Fighting Fire with Music

In an effort to expose a more personal side of myself (no, not like that), and since my intellectual and creative mind seem to have dissipated in the face of SoCal’s current heat wave, I thought it time to indulge readers (and myself) in something not related to writing -- well, not entirely related.
Like many writers I require a musical feed when writing... it’s another layer to inspire creativity. At least that’s how it is for some people. For me, while it is that, it’s also a lifeline to the world and to myself. In my intro coaching session while having to (*groan*) talk about myself, I revealed that I am a human playlist maker, which was sort of an off-the-cuff remark at the time. However, the more I contemplated it, the more I found it really is a major part of what makes me ‘me.’
Stronger than all other obsessions in my life, music causes more of an intuitive, visceral response, and more than any other medium I feel the need to spread those feelings to other people. Embracing music and books/reading for me are basic human needs. I pretty much put both of them before useless things like socializing, paying bills, eating and putting gas in my car.
My natural knack for figuring people out in a very short span of time (usually), also bestows me with the ability to conjure music playlists for people that not only appeal to what they know they like, but bring out aspects of themselves and their musical tastes they didn’t know existed. Granted a bit of my selections tilt toward my favorite musical artists and styles (which is true of everyone who makes playlists for others), but I always try to choose songs and artists I feel will reach into the emotional guts of the other person and stir up a new cocktail they’ve never tried and make them crave that cocktail, because that’s what discovering new music does to me. Yeah, I’m a musical crack dealer (and no, I did not come up with that term for myself; it was bestowed on me years ago).
So as the weeks and months go by, expect a sprinkling of playlists to invade the rants, reviews and randomness. They’ll very in size, scope and reasoning and I’ll try to keep explanation length for each track manageable. And if you ever need a playlist for an event, a friend, yourself, or something your writing, consider me a musical consultant. There are a few musical styles I’m not into (hardcore rap & hip-hop, metal, and grunge to name a few), and my knowledge of folk, country, and world music in all-encompassing terms is limited. However, I’m keen to learn when it comes to music and the taste I do possess (which aides in the whole human playlist thing) is EXTREMELY eclectic. I’m a child of the 80s who grew up on music of the 50s & 60s, who embraced both the R&B and pop revolutions of the 90s while becoming involved in classical, choral and musical theatre, who eventually succumbed to her parents’ love of folk and Celtic music, who finds power, beauty, and value in rock, country, big band, film scores, euro-pop, and who is, admittedly one of the biggest advocates of ‘popular music’ from the 1920s through today you are likely to find.

Oh, and like with literature, movies, tv and pop culture, my musical passions exist in a Snob-Free Zone.


Playlist for this blog (a subsection of my Summer 2010 playlist):
Scissor Sisters - Fire with Fire
Ernie Halter - Gone
Pixie Lott - Gravity
Muse - Undisclosed Desires
Glee Cast - Over the Rainbow
The Beautiful South - Les Yeux Ouverts (Dream a Little Dream of Me)
Rosemary Clooney - Sway
John Farnham - You’re the Voice
Christian Kane - Let Me Go
The Turtles - Elenore
Otis Redding - These Arms of Mine