bliss
When I worked in entertainment, I needed to be on top of things. I had to have a favourite new band, favourite new song, favourite rising star. I knew the ins and outs of celebrity lives and devoured the internet in search of things nobody else would know. My value at work, in part, depended on me being able to pick out the next best single, the next scandal, the next hot couple, the next big thing.
I've been out of that world for 4.5 years. Things have changed. I don't get free concert tickets and movie premiere passes. No one recognises me at music events. No one says hi to me on the radio or says thank you in their CD sleeves. No one asks what I think of the new single, or wants me to listen to their new song. I don't have to wade through press releases or come up with sales promos. I don't know half the stuff that comes on when I watch Video Hits on Saturday mornings.
So the stuff on my iPod is pretty old. And surprisingly, I don't find myself needing music 24/7 anymore. The last time I went to a gig was a month ago, and that was only because Filippo's friend Sam was in the band. The last time I properly went to a concert was in 2007 - The Killers at RLA.
But it's kind of nice not having to have an opinion on everything. I can listen to my daggy 90s pop all day and not feel bad. I'm listening to Train at the moment while everyone cool is listening to the new Radiohead. I've found that it's actually better, when new records are released, to wait until everyone else has formed an opinion and moved on to the next shiny thing before I swoop in and have a listen. That way the album is potentially cheaper (yes I still buy my music legally - piracy is what made me lose my music job) and I get to have my own ideas without the influence of everyone else. Win.
I've been out of that world for 4.5 years. Things have changed. I don't get free concert tickets and movie premiere passes. No one recognises me at music events. No one says hi to me on the radio or says thank you in their CD sleeves. No one asks what I think of the new single, or wants me to listen to their new song. I don't have to wade through press releases or come up with sales promos. I don't know half the stuff that comes on when I watch Video Hits on Saturday mornings.
So the stuff on my iPod is pretty old. And surprisingly, I don't find myself needing music 24/7 anymore. The last time I went to a gig was a month ago, and that was only because Filippo's friend Sam was in the band. The last time I properly went to a concert was in 2007 - The Killers at RLA.
But it's kind of nice not having to have an opinion on everything. I can listen to my daggy 90s pop all day and not feel bad. I'm listening to Train at the moment while everyone cool is listening to the new Radiohead. I've found that it's actually better, when new records are released, to wait until everyone else has formed an opinion and moved on to the next shiny thing before I swoop in and have a listen. That way the album is potentially cheaper (yes I still buy my music legally - piracy is what made me lose my music job) and I get to have my own ideas without the influence of everyone else. Win.