Norman Rockwell
Earlier this year, I started a “Music of the 2000′s” series that highlighted albums that I enjoyed throughout the decade. That lasted about eight albums.
The problem with being a part-time writer/blogger with a full-time job is that time, interest and dedication are always challenging.
Bills don’t pay themselves. I do.
When I have a day or two to recharge my mental and creative batteries, I – more times than not – deplete them when work or other responsibilities come front-and-center.
(If someone would like to pay me to do this full-time, I only have one question, “where do I sign?” – but until then the site comes in waves.)
So there isn’t a best of list for me. Not one for 2009. Not one for the 2000′s, either.
But there was obviously a lot of great music in the last ten years; a lot of music everyone else thought was amazing that I didn’t like; and a few CD’s/albums that you couldn’t pay me $100 in trade.
In between, there are hundreds of CD’s lying around the room where I type that may never get played again. Most of them, I plunked down my hard-earned money for and when I start doing the math – $12-$15 X thousands of CD’s – I kind of get ill.
But the joy they bring or brought is irreplaceable.
The thing about music is that when you spend the time, effort and money to look for it only to find most of it is forgotten within weeks. But when you do find that album or artist or song that sticks – it’s with you forever.
In the last 20 years there are probably a dozen of artists that fall into the category of legendarily personal to me. Whether it is Jack Logan or The Smiths or Hayden or MGMT, those artists that touch you are as important as a friend.
I’ll take friends over lists any day.
