One night, during my stint at the University of Cincinnati my friend Frank Buckner and I were going out, probably for beers. Frank was studying graphic design while the rest of us had our heads buried in books. One night I was in his room and thought to myself how cool it was that he could listen to music while doing his homework because his homework was drawing. I remember being envious because even though I hadn't cultivated a personal view of music (I was still just a sheep getting his music feed from radio) I still loved music.
So, Frank stopped by my room and as we left I decided to throw a cassette into my stereo and record a UC student's music show on Frank's recommendation.
That one tape proved to be the foundation (in a Kevin Bacon degrees of separation kind of way) for everything I either listen to or take a chance on now.
The foundation of the tape was Roxy Music from which came Brian Eno, which turned eventually into New Wave. Peter Gabriel, from which came both Progressive rock as well as International (or World) Music as well as experimental stuff which guided me through the upcoming downtown New York scene (Lounge Lizards, Klaus Nomi, etc).
Had it not been for that tape who knows what crap I and the rest of the non-challenged music world would be listening to. Sometimes, the search for bottomless knowledge doesn't just come to you. In fact, with anything qualitative you have to work and spike yourself a little.
Or not...Don't worry, the TV programmers know what you want. And if they don't, they will create the need FOR you so just sit back and relax.
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