I don’t have the capacity for learning or playing music but it is a massive part of my life. I’m rarely without my music playing on my aging iPod.
I pride myself on the fact my musical tastes range from 1920’s era Jazz to a lot of modern alternative rock. While yes, the music of my teen years (most of it not from American bands) still has a special place in my life, but I thankfully overcame the often human issue of becoming locked into the music of your youth and then not knowing anything beyond that until the day you die. (I can’t recall my father mentioning anything outside of 50’s era doo-wop, the music of his youth.)
So. Who plays in the background when I’m working on the cars? Here’s a sampling.
Ben Gibbard
It is really odd how that Ben Gibbard, through his work in Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service has more or less supplanted most other musicians as my all-time favorite. He’s a few years younger than I am (born in 76) but as the part of the end years of Gen X his songwriting speaks to me on levels that most other songwriters have not.
James Mercer
I’m a huge fan James Mercer and his band The Shins. Mercer is a close runner-up for songwriter of all-time next to Gibbard. The Shins and Death Cab for Cutie pretty much are on non-stop rotation in The Garage of Love.
Peter Gabriel
I love Peter Gabriel. Especially 90’s era and later Gabriel work.
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire‘s The Suburbs is one of the single greatest albums of all-time.
Ella Fitzgerald
Don’t fuck with Ella. Don’t ever ever fuck with Ella.
New Order
New Order is to me, one of the most perfect bands of my teen years. Blue Monday is quite possibly one of the greatest single pieces of electronic pop music ever composed and performed.
Talking Heads
I firmly believe David Byrne will go down as one of music history’s greatest contributors.
MGMT
I kinda sorta got a thing for Andrew VanWyngarden.
Underworld
I have my ex D.E.B. to thank for turning me on to Underworld way back in 1994 before they received massive exposure due to their music being used in 1996’s Trainspotting. All albums are on constant rotation in the Garage of Love.
So that’s just a smattering of what you’ll often hear in the background of my various crappy “working on a Beetle” videos.