Music elitism begone!
Emily Beech thinks Felix Music needs more Wham!
What does your CD collection consist of? Oh, wait a second, I remember now. Nobody buys those things anymore… it’s all about the Internet nowadays.
At the risk of sounding old fashioned and out of the loop, I will admit that I have only ever downloaded two songs: one a rather funky number by the electro-swing group The Correspondents, and the other? ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! I realise that the confession I am about to write will win me no friends in the ‘cool’ music crowd but I want to start the fight against music elitism!
I didn’t buy that song because it was Christmas. It was, in fact, January. I bought it because I can honestly say that I am a Wham! fan and that song is a classic all year round. I am often told by a close friend to not mention the presence of Wham! in my music collection to new acquaintances in order to avoid the inevitable backing away, “Sorry… I have somewhere else to be…” scenario. But to tell the truth I often use it as a test. In my book, if you can’t accept my love of Wham! then you are not worth having as an acquaintance.
I am no 80s freak. I don’t own a pair of leg warmers or have pictures of George Michael adorning my walls. But I do love a good melody and something that can make me dance: ‘Club Tropicana’ just does that for me.
I am not ashamed to say that since becoming a student over two years ago, I have been to see LCD Soundsystem, the Jonas Brothers, Rufus Wainwright and Brad Paisley, amongst others. A mix for sure but something I feel like I should be able to write about without fear of reprisal.
Be sure that this ‘lack of musical taste’ is not down to being uninterested in music. I will listen to anything and I can generally find something I like about it. In all honesty, I don’t listen ironically to any of the questionable things on my iPod; I really do just enjoy listening to them.
Like the classic body-image/magazine argument, perhaps the Felix music section is just not representative enough of Imperial’s surely diverse music taste. So I say this to you. Come out of the woodwork fans of all things kitsch or previously-considered-awful! We must not be made to file our music under the category of guilty pleasures!
