 1955 when I was 6; my dad bought each of us (his kids) a radio. It was a black thing (electric), with a big white dial on the right-hand side. The two-thirds of it on the left-hand side was barred, with grooves to let the sound come out. So I did get to listen to Rock-Around-The-Clock when it first came out - though I don't much remember anything in particular until about 1958-1959. In the early '60's, besides the 4-Seasons, I was into a number of the earliest of the girl-groups (Shirelles, etc.); and the Motown Sound groups.

Another memory that may help people know that I'm from back then; is that my dad, who was a (terrible) navigator during WWII, was a huge pre-NBA and early-NBA fan; particular of George Mikan. I started watching the NBA with him in 1955; but only remember from about 1958-9. I got to see the entire career of those 5 '60's greats: Wilt The Stilt, the Lakers' West+Baylor, the Big O, and Bill Russell at the head of what I called/call the "Celtics All-Star Teams. (I saw the last half of Bob Pettit's career; he was the earliest great pro-ball player whose career I saw part of.)

Another memory: I was young teenager, in a Catholic-Christian high school seminary (studying to be a Carmelite-order priest), just outside of Boston (North-East about 30 miles), from 1963-67. I remember EXACTLY where I was (what I was looking at, while I was on my way (to actually join a couple of other crazy fools in jumping thru the ice that had formed on top of the school's swimming pool)); when I heard about JFK's assassination. That shocking news saved me from freezing my butt / private parts that particular time.

btw, I'd be most thankful and honored to be pointed in the direction of any polls you (or anyone else) would care to suggest I check-out / participate in. (Specific links might be particular useful; thanx in advance).

P.S. I just read a science article today that says that people have been wrong about old people losing their memories. It turns out that we "old-fogies" just have so much accumulated info stashed away "upstairs" that it takes us longer to process new stuff. i.e., we're not as quick, but we're more profound (hehe).

I also read a few months back that scientists are getting close to being able to market something that will restore memory for older folks who do NOT suffer from Alzheimer's. They better hurry up; because my memory is NOT what it used to be. They wait too long; and I'll probably end up forgetting I wanted to take the stuff!!

Welcome, Pablo!

As far as polls go, currently there are none really going on besides the traditional best-of-the-year (2013) poll. However, starting in February, the best of the 1970s poll will begin. Here at AMF, we hold a best of a decade poll throughout the course of the year. Each month, we poll users for the best 15 songs and albums of each year in that decade, and then at the end of the year, we all rank the combined 150 albums and songs lists to get the top 150 for that decade. In February, we begin with 1970, of course. I am actually hosting that particular poll, along with 1971-74 in the following months, then Zorg will take over for me to complete the poll. You are entirely welcome to submit lists during the poll!

[pablonovi]

During this past decade, we've lived in Mexico. [...] All my adult life most of my close friends were/are Mexican/Mexican-American. Life in Mexico has been a total revelation n for me/us. In the small towns there's a saying, "Si te portas, te quieren; si te portas mal, te corren." "If you behave well, they love you; if you behave badly, they run you out of town." Because we give so much in all these places, the people have responded to us with just an outpouring of appreciation and love. We feel deeply privileged to be treated so warmly. It's kind of like a return to my hippy days from some 40-50 years ago; but amongst many thousands of friends now, rather than a few dozens (back then).

Sounds great! Your story, and the way you describe Mexico, reminded me of the Beats, especially Jack Kerouac. Have you read "On the Road"? I think you might like it.
Also your activism seems great! Now you have another friend in Mexico.
I hope to read you again, and welcome to the forum.

Hey Blanco,
"O'rale Simo'n (y aguas-calientes"). "Cool". I was hoping you'd respond. This is a huge city, some 25 million (counting Netzacoyotl); so we may not exactly be neighbors; but it would be neat to meet each other.

Which reminds me. People were talking about NOT knowing any women who DIDN'T like showing off. My baby is kind of unique in this respect. She dresses sexy as can be; but then is shy once we're out in public. Why does she dress that way? Because she knows I love it; and because I say it helps make friends and influence people - a very useful thing within an increasingly dangerous world. She always says to me, "Pablo, are you SURE I'm not dressed too sexy?" And I respond, "Babe, if it's NOT illegal; it's legal !"

At dances, we regularly get invited up onto the stage to dance amongst the musical groups while they play; our favorite dance styles are: cumbia, regetto'n and mambo. (It used to be such a struggle to convince her to both go up on stage and then to stay for more than one song - more of that uniqueness of hers.)

Guys pretty much just drool over how she looks/dresses/dances. She looks super-young; teenage guys come up to her and treat her like she's younger than they are; that they're perfectly prepared to take care of her and show her around.

I take it all as a compliment. My motto, "Esta' bien tratarla como 'taco de ojo'; pero, por favor, no tentarla." "It's ok to treat her like "eye-candy"; but please no touch." At dances (and while working as mariachis) I don't get to drink, get high or anything, even just completely relax; because I've always got to be "al cie'n" (at 100%); because guys do tend to "fall in love" with her and test the water, so to speak, to see if there might be any chance with her. (A couple of days ago, just walking down the street, some guy kept following us in his car, showing his "thumbs-up" to us. Then he came right up and complimented her (and me for being her guy); and inquired about a "trio" or "torta" - a three-some or sandwich). Life by her side is ALWAYS like this.

Guys/gals please forgive me if I've either: gone on too long and/or not discussed music centrally enough.

[pablonovi]

Pablo - I will gladly give up the mantle of oldest in the forum. Hopefully, your story is authentic (I'm pretty sure the guy born in 1929 was putting us on) and we will be able to enjoy your participation in the 1970's polls this year.

Hey Henry,
Yes, my story is authentic. Pretty much my life's earliest memory is from 1955 when I was 6; my dad bought each of us (his kids) a radio. It was a black thing (electric), with a big white dial on the right-hand side. The two-thirds of it on the left-hand side was barred, with grooves to let the sound come out. So I did get to listen to Rock-Around-The-Clock when it first came out - though I don't much remember anything in particular until about 1958-1959. In the early '60's, besides the 4-Seasons, I was into a number of the earliest of the girl-groups (Shirelles, etc.); and the Motown Sound groups.

Another memory that may help people know that I'm from back then; is that my dad, who was a (terrible) navigator during WWII, was a huge pre-NBA and early-NBA fan; particular of George Mikan. I started watching the NBA with him in 1955; but only remember from about 1958-9. I got to see the entire career of those 5 '60's greats: Wilt The Stilt, the Lakers' West+Baylor, the Big O, and Bill Russell at the head of what I called/call the "Celtics All-Star Teams. (I saw the last half of Bob Pettit's career; he was the earliest great pro-ball player whose career I saw part of.)

Another memory: I was young teenager, in a Catholic-Christian high school seminary (studying to be a Carmelite-order priest), just outside of Boston (North-East about 30 miles), from 1963-67. I remember EXACTLY where I was (what I was looking at, while I was on my way (to actually join a couple of other crazy fools in jumping thru the ice that had formed on top of the school's swimming pool)); when I heard about JFK's assassination. That shocking news saved me from freezing my butt / private parts that particular time.

btw, I'd be most thankful and honored to be pointed in the direction of any polls you (or anyone else) would care to suggest I check-out / participate in. (Specific links might be particular useful; thanx in advance).

P.S. I just read a science article today that says that people have been wrong about old people losing their memories. It turns out that we "old-fogies" just have so much accumulated info stashed away "upstairs" that it takes us longer to process new stuff. i.e., we're not as quick, but we're more profound (hehe).

I also read a few months back that scientists are getting close to being able to market something that will restore memory for older folks who do NOT suffer from Alzheimer's. They better hurry up; because my memory is NOT what it used to be. They wait too long; and I'll probably end up forgetting I wanted to take the stuff!!

Welcome, Pablo!

As far as polls go, currently there are none really going on besides the traditional best-of-the-year (2013) poll. However, starting in February, the best of the 1970s poll will begin. Here at AMF, we hold a best of a decade poll throughout the course of the year. Each month, we poll users for the best 15 songs and albums of each year in that decade, and then at the end of the year, we all rank the combined 150 albums and songs lists to get the top 150 for that decade. In February, we begin with 1970, of course. I am actually hosting that particular poll, along with 1971-74 in the following months, then Zorg will take over for me to complete the poll. You are entirely welcome to submit lists during the poll!

Hey JimmyJazz,
Thank you so much for the warm welcome and the info/invite about the 1970 poll. I'll try to participate in it.

[pablonovi]

Oh, I forgot to mention what might be the best convincer about my age. I was born and raised in New Jersey, not far from New York City. When my dad and I first started watching the TV together (mostly to see what few pro-basketball games were televised back then); even though we received "all the NYC TV stations, there were only 3 of them (!); and they went off at night, for about 8 hours; showing only "test patterns" instead (a series of concentric circles or colored horizontal bars.) People nowadays might not know that there was a time when TV was not even on all day long and that the number of channels was tiny.

I was probably very lucky there wasn't more TV available back then - I tend to addict to the TV (even if what I'm watching does NOT appeal to me!).

[pablonovi]

During this past decade, we've lived in Mexico. [...] All my adult life most of my close friends were/are Mexican/Mexican-American. Life in Mexico has been a total revelation n for me/us. In the small towns there's a saying, "Si te portas, te quieren; si te portas mal, te corren." "If you behave well, they love you; if you behave badly, they run you out of town." Because we give so much in all these places, the people have responded to us with just an outpouring of appreciation and love. We feel deeply privileged to be treated so warmly. It's kind of like a return to my hippy days from some 40-50 years ago; but amongst many thousands of friends now, rather than a few dozens (back then).

Sounds great! Your story, and the way you describe Mexico, reminded me of the Beats, especially Jack Kerouac. Have you read "On the Road"? I think you might like it.
Also your activism seems great! Now you have another friend in Mexico.
I hope to read you again, and welcome to the forum.

Hey Blanco,
I have NOT read "On the Road"; nor am familiar iirc with J.K. or the Beats. At first I thought you were referring to some guy that did a series called, "A Gringo In Mexico"; or something titled like that. I don't know much about it either; except that supposedly, this Gringo guy travels (travelled?) around Mexico, had a blast and reported about his adventures. If you don't mind, would you fill in a few more details about that book, author and group. (Can the book be downloaded and for free, off the net?)

Thanx for the compliment about the activism. There could hardly be a quicker/deeper way to learn about things. So many life-long, deeply-held beliefs/illusions were "forcibly expunged" in "the heat of battle". Tons of super-intense highs and lows, hard-fought victories and hard-suffered low-blows. What's the saying? "It ain't no dinner party"?

Thanx for your warm welcome.

[Henry]

Pablo - I will gladly give up the mantle of oldest in the forum. Hopefully, your story is authentic (I'm pretty sure the guy born in 1929 was putting us on) and we will be able to enjoy your participation in the 1970's polls this year.

Hey Henry,
Yes, my story is authentic. Pretty much my life's earliest memory is from 1955 when I was 6; my dad bought each of us (his kids) a radio.

Perhaps you will be in a better position than me to enjoy Bruce's discussion of the music he loves from the late 1950's based on your listening during those years.

My first listening to pop music started in about 1965, so I missed contemporaneous listening to a lot of the 1950's treasures that Bruce raves about.

[pablonovi]

Pablo - I will gladly give up the mantle of oldest in the forum. Hopefully, your story is authentic (I'm pretty sure the guy born in 1929 was putting us on) and we will be able to enjoy your participation in the 1970's polls this year.

Hey Henry,
Yes, my story is authentic. Pretty much my life's earliest memory is from 1955 when I was 6; my dad bought each of us (his kids) a radio.

Perhaps you will be in a better position than me to enjoy Bruce's discussion of the music he loves from the late 1950's based on your listening during those years.

My first listening to pop music started in about 1965, so I missed contemporaneous listening to a lot of the 1950's treasures that Bruce raves about.

Hey Henry,
It probably wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I spent more time listening to (& spending-$ on) Rock-N-Roll on that radio (and subsequent ones) than I spent doing anything else until I got married and had kids. Serious love-building and 20 years of serious child-raising forced a huge cut-back.

Got a specific link to Bruce's raves?

[Henry]

Hey Henry,
It probably wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I spent more time listening to (& spending-$ on) Rock-N-Roll on that radio (and subsequent ones) than I spent doing anything else until I got married and had kids. Serious love-building and 20 years of serious child-raising forced a huge cut-back.

Got a specific link to Bruce's raves?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1269

"viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1269'

[Romain]

Welcome to the AA (Acclaimed Anonymous).

Hello! My name is Romain.

"HELLO ROMAIN."

And I have a problem........ I love the guys here, they are all nice, I love music, so much music....but I can't communicate properly. I can write english like a beaver can fly.

"OOOH POOR ROMAIN".

[Rocky Raccoon]

I haven't really paid attention to this thread before, but I should have. There are some fascinating reads in here. As for me, I was born in 1972 in London and lived in the suburbs until I was 12 when I moved to Houston. Yes, it was quite a culture shock, but I adjusted quickly, as kids do. After stops in New Mexico and Las Vegas, I ended up in the Seattle area, where I live currently.
I think having lived in England and the U.S. has given me an appreciation and understanding of music from both sides of the Atlantic. Also, I was inundated with music from the '60s and '70s by listening to the albums of my mom and aunts while discovering music on my own from the mid-'80s forward. I think my first ever music list was just noodling on my middle school notebook in 1985. If I remember correctly, my five favorite bands in order at that time were: 1. Duran Duran, 2. Prince, 3. Huey Lewis and the News, 4. The Thompson Twins, 5. Twisted Sister. Hey, I was 13, it wasn't perfect.
Obviously I'm a big music fan, but also enjoy reading, movies and sports (watching and playing whenever possible). Mostly I read classic literature, history and sci-fi/fantasy. I'm pretty open to any sort of movie, as long as it's at least half-way good. My favorite sports include soccer (football), football (American football), basketball, baseball, golf, swimming and tennis.
I also enjoy writing, and have started my own business of children's stories that can be customized to individual children. Their name and physical characteristics are put into the story as the hero. They can also have a friend/family member along for the ride as a secondary character. I'm also in the process of writing a more adult-oriented fantasy novel. If anyone would like to see an early draft, let me know.
On the work side of things I'm currently a photo editor for Microsoft, which I enjoy well enough. Before working for Microsoft I was employed at a newspaper for 13 years doing everything from page design to photo editing to writing to story editing. It was a pretty good job, and it's where I met my wife, so I can't complain.
Speaking of my wife, last year I tried an experiment where I gave her a bunch of CD's I burned from the music I had listened to released in 2013. I had her give each a grade, and at the end of the year she made a top 20 list we had fun comparing to mine. I don't think she really wanted to do it at first, but she enjoyed it in the end and wants to do it again this year. Looking forward to 2014.

[Henry]

IObviously I'm a big music fan, but also enjoy reading, movies and sports (watching and playing whenever possible). Mostly I read classic literature, history and sci-fi/fantasy. I'm pretty open to any sort of movie, as long as it's at least half-way good. My favorite sports include soccer (football), football (American football), basketball, baseball, golf, swimming and tennis.

Thanks for sharing your story. Seattle is lovely.

I'm sure that we'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss our mutual enjoyment of Huey Lewis and other guilty pleasures.

As a Stanford and 49er fan (like Huey Lewis), I would like to get your take on Richard Sherman, if you have any.

As a patent attorney whose company has crossed swords with Microsoft a few times, I am interested in understanding your view (if you have one) of Microsoft's evolving view of patent monetization.

[Chris K.]

Hi guys, I'm another Chris. I'm 33, I was born and raised in LA. I can't remember when I started participating on the forum but it was probably around 2005. One thing was for sure, AM and the AM Forum were a dream come true! I'm obsessed with music, so bear with my bio, it maybe a little predictable. I'm happiest when I'm spending most of my time on music related things. I regularly contribute to Treble, I sing and play guitar and synth in a band called Historian (it's electronic-y space rock) and I work for a fledgeling record label (Gazelle Recordings). I listen to a lot of the expected favorites-- tending towards 'indie rock'-- but I'm especially partial to music that's a bit ethereal or spacey. I love reading about things that make my head spin like politics, history and philosophy. I've been married for about 4 years and that's awesome.

[Rocky Raccoon]

IObviously I'm a big music fan, but also enjoy reading, movies and sports (watching and playing whenever possible). Mostly I read classic literature, history and sci-fi/fantasy. I'm pretty open to any sort of movie, as long as it's at least half-way good. My favorite sports include soccer (football), football (American football), basketball, baseball, golf, swimming and tennis.

Thanks for sharing your story. Seattle is lovely.

I'm sure that we'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss our mutual enjoyment of Huey Lewis and other guilty pleasures.

As a Stanford and 49er fan (like Huey Lewis), I would like to get your take on Richard Sherman, if you have any.

As a patent attorney whose company has crossed swords with Microsoft a few times, I am interested in understanding your view (if you have one) of Microsoft's evolving view of patent monetization.

I like Richard Sherman, although I do think he crosses the line into classlessness on occasion, the end of the NFC Championship being one occasion. He's one of those players you like when he's on your team and hate when he's on the other team. I'm actually a Miami Dolphins fans first, but I support Seattle as my second favorite team. He's a smart guy, Stanford grad, as I'm sure you know. He's refreshingly open at a time when most sports personalities are so guarded. I also do think that some part of the criticism sent his way is veiled racism.

As for Microsoft, I don't know too much about that, it's really not my department. That being said, I do think they strive for a high business ethical code. To continue working for them, I have to take annual online seminars dealing with workplace ethics, business morals and copyright issues, and then I have to pass a test to show I paid attention and understood the seminars.

[JimmyJazz]

IObviously I'm a big music fan, but also enjoy reading, movies and sports (watching and playing whenever possible). Mostly I read classic literature, history and sci-fi/fantasy. I'm pretty open to any sort of movie, as long as it's at least half-way good. My favorite sports include soccer (football), football (American football), basketball, baseball, golf, swimming and tennis.

Thanks for sharing your story. Seattle is lovely.

I'm sure that we'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss our mutual enjoyment of Huey Lewis and other guilty pleasures.

As a Stanford and 49er fan (like Huey Lewis), I would like to get your take on Richard Sherman, if you have any.

As a patent attorney whose company has crossed swords with Microsoft a few times, I am interested in understanding your view (if you have one) of Microsoft's evolving view of patent monetization.

I like Richard Sherman, although I do think he crosses the line into classlessness on occasion, the end of the NFC Championship being one occasion. He's one of those players you like when he's on your team and hate when he's on the other team. I'm actually a Miami Dolphins fans first, but I support Seattle as my second favorite team. He's a smart guy, Stanford grad, as I'm sure you know. He's refreshingly open at a time when most sports personalities are so guarded. I also do think that some part of the criticism sent his way is veiled racism.

As for Microsoft, I don't know too much about that, it's really not my department. That being said, I do think they strive for a high business ethical code. To continue working for them, I have to take annual online seminars dealing with workplace ethics, business morals and copyright issues, and then I have to pass a test to show I paid attention and understood the seminars.

I'm not so sure the criticism is racist in nature. He was just being an asshole, and the criticism of his behavior was entirely deserved, regardless of his race. If anybody acted as immaturely as he did, regardless of their race, I would criticize his behavior. I don't really follow football (or most sports in general), but the cockiness of these athletes as of late I find really irritating and obnoxious. I don't really see the guardedness you see in sports athletes at all. BTW, I'm not trying to stir up anything, and you are entitled to your opinion, but I was just offering my own view on his situation, as well as the sports culture here in the US in general.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Thanks for sharing your story. Seattle is lovely.

I'm sure that we'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss our mutual enjoyment of Huey Lewis and other guilty pleasures.

As a Stanford and 49er fan (like Huey Lewis), I would like to get your take on Richard Sherman, if you have any.

As a patent attorney whose company has crossed swords with Microsoft a few times, I am interested in understanding your view (if you have one) of Microsoft's evolving view of patent monetization.

I like Richard Sherman, although I do think he crosses the line into classlessness on occasion, the end of the NFC Championship being one occasion. He's one of those players you like when he's on your team and hate when he's on the other team. I'm actually a Miami Dolphins fans first, but I support Seattle as my second favorite team. He's a smart guy, Stanford grad, as I'm sure you know. He's refreshingly open at a time when most sports personalities are so guarded. I also do think that some part of the criticism sent his way is veiled racism.

As for Microsoft, I don't know too much about that, it's really not my department. That being said, I do think they strive for a high business ethical code. To continue working for them, I have to take annual online seminars dealing with workplace ethics, business morals and copyright issues, and then I have to pass a test to show I paid attention and understood the seminars.

I'm not so sure the criticism is racist in nature. He was just being an asshole, and the criticism of his behavior was entirely deserved, regardless of his race. If anybody acted as immaturely as he did, regardless of their race, I would criticize his behavior. I don't really follow football (or most sports in general), but the cockiness of these athletes as of late I find really irritating and obnoxious. I don't really see the guardedness you see in sports athletes at all. BTW, I'm not trying to stir up anything, and you are entitled to your opinion, but I was just offering my own view on his situation, as well as the sports culture here in the US in general.

First, I’d like to apologize to Nicolas for this thread getting slightly hijacked, and hopefully after this we can return to our normally scheduled programming. Secondly, I’ll apologize in advance if this is taken the wrong way, or if any offense is taken, that is certainly not my goal, but I just want to give a thoughtful, honest response to this post.

I did find it a little head-scratching that by your own admission you “don’t really follow football (or most sports in general),” but then proceed to state wide-sweeping generalizations about sports. It would be as if I posted on this site that I don’t really follow rock music (or most music in general), but Chumbawamba is by far the best group of all time.

As far as saying modern athletes are guarded, I was referring to comments made in interviews and not so much behavior during or after games. Sorry if I was unclear in this. I worked at a newspaper for 13 years, and much of that time was spent in the sports department. Trust me, there’s not many things sports journalists bemoan more than the lack of interesting quotes from modern athletes. Most sports personalities today like to control the public image they project. Most interviews are one cliché after another where the athlete is toeing the company line and doesn’t want to say anything out of place. Of course there are exceptions, and when there are they tend to get blown out of proportion for this very reason.

Coming from someone who does follow sports, enjoys reading about the history of sports, and as I mentioned worked in a newspaper sports department for a number of years, I have to say there isn’t any elevation in the arrogance or cockiness of modern athletes. What has changed over the years is our level of exposure to it. We live in a 24-hour news cycle world where nothing escapes our attention. I have about 10 channels at home that cover only sports, not to mention the amount of time networks and other cable channels dedicate to sports. Throw in the internet and other forms of media, it’s unavoidable. If this had been available for the entirety of the last century, we would have seen the same exact behavior of athletes through the years.

Probably since the time two cavemen had a competition to see who could through a rock the farthest, there has been cockiness in sports. But seriously, and using real life examples of athletes who displayed arrogance, cockiness or even other types of “bad behavior/poor sportsmanship” on and off the field of play, you can go all the way back to Jack Johnson and Ty Cobb to see evidence of this. More recent examples, but still last century, would be the brattish behavior of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in tennis, the showboating style of playing and celebrating of Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin in football, and in basketball the trash talking and arrogance of the likes of Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, etc., etc. Just scratching the surface here.

As for the other issue, and the more important issue, of whether the criticism of Richard Sherman is racist in nature, first go back and read what I said: “Some part of the criticism … is veiled racism.” “SOME” of the criticism, obviously not all or even most. I criticized him myself for some of his behavior. He has since sincerely apologized for some of his behavior, which was the appropriate thing to do. But there are certain ways he’s portrayed, and certain words that are used in some of the criticism that is veiled, or at the very least subconscious racism. To deny that would be like denying racism still exists in America. That would be the greatest denial of all.

We live in a country where Redskins is still an acceptable name for a professional sports franchise. Redskins is clearly a pejorative term used to describe a race of people, yet here in 2014 U.S.A. it’s still prominently in use. The argument that it’s honoring Native Americans is obviously ridiculous. It would be as if a team named itself the San Francisco Yellowmen and justified it by saying they were just honoring the Chinese who worked on the railroad that brought commerce out west.

Here are a couple of youtube clips regarding Richard Sherman that may be of interest. The first is him at a news conference answering questions regarding these topics, and the second is a conversation about it. The first couple of minutes of the second interview is all that’s really pertinent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPSiOCC8nvc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOsNEs5zQJg

[Listyguy]

I also read a few months back that scientists are getting close to being able to market something that will restore memory for older folks who do NOT suffer from Alzheimer's. They better hurry up; because my memory is NOT what it used to be. They wait too long; and I'll probably end up forgetting I wanted to take the stuff!!

Funny you should bring this up...where I live in New York, there's been some research done that shows listening to familiar music (childhood/teenage favorites) helps Alzheimer's patients recall things better. I don't know if it has any implications on the general population though.

[JimmyJazz]

First, I’d like to apologize to Nicolas for this thread getting slightly hijacked, and hopefully after this we can return to our normally scheduled programming. Secondly, I’ll apologize in advance if this is taken the wrong way, or if any offense is taken, that is certainly not my goal, but I just want to give a thoughtful, honest response to this post.

I did find it a little head-scratching that by your own admission you “don’t really follow football (or most sports in general),” but then proceed to state wide-sweeping generalizations about sports. It would be as if I posted on this site that I don’t really follow rock music (or most music in general), but Chumbawamba is by far the best group of all time.

As far as saying modern athletes are guarded, I was referring to comments made in interviews and not so much behavior during or after games. Sorry if I was unclear in this. I worked at a newspaper for 13 years, and much of that time was spent in the sports department. Trust me, there’s not many things sports journalists bemoan more than the lack of interesting quotes from modern athletes. Most sports personalities today like to control the public image they project. Most interviews are one cliché after another where the athlete is toeing the company line and doesn’t want to say anything out of place. Of course there are exceptions, and when there are they tend to get blown out of proportion for this very reason.

Coming from someone who does follow sports, enjoys reading about the history of sports, and as I mentioned worked in a newspaper sports department for a number of years, I have to say there isn’t any elevation in the arrogance or cockiness of modern athletes. What has changed over the years is our level of exposure to it. We live in a 24-hour news cycle world where nothing escapes our attention. I have about 10 channels at home that cover only sports, not to mention the amount of time networks and other cable channels dedicate to sports. Throw in the internet and other forms of media, it’s unavoidable. If this had been available for the entirety of the last century, we would have seen the same exact behavior of athletes through the years.

Probably since the time two cavemen had a competition to see who could through a rock the farthest, there has been cockiness in sports. But seriously, and using real life examples of athletes who displayed arrogance, cockiness or even other types of “bad behavior/poor sportsmanship” on and off the field of play, you can go all the way back to Jack Johnson and Ty Cobb to see evidence of this. More recent examples, but still last century, would be the brattish behavior of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in tennis, the showboating style of playing and celebrating of Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin in football, and in basketball the trash talking and arrogance of the likes of Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, etc., etc. Just scratching the surface here.

As for the other issue, and the more important issue, of whether the criticism of Richard Sherman is racist in nature, first go back and read what I said: “Some part of the criticism … is veiled racism.” “SOME” of the criticism, obviously not all or even most. I criticized him myself for some of his behavior. He has since sincerely apologized for some of his behavior, which was the appropriate thing to do. But there are certain ways he’s portrayed, and certain words that are used in some of the criticism that is veiled, or at the very least subconscious racism. To deny that would be like denying racism still exists in America. That would be the greatest denial of all.

We live in a country where Redskins is still an acceptable name for a professional sports franchise. Redskins is clearly a pejorative term used to describe a race of people, yet here in 2014 U.S.A. it’s still prominently in use. The argument that it’s honoring Native Americans is obviously ridiculous. It would be as if a team named itself the San Francisco Yellowmen and justified it by saying they were just honoring the Chinese who worked on the railroad that brought commerce out west.

Here are a couple of youtube clips regarding Richard Sherman that may be of interest. The first is him at a news conference answering questions regarding these topics, and the second is a conversation about it. The first couple of minutes of the second interview is all that’s really pertinent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPSiOCC8nvc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOsNEs5zQJg

I sincerely apologize if I came off offensively. I have seen a few interviews with the man after the incident, and he does indeed come off as a much nicer and more affable (as well as articulate) man than he seemed in that incident, or when even compared to other athletes, in his sport or elsewhere. Regarding the athletes and their cockiness, you are probably right about the media exposure today which I didn't consider. I really don't follow sports that much, but you sometimes see sensational quotes or statements (sometimes not even having anything to do with the sport itself) in the headlines from all sorts of athletes in various sports, and it can irk you heavily. Just like with celebrity culture today in general, it can be tiresome, with the overexposure and the narcissism. I'm not naive, and I know privately it has always existed, but I find it quite aggravating at times.

I also am not denying that racism does NOT exist in this country anymore, or in any country generally speaking. For heaven's sake, people get into a disgusting uproar over a freakin' Cheerios commercial depicting a multiracial family. I also absolutely agree with you about the Redskins name. It is completely unacceptable in this day and age to have such an offensive term (and mascot) exist in a major, professional sports organization. I also think it is quite hypocritical how, if it was any other race at this point, offensive terms couldn't (and obviously shouldn't) be used for any new teams that possibly sprouted up, yet the name of that team still remains.

[Rocky Raccoon]

First, I’d like to apologize to Nicolas for this thread getting slightly hijacked, and hopefully after this we can return to our normally scheduled programming. Secondly, I’ll apologize in advance if this is taken the wrong way, or if any offense is taken, that is certainly not my goal, but I just want to give a thoughtful, honest response to this post.

I did find it a little head-scratching that by your own admission you “don’t really follow football (or most sports in general),” but then proceed to state wide-sweeping generalizations about sports. It would be as if I posted on this site that I don’t really follow rock music (or most music in general), but Chumbawamba is by far the best group of all time.

As far as saying modern athletes are guarded, I was referring to comments made in interviews and not so much behavior during or after games. Sorry if I was unclear in this. I worked at a newspaper for 13 years, and much of that time was spent in the sports department. Trust me, there’s not many things sports journalists bemoan more than the lack of interesting quotes from modern athletes. Most sports personalities today like to control the public image they project. Most interviews are one cliché after another where the athlete is toeing the company line and doesn’t want to say anything out of place. Of course there are exceptions, and when there are they tend to get blown out of proportion for this very reason.

Coming from someone who does follow sports, enjoys reading about the history of sports, and as I mentioned worked in a newspaper sports department for a number of years, I have to say there isn’t any elevation in the arrogance or cockiness of modern athletes. What has changed over the years is our level of exposure to it. We live in a 24-hour news cycle world where nothing escapes our attention. I have about 10 channels at home that cover only sports, not to mention the amount of time networks and other cable channels dedicate to sports. Throw in the internet and other forms of media, it’s unavoidable. If this had been available for the entirety of the last century, we would have seen the same exact behavior of athletes through the years.

Probably since the time two cavemen had a competition to see who could through a rock the farthest, there has been cockiness in sports. But seriously, and using real life examples of athletes who displayed arrogance, cockiness or even other types of “bad behavior/poor sportsmanship” on and off the field of play, you can go all the way back to Jack Johnson and Ty Cobb to see evidence of this. More recent examples, but still last century, would be the brattish behavior of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in tennis, the showboating style of playing and celebrating of Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin in football, and in basketball the trash talking and arrogance of the likes of Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, etc., etc. Just scratching the surface here.

As for the other issue, and the more important issue, of whether the criticism of Richard Sherman is racist in nature, first go back and read what I said: “Some part of the criticism … is veiled racism.” “SOME” of the criticism, obviously not all or even most. I criticized him myself for some of his behavior. He has since sincerely apologized for some of his behavior, which was the appropriate thing to do. But there are certain ways he’s portrayed, and certain words that are used in some of the criticism that is veiled, or at the very least subconscious racism. To deny that would be like denying racism still exists in America. That would be the greatest denial of all.

We live in a country where Redskins is still an acceptable name for a professional sports franchise. Redskins is clearly a pejorative term used to describe a race of people, yet here in 2014 U.S.A. it’s still prominently in use. The argument that it’s honoring Native Americans is obviously ridiculous. It would be as if a team named itself the San Francisco Yellowmen and justified it by saying they were just honoring the Chinese who worked on the railroad that brought commerce out west.

Here are a couple of youtube clips regarding Richard Sherman that may be of interest. The first is him at a news conference answering questions regarding these topics, and the second is a conversation about it. The first couple of minutes of the second interview is all that’s really pertinent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPSiOCC8nvc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOsNEs5zQJg

I sincerely apologize if I came off offensively. I have seen a few interviews with the man after the incident, and he does indeed come off as a much nicer and more affable (as well as articulate) man than he seemed in that incident, or when even compared to other athletes, in his sport or elsewhere. Regarding the athletes and their cockiness, you are probably right about the media exposure today which I didn't consider. I really don't follow sports that much, but you sometimes see sensational quotes or statements (sometimes not even having anything to do with the sport itself) in the headlines from all sorts of athletes in various sports, and it can irk you heavily. Just like with celebrity culture today in general, it can be tiresome, with the overexposure and the narcissism. I'm not naive, and I know privately it has always existed, but I find it quite aggravating at times.

I also am not denying that racism does NOT exist in this country anymore, or in any country generally speaking. For heaven's sake, people get into a disgusting uproar over a freakin' Cheerios commercial depicting a multiracial family. I also absolutely agree with you about the Redskins name. It is completely unacceptable in this day and age to have such an offensive term (and mascot) exist in a major, professional sports organization. I also think it is quite hypocritical how, if it was any other race at this point, offensive terms couldn't (and obviously shouldn't) be used for any new teams that possibly sprouted up, yet the name of that team still remains.

It's all good, no need for an apology. Thanks for your careful and thoughtful consideration of my post. Your response just confirms what makes this forum one of the best I've ever encountered: It's the people!

[pablonovi]

I also read a few months back that scientists are getting close to being able to market something that will restore memory for older folks who do NOT suffer from Alzheimer's. They better hurry up; because my memory is NOT what it used to be. They wait too long; and I'll probably end up forgetting I wanted to take the stuff!!

Funny you should bring this up...where I live in New York, there's been some research done that shows listening to familiar music (childhood/teenage favorites) helps Alzheimer's patients recall things better. I don't know if it has any implications on the general population though.

Hey Listguy,
"Funny you should bring this up..." (quoting you back to yourself).

I say this because I haven't visited/posted in awhile. And almost the first thing I run across when I get "back" is/are Bruce's Top 100 Rock LPs from 1960-1979. Just reading his lists of albums is helping me "recall things better." I did such heavy listening (and LP buying) in exactly that entire period that seeing the LP names "paints" pictures of scenes from my life back then. Too cool

P.S. I was born and raised in N.J. (not all that far from NYC).

"I don't know if it has any implications on ..." whether I've got Alzheimer's or not (hehe).

[PlasticRam]

Edited post a little. Not with my gf anymore. Life is fine.

When it comes to music, I have always liked the Beatles. In my childhood that was actually the one band that I thought all songs were great, other artists I thought might have one or two great songs. Well, also there was ABBA, Beach Boys and Elvis best of collections that I liked very much. Then in like 2011 or something I discovered this site and it really opened my eyes that artists like Bob Dylan, Otis Redding and Radiohead do great music too. I started listening to the highly rated stuff and liked at least 80% of it. So a big thank you to Henrik for this site! And this is a great community as other people have already pointed out, people are a lot less nice for ex. at poker forums that I read. So thank you to all other people here too.

Also I wanna bring up Kanye. My gf absolutely hates the person, and the music too to less extent. And that drives me crazy, cos I like his music very much, and the person too to some extent. The situation is unbearable, she actually FORBIDS me to listen to his music, and we have weekly arguments about him. Like that's really unfair, right? Forbidding. She just hates the person so much, she has said that Kim is number one on her kill list, Kanye is number two. She's not joking that she would like to, but obv she wouldn't do it. I really hope she doesn't read this message though... I just needed to get this off my chest. I'm gonna make a quite bold prediction and say Kanye's next album gets 10.0 from Pitchfork. Kanye too in particular was one of the artists that I thought made crap music before discovering this site. I just never really gave any new artists a chance, I was just like Beatles are the best, period.

Edit: Just to clarify, I still am like Beatles are the best, but it's closer than I thought.

[JimmyJazz]

Well, I honestly really can't stand Kim or the other Kardashians at all, and Kanye's personality quite bugs me, though I think he is quite talented (not my favorite artist by any means, though). So, I can somewhat understand your GFs feelings to be honest, though obviously "kill" is rather extreme reaction. Honestly though, my advice is, and this is leading back to that one thread from before: would you stake your whole relationship on the fact that your partner really hates one particular artist? Do you have that much of an incentive in the artist that is more important than your relationship? Do you love the artist, who you've never met, more than your GF? Also, why does your GF really hate Kanye specifically? Obviously, "forbidding" is pretty over the top, though, and it sounds like your GF is kind of controlling you to an extent as well. Hard decisions, man...

So, there is my little bit of relationship advice on the AMF

[PlasticRam]

Well, I honestly really can't stand Kim or the other Kardashians at all, and Kanye's personality quite bugs me, though I think he is quite talented (not my favorite artist by any means, though). So, I can somewhat understand your GFs feelings to be honest, though obviously "kill" is rather extreme reaction. Honestly though, my advice is, and this is leading back to that one thread from before: would you stake your whole relationship on the fact that your partner really hates one particular artist? Do you have that much of an incentive in the artist that is more important than your relationship? Do you love the artist, who you've never met, more than your GF? Also, why does your GF really hate Kanye specifically? Obviously, "forbidding" is pretty over the top, though, and it sounds like your GF is kind of controlling you to an extent as well. Hard decisions, man...

So, there is my little bit of relationship advice on the AMF

Yeah I think like I just am gonna put my foot down and say to her "hey I'm gonna listen to Kanye's new album whether you like it or not" and see what happens. I obv wanna stay with her. Kardashians are retarded obv, really wasn't the wisest decision from Kanye to hook up with Kim. Specifically my gf hates Kanye cos she thinks he's an idiot (which he is and he isn't in in my opinion), she doesn't like the music at all, and she hated Kim really much already before Kanye got together with her. But yeah anyway thanks for the advice, hopefully things will just work out, like I think this was already pretty good therapy, talking how I feel about the situation.

Edit: And I just confronted her about the situation and she still was like super mad, but we kind of reached consensus that I can listen to Kanye while she's out of the house, which should be totally fine to a NORMAL person. I really hope she doesn't read this...

[Jirin]

Can't you just, like, wear headphones when you listen to music she doesn't like?

[PlasticRam]

Can't you just, like, wear headphones when you listen to music she doesn't like?

Well that would technically be cheating! She doesn't like me listening to his music even when she's not hearing. Other stuff like Beefheart is okay cos she doesn't literally wanna kill him.

Edit: Lol sorry... RIP. Seriously a great man. I like his art too, if I was a millionaire, I would buy one of his paintings and hang it up on the wall, but then again my gf would in that case break up with me, so okay like I won't. She doesn't like sonic paintings either.

Edir: Just as a last thing, she is coming out really bad as a gf in this thread, but all other things except this she's a great person. And just see Beefheart's paintings (Don Van Vliet) online, I can totally understand her on that. Ending this oversharing now.

Edit: Fixed my mistake, first I wrote even when she's hearing... getting angry again about the whole situation, she just drives me nuts! Gonna listen to Late Registration now cos she's gone and we reached that consensus that I can do that, but she's mad about it. Here's my list of greatest albums of all time if anyone's interested:

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/galfond/a ... st_albums/

So the cat is out of the bag now that Kanye's my 2nd fav artist of all time and Yeezus is my #3 album of all time. It's out of the bag in the case that she reads these posts that is. Anyway, any comments are welcome about my list.

Edit: Also I hope I'm not coming out as an idiot or something in this thread. I might have Asperger's, I just get hung up on things, idk.

[Nick]

Forbidding you from listening to a favorite artist, even with headphones on? Well that's a red flag if I've ever heard of one.

Play "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and "The College Dropout" for her. Maybe she'll change her mind. I get the feeling that 99% of the people who hate him could only name about 3 songs by him.

[JimmyJazz]

Forbidding you from listening to a favorite artist, even with headphones on? Well that's a red flag if I've ever heard of one.

Play "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and "The College Dropout" for her. Maybe she'll change her mind. I get the feeling that 99% of the people who hate him could only name about 3 songs by him.

Honestly, a lot the people who I know (as well as myself) complain about his obnoxious personality, and not really his music itself, which like I said, I do respect. Because of just how much media attention he gets compared to other artists (even compared to the most popular of contemporary pop artists i.e. say, Taylor Swift or Rihanna), it makes him an easier topic of derision. Of course, hooking up with a Kardashian, like PlasticRam said, was definitely a bad publicity and image move on his part. You also must understand the feelings of deep irritation, and even hostility, that can be mustered in a person when news of Kimye comes before the kidnapping of young girls in Nigeria in the average news headlines.

Regarding PlasticRam and the girlfriend: Not to sound rude, as I trust your words that your girlfriend is a generally nice person, but the fact that she won't even allow to listen to a favorite artist of yours with headphones, and that you liking an artist she doesn't like somehow poses a problem for her, is a little bit eyebrow raising in terms of love and relationships. If a person really loves you, they won't judge you for liking things that they don't like, they love and accept you for who you are. Just my advice, based on experiences and personal examples.

[PlasticRam]

Thanks for the support guys!

Forbidding you from listening to a favorite artist, even with headphones on? Well that's a red flag if I've ever heard of one.

Play "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and "The College Dropout" for her. Maybe she'll change her mind. I get the feeling that 99% of the people who hate him could only name about 3 songs by him.

I have played Dark Fantasy the song, she just doesn't like it. Also she has heard College Dropout stuff from radio in the past. It's understandable, he's certainly not for everyone. She knows something about his music, much due to our arguments, but I mean also her problem is that Kanye's lyrics are so tied to his personality and he's not the greatest lyricist (which I readily admit). Then when I point out that the production is awesome, she says that it's not awesome and he has a bunch of people producing and he just puts on a stamp, like Beyonce. Which obv is ignorant, he definitely has a team assisting him, but I think he's the greatest contributor. Like there's no way I'm gonna change her mind, even if his next album is gonna be the greatest album of all time, which I estimate there is a 10% likelihood that I (just personally) think so. But obv if it's really just meh, I will be disappointed and admit it's meh. It's just that I've heard nothing but good things about it, I'm more hyped than ever! But sorry, back in topic...

Honestly, a lot the people who I know (as well as myself) complain about his obnoxious personality, and not really his music itself, which like I said, I do respect. Because of just how much media attention he gets compared to other artists (even compared to the most popular of contemporary pop artists i.e. say, Taylor Swift or Rihanna), it makes him an easier topic of derision. Of course, hooking up with a Kardashian, like PlasticRam said, was definitely a bad publicity and image move on his part. You also must understand the feelings of deep irritation, and even hostility, that can be mustered in a person when news of Kimye comes before the kidnapping of young girls in Nigeria in the average news headlines.

Regarding PlasticRam and the girlfriend: Not to sound rude, as I trust your words that your girlfriend is a generally nice person, but the fact that she won't even allow to listen to a favorite artist of yours with headphones, and that you liking an artist she doesn't like somehow poses a problem for her, is a little bit eyebrow raising in terms of love and relationships. If a person really loves you, they won't judge you for liking things that they don't like, they love and accept you for who you are. Just my advice, based on experiences and personal examples.

Yeah she really generally is a nice person, she just can be very temperamental. This has been eyeopening for me, talking about this now. I think she loves me very much, but just imagine the odds, me very much liking a person that she hates literally the second most in the world. Just bad luck, like if Eminem was my fav artist, she would just be like: Eminem, ugh that's crap but okay.

But yeah I'm gonna have to think about our relationship. Really a mistake of sorts to talk about this online, she's gonna freak out if she sees this. But I didn't give my first name or city, there's no way anybody can know who me/she is. And like if she breaks up with me when she sees this, that just means that she didn't love me so much in the first place so it's okay. This whole conversation and revelation does make me too consider breaking up... So yeah idk, I'm gonna think about it. Just hey no-one has to worry about me, maybe it would be best to drop it here. I do consider myself a happy person with her. And I think she feels the same way. /topic