When a person asks me what kind of music I listen to, I respond in that I was raised on classical music (the truth!), that I've always been a big movie buff, and that my love for film music grew out of a keen interest in both. Of course, who knows for sure... perhaps my interest in film was born out of my love for film music. I've been listening to Out of Africa and The Man from Snowy River since I was 6.

Having done a bit of growing since 6 (haha, ya think?), my interest in music has spilled over into a variety of alternative, techno/trance, jazz, and classic rock categories. I genuinely enjoy these kinds of music, though again, my true enthusiasm lies in film music. I guess I just find it easier to connect with people when you've got more to talk to them about (re: music) than John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and James Horner.

But, it's a cool thing to share with your friends, too. Almost a compromise or information exchange, if ya will. My friends put up with my crazy infatuation with film music and put forth an effort to learn a little about it, and in exchange, I listen to and develop an appreciation (and more often than not) an enjoyment for the music they enjoy!

People who put you down for your taste in music simply have some growing up to do. The fact that you don't do that to others puts you that much further ahead - take solace in that.

And it is odd. Somedays after hearing a great score or seeing some neat film, I still don't get it. I should be able to start whistling Quo Vadis on some street corner and have 3 people join in and afterwards strike up a conversation about the merits of Nicholas Ray. I mean, movies and film music are so great that EVERYONE should be into them hardcore, movies and film music should be on everyone's lips, the latest Williams should be a big chartbuster while Emenem CDs are "limited to 3,000 copies," so why isn't this the case? Somedays, it still doesn't make any sense.

In any case, these days I try to tone my arrogant stance down (especially on a date) but I answer truthfully that I like all kinds of music but am primarily interested in film music. I don't expect people to relate to it and so it's a potential turn-off but it's kind of like the "Have you ever been bitten by a dead bee?" question from the film version of To Have and Have Not, you're in depending on your answer. I usually tell potential girlfriends that I grew up watching movies and just tuned into the music that was in them and started to listen to it on it's own, that it's not something people commonly do, that I can probably like whatever music they're into as well so we can share common ground, and I don't insist she has to listen to the stuff I like, but that I am seriously into it and like it over everything else. If she says cool, that's great.

I guess the point is that since many people don't listen to film music on its own, it does take some explaining because it's different. So explain it in straightforward simple terms. You can hide it, but don't talk about film music furtively like it's the same as child molesting or freemasonry. You're into something you know is different and uncommon so say "I'm into something different and uncommon." I mean people who dye their hair green and orange don't go around apologizing for it afterwards and if they did they'd lose all respect. I think of this as similar. As long as you stand up for your tastes, most people will respect you even if they don't share them. The jerks who tease you over it or the girl who won't give you blow jobs because of it are immature and not worth dwelling on.

This is a great piece of advice for many occasions besides this one. It comes from the opening of Hemingway's Across the River and Into the Trees. The book starts out with a guy going out to do some duck hunting. He's hired a boat and the guy rowing the boat is in a bad mood. He's supposed to be putting out decoys and helping but he's being surly and a killjoy. The duck hunter doesn't like the way he's putting the decoys out and he starts getting annoyed himself but he catches this and reminds himself, "Don't let him spoil it." Great advice: Don't let them spoil it. Enjoy your pleasures and when they ask....who cares what YOU say or how they respond, just enjoy your pleasures, just enjoy your pleasures.

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Originally posted by Lou Goldberg:
The jerks who tease you over it or the girl who won't give you blow jobs because of it are immature and not worth dwelling on.

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HAHAHAHA, why Lou, I've never quite looked at it that way before. What a fresh take! Hallelujah to that.

Aside from that gem, you offer some great, colloquial advice.

Jeron

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I mean, movies and film music are so great that EVERYONE should be into them hardcore, movies and film music should be on everyone's lips, the latest Williams should be a big chartbuster while Emenem CDs are "limited to 3,000 copies," so why isn't this the case? Somedays, it still doesn't make any sense.

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HA!!!!!

YEs it should be that way. I was talking to this person who has a very high IQ, above geneous level and he mentioned that he liked the cue from the end of the first Star Wars movie, I told him who did it and which SW movie it was. I told him about scores and made him a smapler of scores. Turns out he liked action scores. So I had to make a action score sampler. The cue he liked the most was the theme from "7 Days" a tv show. Now while that was nice that he enjoyed it as much as i did, it also sadly showed something else. Nowadays we are getting young score fans, not ones that appreciate a full orchastra and string movements and beautifully lush scores, but people who like techono stuff that quite frankly there is too much of these days and more than half is crap. They get introduced by a Techno like score and don't expand their pallets.
He hated The Omega Man and I couldn't get him to forget he was listening to the NBC news theme. "Don't think about it that way..."

Another thing that bothered me was how I, myself, was not happy that I liked film scores (this was back in about 8th-10th grade). So, I tried listening to what was popular and it really didn't sink in until about December 2002 that this is just what I like and who I am (Movies and their music). And honestly, going all out on CDs for the first time (instead of some Goldsmith and Linkin Park mp3s) was one of the most fulfilling things I'd done for myself in awhile.

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Originally posted by Lou Goldberg:
the girl who won't give you blow jobs because of it are immature and not worth dwelling on.

[Message edited by Lou Goldberg on 03-17-2003]

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Trust me, the girl who will give you a BJ even though you like film scores is well worth it.

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Originally posted by Mark Olivarez:
The only problems I've encountered is at Circuit City or Best Buy with the typical dumb responses we all seem to get from the sales people regarding scores...

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I've only had something like this happen to me once. At Barnes and Noble I was buying both The Blue Max and Forever Young.

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Originally posted by Mark Olivarez:

The only problems I've encountered is at Circuit City or Best Buy with the typical dumb responses we all seem to get from the sales people regarding scores, "You know that's not the song album.", "You listen to this music?", "What Groups are on the Independence Day Soundtrack?" and my favorite: "Uhhhh....I'm not sure that CD is available.....uhhh never heard of it....I know we had the song version....Varese who?????"[/B]

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I used to only listen to film scores and orchestral music. While working at a record store, I got into quite a bit of classic rock and jazz. This means that I have a much broader palette, which I think enriches my appreciation of film music. It also gives me the chance to understand better what other people like about certain music, and therefore I can share certain film scores with them.

For example, FSM's release of Don Ellis' French Connection scores is a great companion piece to Miles Davis' classic fusion album Bitches Brew. Many rock enthusiasts can get into David Shire's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. And jazz fans will appreciate Lalo Schifrin. And it is very easy to introduce people to Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western scores. I can't tell you how many people have been converted into hardcore fans of Basil Poledouris' Conan the Barbarian.