Musical Influence

I grew up with two brothers, one who is nine years older than me, and one who is seven years older, as well as my big sis who is ten years older than me. My brothers, especially, had a big impact on a lot of the music I grew up listening to. They introduced me to the Beatles, AC/DC, the B-52s, Devo, the Clash, Warren Zevon, the Dead Kennedys, Bow Wow Wow, Oingo Boingo, the Plasmatics, the Runaways, Blondie, the Suburbs, Queen, Gary Numan...the list goes on, but it was never just the usual pop shit you’d hear on the top 40’s stations.

They had a stereo in the basement, and they’d crank the volume way the hell up so that the whole house would vibrate with the music. You could be upstairs and feel the music in the dinner plates set out on the dining room table.

My brothers were like the crack dealers of music. Come on – just try a little taste of The Clash. That’s right, just a taste.

"Hey, that REM you sold me last time gave me cotton mouth."

My parents took me to musicals, like Bye Bye Birdie, The King & I, The Music Man, and West Side Story, and I’m thankful for those influences, too. Good to have such a wonderful introduction to a wide variety of music at an early age. I need to try harder to share that love with my own kids.

Who influenced your musical tastes?

* * * * * 

Visit My Amazon Page