I remember listening to Blondie and the Beatles constantly whilst on



family holidays before I reached double figures in terms of years, and

I'm still very fond of both bands. Similarly, Ferry Cross the Mersey'

- my favourite song as small child, despite me thinking that the song

was all about a fairy - still holds a place close to me heart.

But from then on it all becomes more difficult. There really is no

definite theme that runs through my musical taste. It varies greatly

from extreme metal through hardcore punk, to electronica, briefly

crossing into acoustic and pop. I constantly carry thirty mini discs

with me wherever I go, most of which consist of two or more albums. I

find this a necessity as my choice of listening material can change a

number of times between getting on a bus, and getting off at the end

of a journey.

The only umbrella comment that I can make is that all of the music

that I am passionate about tends to be relatively obscure and, for the

most part, verging towards the more extreme and boundary stretching

areas of the genre. My favourite bands tend to blur these boundaries;

and that is why I believe that I like them.

Another element that plays a large role in my musical taste is my

moral stance. I'm straight edge - a lifestyle of abstinence with its

origins in hardcore punk - and as such, I gravitate towards bands that

follow this same lifestyle. Minor Threat is seen as the originators of

the scene; it was their song Straight Edge that gave the movement its

name. Others bands include Gorilla Biscuits (whose Start Today album

is credited as having inspired the majority of modern punk and

hardcore bands), Bad Brains, Quicksand, Fugazi and Rival Schools; all

of which have very unique and individual sounds, but still have the

common factor of a straight edge lifestyle.

Lyrically, I don't feel that I have a favourite form. I'm very much

interested by vocalists that use interesting and rhythmic ways of

delivering the lyrics, such as Daryl Palumbo and Brandon

Boyd (Incubus). By presenting the vocals in such a way that the

listener is invited to interpret them in their own way, the singer

draws them into the song.

I also find that a sense of humour is very important. I'm a big fan of

the Locust, partly because of their song titles, above all else (Pssst,

Is That a Halfie in Your Pants, Teenage Moustache, etc). Recently I

have also found myself drawn to bands such as Twisted Sister and Van

Halen, who existed almost as self-pastiches.