For decades and decades, listening to music was a dominant activity in my life. The infatuation started in 1957, I think, when I was nine and a half or maybe ten years old. That year, by way of top-40 radio stations, rock ‘n roll and pop songs began to ring my bell vigorously. Wake Up Little Susie, by The Everly Brothers, for instance. I loved that tune. Still do. And I became totally captivated by Honeycomb. Sung by the little-remembered Jimmie Rodgers, it seemed as sweet as a warm, sunny day. I remember singing Honeycomb to myself over and over again, the first time, probably, I’d ever done such a thing. Music had hooked me, and the hook, as the months and years went by, penetrated deeper and deeper.
The Beatles sealed the deal. In 1964, their great songs and incredible charisma turned me into a music junkie. I couldn’t stop listening to Beatles creations and to loads of other songs on the radio and on the smattering of vinyl albums I’d accumulated. By the time I graduated from college, in 1969, my record collection was on the verge of becoming pretty substantial, and I’d become a bigger addict than ever. And the addiction grew even stronger one year later, as I began to attend concerts at an admirable pace.
I don’t know what the actual count is, but I’ve taken in well over 1,000 concerts in my life. Hell, in 2008 alone, determined to set a personal best I’d unlikely ever top, I went to 104 of them. And my collection of vinyl albums, CDs and cassette tapes is huge, numbering somewhere in the vicinity of 1,500 items.
But things have changed. Since 2020, I’ve gone to far fewer concerts annually than before (last year I caught nine). And during that time I’ve bought hardly any recorded music at all. Even more telling about my altered relationship, for these years, is this: I’ve listened to music at home for an average, I’d estimate, of an hour and a half per day. For many a moon, the figure had been two to three times higher.
So, what happened? Part of the answer is age-related. Meaning, I’m old as f*cking dirt, and with age has come what seems to be a need for longer periods of quiet. My mental and emotional systems function better when sounds aren’t around me all that much. Ergo, music plays at home on a fairly limited basis — in the evenings and on weekend mornings, primarily.
That said, I still adore going out to hear live music. But I’m not a fan of driving home late at night from a venue, unless the place is reasonably close to my home. Why? Because, as I just mentioned, I’m old as f*cking dirt. Alas, most of the venues I favor aren’t nearby. Which, along with other reasons not worth going into, accounts for my decreased concert-attending statistics.
Here’s the thing, however: When I listen to music intently, it can get to me the same as it did when I was younger and feeling my oats more frequently than I do these days. I haven’t lost any of my ability to groove mightily to rock, jazz, blues, R&B, soul, bossa nova and the other genres I’m keen on. I love to sync myself with the vibes and rhythms of strong, honest music, and let them carry me up, up and away.
Last year, my wife and I went to see Alejandro Escovedo, a rocker who has been at it for about 50 years. Criminally not as well-known as he should be, Alejandro is the total package: excellent songwriter, singer and guitar player. He remains at the top of his game. What a great show he and his band put on. I’m in the mood right now to be transported to the stratosphere, and to be enveloped by the take-no-prisoners powers of musicians who know how to deliver. Here, then, is the song titled John Conquest, the opening track on Alejandro’s latest album (Echo Dancing). Prepare yourself to be rocked righteously.
Yeah, Another Blogger 
My interest in music is sporadic. Even as a teenager, I was not one to have something playing constantly. I love good music, and want to play it loud and give it my full attention, so it doesn’t happen often. I dislike wearing headphones, so I need solitude to really enjoy a good song.
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Hello, and thanks for the input. I agree — in order to really get into music, it has to be played loud.
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I HEAR you! I’ve been an avid music fan from first memory. I loved Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock”, “Sad Movies Always Make Me Cry” (Sue Thompson), and “Blue Water Line” (Brothers Four). BUT the real leap came in 1961 when I was six and my dad won a transistor radio in a golf game. He gave it to me–complete with earphones! I listened to the radio every night for years, from “bedtime” to midnight when the local station went off the air (parents never found out!). I can still recall the ASTOUNDING moment in November 1963, when the DJ said, “Here’s a new one. Four guys from a place called Liverpool, England.” I Want to Hold Your Hand came on, and as they say, the rest is history. From one music fanatic to another, may the band play on forever!
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Hi there, Amy. Life without music would be horrible. I heard a bunch of good songs on the radio today. One of them especially got to me: I Second That Emotion, by Smokey Robinson And The Miracles. It’s great!
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Rock on, Neil!
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Hi, Mitch. I will — there’s a lot of good music out there.
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I haven’t been to many live music concerts, but now I want to make that a part of my New Year’s resolutions–as long as they’re nearby, though.
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Hi. You’ll have fun. Take care.
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I *love* Alejandro Escovedo too. Do you know his friend and fellow criminally underrated genius Jon Dee Graham? If not, pretty sure you might love him.
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Hi. I’m pretty sure I hadn’t heard of Graham before. I definitely will check him out. Thanks.
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Unless I am in a meeting or watching a show, I have music on. It’s like medicine to keep me healthy. Oddly, I don’t love concerts and have been to less than 20 in my life. However, the best concert I ever went to was Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation in 1990. I’ve seen big acts like Pink and Coldplay, both great, but nobody will ever top Janet. Wow, what a concert!
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Hi. I just took a look at her website. She has an active career. She’s in Vegas this week. Thanks for stopping by. Have a good week!
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Wow, Neil, you are quite the music aficionado. What an impressive life with and love for music you have!
Keep enjoying those times when you can lose yourself in your favorite music.
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Hi. Are you a Dylan fan? If so, I think you’ll like the new biopic about his early days as a musician (A Complete Unknown). Lots of good music in the film.
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Thank you for the tip, Neil. I’m not really a fan but I’m sure it would be interesting to watch and enjoyable to hear many of his popular songs.
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I can’t live without music and love live concerts. Have you heard of the Glastonbury Festival in the UK?
I haven’t heard of Alejandro Escovedo – wow, going for 50 years – very impressive.
You’re not that old. You’re ensconced in technology, especially to use WordPress, so all’s well… 😉
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Hi. I know about Glastonbury. It’s a great festival. The festival I’ve been to a lot is the Philadelphia Folk Festival. It takes place about 25 miles from my home. It’s always fun being there (except when it rains).
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I haven’t heard of that festival.
Not sure if you’ve seen my posts on the Glasto festival but 210,000 festivalgoers attended last year. I’ve volunteered there, 5 times now as a fire warden and it’s mad!
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My favorite thing about the Beatles is that they were very popular in Germany before they hit it big in the U.S. And so they recorded many of their early hits in German as well as in English. Those recordings are available, if hard to find. They’re really cool.
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The Beatles truly were something else. They conquered most of the world!
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I sometimes feel like I was born at the wrong time. I love the music of your era.
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Hi. The music of the 1960s and 70s is hard to beat. There’s lots of good music currently too, though. Such as the music by Black Pumas, Jason Isbell, Allison Russell, Brandi Carlile, and many more.
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Music makes the world a better place and speaks a language we all understand.
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Amen to that!
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Over 1000 concerts!! Hats off to you, Neil. That’s amazing. Keep on rockin’ in the free world — that is, until we are no longer free…. xox
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Trump eats it. But music-listening doesn’t!
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Time had to slow a lot of rockers down or who knows what could have happened or where they would be today.
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Right — we can’t do all of what we did when we were young.
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But maybe for some, a rocking chair would be the perfect adaption. 🎼🤔
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I am exactly the same. I love music, but definitely go to fewer concerts and listen a lot less, when I am at home as well.
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We’re slowing down!
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I love music. I can remember vividly as a kid listening AM radio stations before FM was really a thing. I can’t say I’ve been to a lot of live concerts in my lifetime but music has always been a part of my life. These days my music plays on wireless speakers in the background-And when the ‘quiet’ is needed I put on my headphones and cancel out the noise of the world.
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Right, some AM stations were the only ones on which rock and roll was played in the 1950s and 60s. Back then, FM was just a fringe thing. I grew up in the New York City area. The three big pop/rock AM stations there were WABC, WINS and WMCA.
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I too grew up in the New York area (per your comment reply) and knew those pop stations well! Murray the K and Cousin Brucie, right? I kind of stopped following most pop music with disco and moved to jazz and classical. But even now I play oldies on my computer (Siriusxm) when I do my morning exercise. Keeps me going!
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Hi Ruth. I think my favorite DJ from back then was Dan Ingram, on WABC.
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The music we love gets us through the ups and downs of life!
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I totally agree. We’d be lost without music.
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Most of us self-medicate in some form or another (besides caffeine), albeit it’s more or less ‘under control’. And there are various forms of self-medicating, from the relatively mild to the dangerously extreme, that include non-intoxicant-consumption addictions, like pornography, chronic shopping/buying, gambling, or over-eating.
If such self-medicating forms are anything like drug intoxication or addiction, it should follow that: the greater the induced euphoria or escape one attains from it, the more one wants to repeat the experience; and the more intolerable one finds their non-self-medicating reality, the more pleasurable that escape will likely be perceived. In other words: the greater one’s mental pain or trauma while not self-medicating, the greater the need for escape from one’s reality — all the more addictive the euphoric escape-form will likely be.
With food, the vast majority of obese people who considerably over-eat likely do so to mask mental pain or even PTSD symptoms. I utilized that method myself during much of my pre-teen years, and even later in life after ceasing my (ab)use of cannabis or alcohol. I don’t take it lightly, but it’s possible that someday I could instead return to over-eating.
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The music of our youth is still my favorite. I’m old enough to remember The Beatles on our little B&W portable set way back then! The wide variety of tunes and thought-provoking lyrics are unmatched IMHO!
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Hi. So much great music was created in the 1960s and 70s. It was a golden era.
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I miss a couple weeks and I show up to catch your best piece ever (Well one of them). The 7th paragraph describes CB to a tee. Had a neighbor walk by and ask if we had boarders because of my piece of junk car parked outside and also she heard loud raunchy music (it suited the car) coming out of the upstairs window one day. I took the cigar out of my mouth and said “No, that was me groovin”. I could go on about your take, it inspired me. Keep listening buddy. Next to family, friends, the great outdoors, its essential.
Alejandra? Are you kidding me. I think that was the music the neighbor heard.
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You are a music appreciator of the highest order. You’re absolutely right — music is essential. It fills us with energy and takes us to places we hardly are aware of otherwise. Rock on!
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I wasnt expecting the ‘old as effing dirt’! 😂🤣 I thought you were going to say too expensive! Good read!
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Hi there. I appreciate your stopping by to add your thoughts. Take care. Have a good rest of the week! Neil S.
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Music is a big part of my life. I love my cd collection with all of my heart. I’m in the process of listing all of them on my blog. I love to write so this is going to be a labor of love.
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Hi. Music is essential!
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