Music I Can't Stop Listening To

Being unemployed sucks.

Seriously. I'm stuck at home with nothing to do, no one to talk to, no money to do anything with, and nothing to watch on TV. No one is hiring, and everyone who is doesn't want someone who's just going to leave in three months. I've filled out more applications in the past two weeks than I did when I was applying to college, and have gotten exactly one interview out of it all. The result? The store was unexpectedly shut down.

I'm really starting to wonder if it's me.

The upshot to all this is that it's given me plenty of time to sit around and listen to music. The downside? The sheer amount of time I've had to do nothing but sit around listening to music has given me lots of time to get unbelievably addicted to music that I would, under normal circumstances, have absolutely no desire to listen to.

Now, my usual musical tastes are kind of...eclectic. I listen to all sorts of things, from Broadway, to classic rock, 80's pop (yes, I realize I wasn't born in the 80's, get over it) the occasional bit of metal, whatever Rufus Wainwright is, and some other stuff that iTunes is always classifying as "Alternative" When it really comes down to it, the only music I really don't like is country. There are even some rap songs I'll listen to before I'll listen to country.

That being said, there are some things that are just definitely not my style, even within the genres I just listed. Certain people will remember my rather vocal dislike of Hanson, for example. Though a lot of their newer music might be miles better than their "Mmbop" days, and some of it could even fit into the type of genres I typically listen to, there's just something about it that I'm just not into. I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just saying it's not something I'm into.

But, as has been proven by my music habits of late, I'm wondering if I still have musical tastes at all. It's not that I'm listening to bad music, some of it's generally seen as being quite good, it's just not stuff I would normally listen to when left on my own.

So what is all this music, then? Well, to be honest, it's not a lot. It's a pretty small playlist at the moment, currently titled "Things I Couldn't Picture Myself Listening To A Year Ago" But, at it stands at the moment, here's the list, and why I'm suddenly so addicted to it.

1.) Lady Gaga - You know! Lady Gaga! The one who's constantly telling you she wants to take a ride on your disco stick usually after having told you on the radio three songs earlier that she's bluffin' with her muffin. Yeah. Unbelievable innuendos aside though, Lady Gaga is actually a really talented person. She writes her own music, puts incredible effort into her work, and if you've ever listened to her live performances you'll know immediately that she can sing. Her crazy, trippy videos are weird and creepy, but are probably some of the most creative stuff in the music industry right now. I'll cite particularly her "Bad Romance" video which is disturbing and fascinating all at the same time. I especially like the shot of her surrounded in floating crystals, while the camera pans around her and everything is frozen in mid-air. It's hard to admit to people that you're a Lady Gaga fan, which is why I was probably hesitating to really sit down and listen to her. There's some sort of general opinion that if you like popular music - be it straight forward pop, pop rock, or anything you hear on Top 40 radio stations - that you have no taste in music. This is strange, because a lot of what is generally considered to be "good music" The Beatles, for example, was pop music. I have musical tastes, I like lots of good music, but I also like Lady Gaga. And you know what, I think she's good as well.

2.) Phantom: Love Never Dies - Now this I just hate. There's no excuse for this. At least Lady Gaga is original and exciting. This is just...well, it's this. It makes me angry in more ways than I can count. My friends and family have had to put up with me ranting about this for weeks now. It's like a bad fanfiction that you can't stop reading. You know it's bad. It's so bad it sends you into a rage that could quite possibly destroy every major city in the world, and yet you can't seem to get rid of it. It's always there. In the CD player of your car, in the music on your phone, the media player on your computer. It's ridiculous plot line and it's gorgeous but unoriginal music haunts your thoughts and your dreams until you're forced to scream to the heavens and listen to Gerard Butler in the movie version of the first musical just convince yourself there's something worse than this. It's that bad. And yet...I can't stop listening to it. I finally had to go away for three days and direct a girl scout camp in the middle of the woods just to stop myself. But, I'll get into this atrocity later. Trust me.

3.) Hollywood Undead - Ok, so I'm not exactly addicted to this. It was more "listened to an entire album on a particularly memorable car ride with resident best friend Casey" We found the Holy Grail! But that's irrelevant. Hollywood Undead is a really, really angry metal group who should really just sit down and watch "Suprise Kitty" on YouTube. I like metal, in part because some of it is actually good, but more because I find it kind of amusing. Just...it's so shouty ALL THE TIME. I realize the world can sometimes be a very dark and distressing place, but does that really mean you have to shout EVERY WORD YOU SAY TO EXPRESS YOUR RAGE? DO THESE BANDS NOT REALIZE THAT PIE MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER? MAYBE IF I SHOUTED IT THEY WOULD REALIZE THE GLORY THAT IS PIE! BUT SADLY, I AM PROBABLY MISTAKEN. PERHAPS I SHOULD SHOUT ABOUT IT!!!! So yeah, metal. Not my usual thing, but fun every once in a while. Apologies to all fans of hardcore metal out there. I'm sure it speaks to you deep in your soul. It just doesn't generally speak to mine.

And for the moment, that's really it. Three things I wouldn't normally catch myself listening to that, for some reason, while I'm bored and unemployed and sitting around feeling sorry for myself, seem to be keeping me from going insane. Except for Love Never Dies. I think that slowly is driving me to madness. But we'll get to that another day.

If anyone who reads this is hiring, please let me know. I'm smart, energetic, friendly, good with people, and am in good academic standing at a relatively well respected university. I can catch lobsters in tidepools, and can make snarky, observational remarks during movies and TV shows. I've been to Israel. I used to work at a Hardware Store, and can tell you the difference between a nut and a bolt.

Please hire me. Please.

Hope you're all having a good summer. I'm off to get some sleep, it's quarter to three. Has anyone noticed that I'm twice as more likely to actually post a Blog entry the later it gets in the night? Go figure?

Good Night,

*Nelly*