special interests

[Human Avatar]

My main one is rooted in childhood, as I would play records or songs over and over again. This really took off when I got a tape recorder and I recorded songs I liked from the radio. Sound quality was really bad, but didn't seem to bother me at the time - I was just grateful to have a recording of the song. I would sit by the radio listening and waiting for a specific song to be played so I could record it. Like fishing Of course, I also bought records with my pocket money, or got given records as presents, but didn't have a lot of money so couldn't afford to buy many. When the internet came along, it really was a game changer for me.

This sounds just like me . All my money as a teenager went to record and tape collection. I remember waiting for songs to record on the radio too . Ready to go with 60 min Maxell tapes !

 

[Progster]

This sounds just like me . All my money as a teenager went to record and tape collection. I remember waiting for songs to record on the radio too . Ready to go with 60 min Maxell tapes !

I got obsessed with specific songs, too. I had certain 'go to' ones for when I was upset of angry. The first ever single I bought was Jon and Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home. My first album was The Police - Synchronicity. I later had band obsessions. I listened to bands/artists from other countries, too - in the 80s a lot of German new wave and Ostrock. Band obsessions have been: Pink Floyd, Rush, Jethro Tull, New Model Army, Wishbone Ash, Phoenix (Romanian folk prog). I also had country/language obsessions, nearly always triggered by listening to music from that country. From Greece I listened to a lot of rock/entehna like Pyx Lax.

 

[Human Avatar]

P

I got obsessed with specific songs, too. I had certain 'go to' ones for when I was upset of angry. The first ever single I bought was Jon and Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home. My first album was The Police - Synchronicity. I later had band obsessions. I listened to bands/artists from other countries, too - in the 80s a lot of German new wave and Ostrock. Band obsessions have been: Pink Floyd, Rush, Jethro Tull, New Model Army, Wishbone Ash, Phoenix (Romanian folk prog). I also had country/language obsessions, nearly always triggered by listening to music from that country. From Greece I listened to a lot of rock/entehna like Pyx Lax.

interesting-I definitely have band and song obsessions. The country obsession is something interesting as well . I have never had that .

 

[MildredHubble]

I got obsessed with specific songs, too. I had certain 'go to' ones for when I was upset of angry. The first ever single I bought was Jon and Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home. My first album was The Police - Synchronicity. I later had band obsessions. I listened to bands/artists from other countries, too - in the 80s a lot of German new wave and Ostrock. Band obsessions have been: Pink Floyd, Rush, Jethro Tull, New Model Army, Wishbone Ash, Phoenix (Romanian folk prog). I also had country/language obsessions, nearly always triggered by listening to music from that country. From Greece I listened to a lot of rock/entehna like Pyx Lax.

First thing I ever recorded with a little toy cassette recorder and it's little grey microphone was Ol' 55 by Tom Waits when I was about 7 years old! I didn't really understand how hi-fi's worked until after that. I would try to position the mic just right to get the best quality recording until I understood that you could "DI" from the source to a cassette deck.

The microphone eventually broke. I was kinda stumped until one day, curious to see what would happen, I connected my headphones into the mic socket and hit record and... A REVELATION! Headphones could be microphones!

Then I took the cable from the broken microphone and connected it to one of those Christmas card music generators, then to pocket calculators and all sorts of stuff.

 

[Human Avatar]

First thing I ever recorded with a little toy cassette recorder and it's little grey microphone was Ol' 55 by Tom Waits when I was about 7 years old! I didn't really understand how hi-fi's worked until after that. I would try to position the mic just right to get the best quality recording until I understood that you could "DI" from the source to a cassette deck.

The microphone eventually broke. I was kinda stumped until one day, curious to see what would happen, I connected my headphones into the mic socket and hit record and... A REVELATION! Headphones could be microphones!

Then I took the cable from the broken microphone and connected it to one of those Christmas card music generators, then to pocket calculators and all sorts of stuff.

I remember doing that too ! Using headphones as a microphone!

Also I used to blow up lots of solid state gear experimenting with stereos and stuff .

 

[MildredHubble]

I remember doing that too ! Using headphones as a microphone!

Also I used to blow up lots of solid state gear experimenting with stereos and stuff .

It was so cool to figure that out! I thought it was amazing. I remember being in such a rush to tell people at school what I had discovered. Unfortunately I hadn't learned by that point that the other kids wouldn't be as fascinated by it, and the majority of them would flat out deny it. They even came up with a load of sophistry that decreed that all kinds of apocalyptic things would happen by doing such a thing. That was probably my first introduction to the Dunning Kruger effect. I was learning a lot that week!

 

[Human Avatar]

It was so cool to figure that out! I thought it was amazing. I remember being in such a rush to tell people at school what I had discovered. Unfortunately I hadn't learned by that point that the other kids wouldn't be as fascinated by it, and the majority of them would flat out deny it. They even came up with a load of sophistry that decreed that all kinds of apocalyptic things would happen by doing such a thing. That was probably my first introduction to the Dunning Kruger effect. I was learning a lot that week!

This sounds like me too ! Most of my peers did not care about these things as well . Dunning Kruger - Nicely done

 

[Progster]

First thing I ever recorded with a little toy cassette recorder and it's little grey microphone was Ol' 55 by Tom Waits when I was about 7 years old! I didn't really understand how hi-fi's worked until after that. I would try to position the mic just right to get the best quality recording until I understood that you could "DI" from the source to a cassette deck.

The microphone eventually broke. I was kinda stumped until one day, curious to see what would happen, I connected my headphones into the mic socket and hit record and... A REVELATION! Headphones could be microphones!

Then I took the cable from the broken microphone and connected it to one of those Christmas card music generators, then to pocket calculators and all sorts of stuff.

Brilliant discovery! I didn't do that, I didn't have headphones at that time. But later on, cassette decks came on the market which would copy from one cassette to another, so I was able to borrow cassettes and copy albums. So I bought a lot of blank tapes. You could also record over an album if you didn't like it, but the sound quality deteriorated somewhat.

P

interesting-I definitely have band and song obsessions. The country obsession is something interesting as well . I have never had that .

Did you ever listen to music from other countries? I had a transistor radio and could pick up a lot of radio stations from other countries. I particularly liked songs with a folk element related to the traditional melodies and instruments of that country. I often liked music that was a bit different or experimental in nature, and that's true today, too.

 

[Human Avatar]

@Progster

Yes I could pick up some salsa music stations. I really like Latin rhythms as well .

I went through a period of being obsessed with Fela Kuti Afro/Cuban music , I also have been invited to play many times and have at a Hindu temple playing bass with the Indian musicians. I am not religious but I went to experience the Music language. It was very odd at first . But once I figured it out it was much easier musically .
I like the intervals of Egyptian and Asian music very much . I try interjecting those in music I write and within in the band context when I can get away with it .

I really like middle eastern music sometimes , especially the Phrygian mode Which you do not hear in western Music often .

I know you this song which uses Phrygian mode“Set the Controls for the heart of the Sun”!

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Over the last year my doctors almost put me in a wheelchair, due to confusion over the purpose of a drug I was prescribed in the hospital after my stroke. my improvement on my stationary bike in the last few weeks is amazing in conjunction with physiotherapy. I'm not impressed with doctors they also follow a Gaussian distribution, in competence.

 

[Patsy]

As a kid it was space and weather. Over the last two years or so, World War Two and JRR Tolkien.

 

[Dadamen]

As a kid it was space and weather. Over the last two years or so, World War Two and JRR Tolkien.

Space and weather also two of many since a kid. They both lingered until today, especially weather.

Usually, I have no one or two things that I'm completely absorbed into, I'm interested in many things, but film and music are a mystery for me.

And also hate history and literature because of my school and awful teachers.