AKMA’s Random Thoughts

Music Alert Annex

In today’s episode of good friend Euan’s The Obvious, he admits to the constant cruel teasing to which he subjects me about my taste in music, now made obvious to him via iChatStatus. Oh, it’s all fun and games, so long as we can fleer at the vicar for listening to Joy Division! One might almost think that he turned me on to iChatStatus solely for the twisted delight this japery would bring him. That, and it’s a really cool application, especially when combined with Clutter.

The catch is, I’m not in the least embarrassed by my musical taste, from Frank Zappa to Adam Ant (allowing for a very few exceptions — but no one caught me listening to Gimme Dat Ding by the Pipkins, I think). That’s why I used to add the Dave (C&E) Rogers Music Alert to my blogs (and still would, except I usually am not listening to music when I blog nowadays, for a variety of reasons). (Trevor, that iPod thing would change this circumstance.) So much as it may amuse Euan to think of me, vested in alb and amice, incense wafting up from the thurible, poring over my Greek New Testament and typing on my TiBook as I listen to Sleater-Kinney intermingled with Sister Winona Carr (I love “Life is a Ball Game”), this is the me that I’m content to be quite public. I don’t have the subtlety or energy to cope with facades — and besides, this music is so wonderful!

I do wrestle with the theological significance of liking music that vigorously repudiates the tenets of my faith, and (often even more painfully) romanticizes and perpetuates an ideology of women-as-consumable-plaything. I don’t have answers, and I’ not willing to shrug off the ethical problem by claiming, “I know — it’s only rock’n’roll/But I like it.” I will sing along heartily, but I won’t excuse myself by suggesting that the lyrics don’t make a difference. They do, and I’d be a better person if I could articulate the relation between my edifying aspirations and my (ahem) sometimes questionable taste.

At the same time, that’s the truth about me, for better or worse, and anyone who wants to know to what I’ listening can look at their AIM client and see. And as soon as I get back into the blogging-to-music groove, the DRMA will return.