You Are Your Playlist

"I can tell who you are from the music you listen to," she said with the confidence of a street palm reader.

"Really?"

"Absolutely...you mind?" as she took the iPod from my hands.

"Hmmmm...no. I guess not."

I was at the Apple store to have them fix yet another problem with my iPod. It seemed that my iPod would indiscriminately pause in the middle of whatever I was listening to. Pretty much all the time. What can I say? Apples and I just don't get along. It's like the iPod knows I use Microsoft Windows. And it's angry.

I sheepishly gave her the iPod, feeling a bit uncomfortable. I couldn't help but feel like she was taking something personal from me. Reading chapters from my journal. I found myself wanting to explain the music from Backstreet Boys and Avril...that I had downloaded it from a friend in bulk. But then again, I'd probably have to further explain that I kept the songs because they made good shower songs. You know, songs you'd sing at the top of your lungs in the shower when no one was listening. I mean NO ONE.

"Hmmmm...you're all about artists that aren't quite mainstream," she began, as she perusued my playlist. "You like finding artists. Ones that haven't hit it big yet. I bet you take pride in that. But you like pure tones. Harmony. Nothing too edgy. You don't really stray too far from the path. You've got a soulful side. You have creativity and imagination, but you don't live there. See? Your playlist. It's safe. You have the eye, but you are a bit restrained."

"Ummmm...thanks?" Pretty dead on as far as assessments go.

"See here? You've got Dashboard Confessional's old stuff, before they were on MTV. But you stop short of The Smiths. You have REM, but not The Connells or Uncle Tupelo." I tried to tell her that I had The Connells on there before my iPod was erased the first time, but she was on a roll. And I was intrigued.

"I'm not saying that you need to loosen up. But you should take more chances with your music. And lose the Avril."

I wasn't really sure what to say. She was right, but I didn't let her know it. Maybe it was because she was so presumptuous. She was an Apple support person, music buff and psychiatrist all in one. But in the end, she did the same thing they always do. Reformat my iPod. Erase all of my music, so that I can spend another hour or two transferring music from my hard drive to the iPod. Again. Crap. Oh well -- maybe it's a chance to start over. Good thing she didn't see my old Amy Grant albums or for that matter, Degarmo & Key's "Captain Sozo and the Charge of the Light Brigade". Who knows what she would have told me then...

On the old playlist:

1. "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" -- Rufus Wainwright, Poses
2. "Breathe" -- Tristan Prettyman, Twenty Three
3. "Closer" -- Joshua Radin, First Between 3rd & 4th
4. "I'm Yours" -- Jason Mraz, Wordplay -- EP
5. "Crank" -- Catherine Wheel, Chrome
6. "Worn Me Down" -- Rachael Yamagata, Happenstance
7. "The One I Love" -- David Gray, The One I Love
8. "Pour" -- Lori McKenna Bittertown
9. "Supernova" -- The Brindley Brothers, Playing With the Light
10. "Won't Give In" -- The Finn Brothers, Everyone Is Here