All right, Paul, I think this deserves a new thread. Confess! What music do you love and listen to alone but would rather die than admit it to others? You first!

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

Answers

I was going to say something about disco, but I really never listen to it unless my wife insists on tuning in on the radio every Saturday night - otherwise I'd never listen to it and certainly not alone.

Then I was going to say something about rap, but then I decided that didn't count because I'm not embarassed to like rap.

I grew up in a theatrical family and came to appreciate live theater in practically all forms. "Sunset Boulevard" is probably my favorite musical of all time, mostly because of the dark theme and tunes. I love that music, but I don't admit it to anyone because of the stigma attached to men who like Broadway musicals. Suffice it to say that cliche is not true about me and let's not even get started down that road. I just like the music, OK?

Whoa, defensive much? :-P Alright, I took my turn. Someone else step up!

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

I'm not really ashamed to admit it because all cool realize the camp value of Tom Jones. I've never seen him in concert and don't really desire to. I only have one CD but I may have to change that because his over-the-top "Sex Bomb" version that Grosse Pointe uses as the opening song, kills me.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

Maggie! Wait! A recent survey reveals that Tom Jones only had camp value when he was UNpopular. Now that he's apparently popular again, his camp value (as measured by the universally-accepted Camp Credibility Index*) has collapsed. Having briefly enjoyed sky-high CCI ratings in the mid-90's, Jones now has almost NO camp value whatsoever - and is, in fact, rated lower than Billy Joel and Bryan Adams, two of the most resolutely un-camp musicians of all time. But Jones' spectacular fall from the heights of the CCI league does give him one dubious claim to fame: next to Madonna, Tom Jones now has the most volatile camp rating of any pop music celeb.

*The Camp Credibility Index, developed by a team from Manchester University in 1988, uses a variety of qualitative and quantitative factors to construct a campness matrix. The matrix is then adjusted to take the mood of the public into account, before running a Monte Carlo simulation to arrive at the final score. At times of relatively restrictive government, for example, aging stars tend to score more highly on the CCI, while in times of liberal politics, youthful stars will enjoy a better rating.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

i really lick me some barrie manelow. itlove his voice!!!! and billy ray cirus have you herd his new cd??? its all most as good as kathie lees!!!!

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2000

I'm not ashamed to admit to anything but I know that my S.O. would rather die then be around when I pull out the Styx albums. that or Boston...

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2000

I'll answer for my husband. It's Scritti Politti. I just don't understand his facination with tinkly cocktail music and Green's overly breathy voice.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2000

Um... um... I don't know. I'm not ashamed of The Cardigans or disco, so I don't know what else I can say. Oh, wait -- I have an old Slaughter cassette. I haven't listened to it in years, but I can't bring myself to get rid of it, either.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2000

I thought about this for a long time because I honestly didn't think there was something I listed to and was ashamed of. Then I remembered, when I was in college I had a Thrilla tape by Mikie Jackson that I liked to listen to while driving that all by friends would see and go: "Mikeeee Jackson!" like they'd caught me with a lingerie catalog for farm animals or something. I don't know where it is now, though, and haven't heard it in years.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I finally overcame my shame of music. I refuse to be ashamed. I refused to be ashamed when I was the only one I knew who still LOVED Duran and a-ha (and laughed scornfully when the Unfaithful came crawling back). I'm not ashamed of singing along to the Carpenters or Disney cds. I'm not ashamed of my Teen Poo collection. Nor my Kitschy Cocktail/Lounge Music. Nor my Eccentric Blues stuff. Nor my Gram's Ima Sumac and Annette Funicello albums. Nor my Strange Krimma Music stuff. Nor my 60s-

Y'all get the picture.

Actually, I still cringe with shame when I remember that, 10-12 years ago, I owned TWO Kenny G albums. And thought he was "pretty" music. Uch, uch, UCH! :)

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

Dwanollah, I've been meaning to tell you: the guy who's the lead singer in what is apparently the UK's premiere Duran Duran tribute band (D-ran D-ran, I believe it's spelt) lives up the road from me. He hosts huge Duran Duran conventions every year and everything. My husband's workmate's son is the drummer.

My husband mercilessly makes fun of a lot of my music, so I'm overly- sensitive to the point where I'll hide some of the CDs I buy just so I don't have to listen to him laugh at me. I used to listen to a lot of rap music before I met him, but the only rap he likes is stuff from the 80's and we all know how easy it is to take the mickey out of rappers these days, though Ian seems to think it's particularly clever of him to make fairly obvious comments. Whatever.

Like I said, I'm overly-sensitive about this.

I have a ton of country CDs that I listen to occasionally, because where I lived in Ohio there were pretty much ten country stations for every non-country station, and country music was everywhere. I enjoyed a lot of it. My ex-boyfriend burned three CDs of my favourite country songs from a bunch of different bands and singers, and those are the only things I refused to give back to him when we broke up. (He's English and likes country music, though he would rather die than admit it, because he always goes to Moby gigs and other indie shows.) They remind me of home.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

Ooh, really? Several of my pals have heard them, and attended the convention you mentioned. I never have though... but SOMEDAY I'll get to Brum! SOMEDAY!

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I'll totally get you VIP passes to the backstage area. Heh.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I totally dig Britney Spears. A lot.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

I'm not ashamed at my overwhelming love for Loretta Lynn, I think it goes along naturally with my adoration of Patsy Cline and I'm not sure why it's cool to say how "influenced" you are by Patsy, but not Loretta. If you have never sung "Yeah, I'm proud to be a coal miner's daughter" at the top of your lungs while driving slowly up a road surrounded by uber-trendy college kids, you just haven't lived.

But I am a little red-faced to admit how much I enjoy "Living la Vida Loca". I don't *want* to move my shoulders and bop around the car like a 12 year old on speed, but the music is so powerful...it overwhelms me. That Ricky Martin, who can resist his sultry good looks and his cheery demeanor? That perky latin beat, those tight leather pants...He is truly the Antichrist.

I am also embarrassed that I spent hours upon hours of teenage-hood listening to Morrissey whine and bitch and moan about how hard it is to be Morrissey. I worshipped him and related to every depressing word-believed that he understood my 15-year-old-girl pain. Now that I am an adult, I am desperately trying to remember what exactly it was that he had to be so damn sad about. AND I believed him when he said he was celibate. Gullible? maybe a little....

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Robyn, I am with you for two out of three (and I can't say I like Loretta Lynn only because I haven't listened to her much. ) When I was in my prime for listening to teen pop, I shunned bands like New Kids on the Block and felt smug and superior for listening to The Smiths, The Cure, etc. because, well, being tortured meant that you had depth, right? (It made sense when I was 15.) Now I own not one but TWO Backstreet Boys' albums, and the cas-single for "Livin' la Vida Loca". That's right. My name is Elena and I like boy bands!

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

I prefer "Shake Your Bon-Bon".

And I didn't listen to Morissey much, but I assumed from the lyrics to his radio hits that he was angst-ridden because his unrequited love wouldn't ever meet him inside the closet. Or outside.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Not really ashamed of anything I own that I bought myself. There are some albums I own that were gifts, however, and those are pretty bad. Like, the entire "Black Sabbath" collection (or so I presume). (D00D! 022Y R00L2!)

I suppose the stuff I get the most crap for would be the few funk CDs/LPs I own. And the "Just Can't Get Enough" 80's collection. (After 15 CDs, though, apparently they DID finally get enough.) I may have a disco CD or two lurking about, too. Ooh! The Sweet! Worst lyrics EVER!! "Wig Wam Bam"? Egads. I feel my IQ shrinking when I listen to their earlier stuff. (But D00D, they rawk! Love IS like oxygen!) And they had such mulletude. *hee*

I'm too much of a packrat to give away vinyl I'm given. I get given a LOT of crappy unloved vinyl, too. That means I get given stuff like the aforementioned Black Sabbath collection that just sits and collects dust, but it also means I have albums that I haven't listened to yet because the cover art just doesn't send me...

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Hasn't Morrissey said that he considers himself asexual? Whatever, he's a parody of himself. (Anyone ever read the Mr Agreeable column in the old Melody Maker?)

I love Westlife. It's silly to have both their albums on mp3 on my hard drive; I'm totally buying the CDs.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Anybody ever hear of "The Sons of the Pioneers"? Hey they're great. I've got the entire set. On vinyl no less. The early stuff has Roy Rogers on it. Hey it's great stuff. Just like my Zamphir CD. James

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Anne Murray. I need help.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

James! I've got the Sons of the Pioneers on vinyl, too. No joke. Anyone who won't admit that "Cool Water" isn't some of the smoothest and best harmonizing ever is tone deaf.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

The big music love of my life is Tom Waits, and while he's definitly not to be ashamed of, nobody in my life can bear to hear his music. I also love Rickie Lee Jones. I suppose the only CD I am a bit embarassed about buying is the new Sade CD which is really gooey, but I felt that Skunk Anansie sort of equalled out the balance on that little shopping spree. Meanwhile everybody will listen to the Sade but balk at the Skunk...

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

I'm not really ashamed, but my husband and I have an "understanding" that we will not inflict our music on each other. Which means I don't have to listen to ABBA or goddamn #$&#$ Vivaldi, and he doesn't have to listen to The Specials or my "Tribute to Bob Wills" CD.

Fortunately, my kid is just as likely to request Bob Marley or The Dixie Chicks as she is her Disney tapes these days -- god help me when she's old enough for the Preteen Squealmakers.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Robyn, when I was 13 I had a boyfriend break up with me to be celibate like Morrissey. (Never mind that we had never even kissed....)

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

At 13, I don't think I had a single boyfriend who knew what "celibacy" meant. But they were all padlocking chains around their necks a la Sid Vicious. Funny, they all swore that they threw away the keys, but I don't remember anyone at graduation wearing the chain and padlock. I do remember one little guy who had the sense of humor to use a combination lock. I should have married him.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000