First item: A study finds that empathic people like mellow music, and “systemizing” personalities — that is interest in understanding the rules underpinning systems — favor “intense music”.
Here’s the article about the study.
So now, when Dan asks why I listen to angry music (his term), I can say that I am interested in underpinning systems.
Dan is a psychologist, and a damn good one. Guess what kind of music he prefers.
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Second item: The other night in the car, Flora was switching radio stations around. We came across Nirvana’s “Come as You Are” and I made her leave it on. You would think I was driving bamboo shoots under her nails from her reaction.
After it was over, she lost no time in finding a country music station.
Man, I hate country music.
This is, of course, the nanny’s fault. She is a country fan. So part of Flora’s rebellion will take the form of listening to country, apparently.
What do you think? Should I limit the listening of country to her room? My rule in the car is that it has to be at least mutually tolerable. Country is not mutually tolerable.
Sorry, Kim. It’s just not.
But I’m not going to forbid it. I know how that ends.
What do you do when you are with someone whose taste in music is wildly divergent from yours?
Red Pen Mama 
Music is like politics. There has to be some sort of common ground. Alright, that may be a bit overdramatic, but somebody who is exclusively into heavy metal, particularly the kind where the singer growls and yells unintelligibly, probably won’t be married to somebody who lists Kenny G or Celine Dion among their favorite performers.
I think that study is a gross oversimplification. Apparently people like me who can listen to “angry” music as well as classical or mellow stuff must have ADD.
SQUIRREL!!!
I would agree that the study is simplified. I am sure they were just looking for one kind of pattern related to certain kinds of music. I hope they do more studies, though — I thought it was pretty interesting.
I’m having that struggle with the new BF. His idea of good music is basically classic rock, schultzy 80s and Disney. He seriously “rocked” out to Bryan Adams the other day! My alternative roots just shriveled. That being said there are a few people we can agree on, but I can’t envision a lifetime of car rides consisting of Billy Joel and Sting…
My suggestion is to mix-up playlists so someone is only unhappy for a song or two at a time, not an entire hour. 🙂
At least you know when the feeling is right he’s gonna run to you…
Dan and I tend to try to find common ground when we are traveling together. Bands or artists we agree on include U2, Fountains of Wayne, and Sam Cooke — you can’t go wrong with Sam Cooke. I tend to be more accepting of his choices, such as blues artists. My music is not for everyone, and I’m okay with that, as long as I have the opportunity to indulge in it on my own (i.e. earbuds).
Your favorite heavy metal head weighing in here… there’s some country I’ve really learned to appreciate and like. Explore the genre. I bet you can find middle ground. You’ll spend a lot of time swilling beer and moaning about all the loves you’ve lost and questioning your value as a woman and not as an object, but you’ll find the good stuff eventually. But… yeah. Giving you examples escapes me at the moment.
There are some alt-country tracks that I like a lot, but I’m not sure the 10-year-old is sophisticated enough for them just yet. Think Wilco and similar. She likes pop country and pop music. I like the fact that she is developing her own tastes — they all are — and I can probably take the opportunity to have her listen to Miranda Lambert, or whoever straddles that line between alt and pop country.