I could easily say “see Books” and leave it at that… but on reflection, it’s not that simple. Books have been a huge part of my life ever since I can remember but music… well, it was always there – the radio was always on – but until I was ten or so, it was just something in the background. I was very fortunate in having parents who were reasonably hip for the day: we watched “Ready Steady Go!” and “Top Of The Pops” every week and, as I grew up in the 60s, man the music was great. Slightly later, we listened to the pirates, especially Radio London, rather than BBC radio… and yes, I listened to Luxembourg under the blankets on a tiny, tinny transistor radio.
But, I guess, music for musics sake never really hit me until I went to secondary school (the local grammar) where within a few years I was headfirst into the developing progressive scene – Yes, Floyd, Genesis, ELP, Mike Oldfield. True, I still listened to pop, and the singles chart every Sunday (didn’t we all ?), but albums were where it was at, and the longer form had much more impact and effect on me. To this day I can listen to Tubular Bells and with no effort I’m seventeen again. The advent of Spotify made me realise something: I must have absorbed everything I listened to like a sponge, for I was word perfect on songs I’d not heard for some 40 years (or on all four sides of Tales From Topographic Oceans, and if you’ve ever heard that, you’ll understand the extent of my affliction).
But I was never a consciously hip music fan: I liked what I liked irrespective of fashion or trend, thus I could happily listen to John Denver, The Who, Genesis, The Beach Boys, The Sex Pistols or Marvin Gaye with equal appreciation. Still do, although these days I’m looking backwards more than forward. Classical music, notably English classical is also something I increasingly appreciate.
You’ve probably noticed a certain name is missing: I grew up listening to The Beatles, and because they were pretty much an ever-present, I didn’t think of them as anything really special, out of the ordinary. Truth to tell, I still don’t. To me they’re more a sociological phenomenon than The Best Band Of All Time. Your mileage may vary, and almost certainly does.
Books educate and inform me but music… music moves me as almost nothing else. It stirs long-forgotten feelings, elevates and energises me as much as it calms and soothes. It also makes me smile like almost nothing else does, and evokes a sense of time and place that can be overwhelming. For me, music is as close to time travel as it gets, and in these stange days, that’s a very special – and useful – thing.
Books, and music. What else ? Why, friends of course, but more on that later.
