I found this idea of someone else, while having a mooch around I came across the following layout and thought as music is one of the biggest things in my life, I should have a fair crack of the whip and think about the soundtrack of my life.
I got into music from a very tender age, I grew up in a largish house and every room in that house had a means of listening to music, I have 2 Sisters and a Brother all older. My Mother and Father, along with the Siblings all had very different tastes in music. One sister was a indirect Madonna clone, following hair styles, clothes and music, the other one was into Rock from John Lennon to the Pixies, my Brother loved his 80's synth pop, Me Ma' was a Cliff Richard fan and the old Man loved The big O, Walker brothers, Foster and Allen and Lonnie Donegan.
One Christmas Being the cheeky little bugger that I was, I screamed the house down for a electric guitar after hearing some 80's cock rock. (Van Halen or maybe it was CC Deville from Poison) After about 20 Mins of not being able to play a note the guitar got threw in the corner and I carried on playing with some other child pleasing tat. A few weeks later, my red and white stratocastor and I made our way to Dave's Guitar shop. ( a typical guitar shop) The old man explained to the fella, that I wanted to be able to play like Hendrix and I remember it crystal clear, he laughed and said "Don't we all pal, leave the kid with me for a hour and I will see what I can do!" (Back in them days leaving your child with a stranger was and paying him was normal...)
For weeks after, This gigantic dude, with hair halfway down his back use to show off to me playing licks and riffs at supersonic speeds and saying "its all in good time Son, for now, you just keep practising them scales and chord shapes." As I sat on a stool with my hands aching and fingertips bleeding. I said "screw this and you. I want to play songs not just sit here, having you showing off while I get to repeat this same old stuff!"
at that point he said if you comeback next week and can play that scale repeatedly up and down without making a mistake then I will teach you something. Cut a very long story short, I got to learn Apache by the Shaddows. Hank Marvin was my first guitar influence for no other reason that we had the same colour guitar and I could sort of play something he did.
Turns out Dave the guitar teacher had a method in his madness and looking at the big picture it was probably this song that taught me pentatonic scales and melodic lead guitar. Many years on, I still love to play the guitar. From researching artists I liked, I traced their influences and always I seemed to find my way back to the 1950's, for example, I like the stray cats, Brian Setzer the lead in the Cats, wanted to be a modern day Eddie Cochran. John Lennon was influenced by Buddy holly.
Upon discovering 1950's rock n roll, I became more into that than anyone in the charts. In school I, use to get Called Elvis as I do on a daily basis today Just for having a Quiff. (Hey if people want to name me after the most famous and handsome man to ever walk the planet then I'm happy with that!)
So along with these guitar lessons and decades of spending hours every day without fail listening to all kinds of music, then I guess it really took over my life and here today I'm stuck with a dilemma of what songs to pick.
(thinking about it, I don't think I, have ever lived a day without listening to music, I regularly have days where I don't watch T.V or open my laptop. but I always have the music on radio or my I pod on.)
The following is subject to change over a period of time But as today stands then this what I would pick for a Quentin tarantino classic about me!
Opening Credits – Ray Lamontagne - How Come.
Waking Up – Lou Cifer and the hellions - Rock n Roll In My Head.
First Day at Work - Imedla May - Proud and Humble
Falling in Love – Johnny Kidd and the Pirates - Shaking all over.
Fight Song – Furious - Punk Bashin Boogie
Breaking Up – Jack Johnson - If I Had Eyes
Prom/Dance/Ball – Buddy Holly - Oh Boy!
Life's OK – Foo Fighters - Long Road to Ruin
Mental Breakdown – Jamie Cullum - high and dry (Radiohead cover)
Flashback – Linkin Park - Hands held High
Getting Back Together – The Commitments - Bring it on Home to me
Birth of Child – Mumford and Sons - The Cave
Wedding – Roy Orbison - She's a Mystery to me
Final Battle – Florence and the Machine - Kiss with a Fist
Funeral Song – Kathrine Jenkins - time to say goodbye
End Credits –Traveling Wilbury's - Handle me with care
The is some Irony in this and obviously some of the events haven't happened as yet. ( this may give those of you with some depth, a insight into my life!)
Keep smiling folks and thanks for reading.... all Comments welcome.
