So, what sort of music do you like?

If you were to stop me in the street (I hope you won't: I'm very busy) and ask, "So, what sort of music do you like?", I would probably come back with a triumvirate of Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Eric Clapton. But the more I think about this list, the less satisfying it feels. To begin with, although I will readily confess that I spend more time listening to Bob Dylan than any other artist, I would hate you to think that I was a Bob Dylan Fan. A Bob Dylan Fan is someone who can tell you where and when Bob wrote and recorded each of his songs, why this version is better than that, and what shirt he was wearing at the time. I don't know any of that stuff. I just like the music.

Secondly, while I know a lot of Beatles songs, it is only relatively recently that I have listened to any Beatles albums. And that's an eye-opener, I can tell you. Of course, there are the Ringo sing-alongs with their deliberately limited vocal range to suit his limited voice. (So why do you let the drummer sing, for goodness sake?) And then there is George's deep and meaningless preachy eastern stuff. (I have never forgiven him for writing 'Taxman'. Poor George! He's so rich that the wicked system parts him from loads of his hard-earned money - while leaving him one of the richest people ever to have walked the face of the earth - before allowing him to go on and write another song about how materialistic everyone else is.)

And then you have Paul's kitchy, sentimental tin-pan alley side and John's occasional sheer nastiness ('Run For Your Life', anyone? Because he's rather see you dead, little girl, than to see you with another man. He's jealous, you see, little girl, and if he catches you, it's the end. Little girl. Nice thought, John!)

As I say, listening to Beatles albums is an eye-opener (ear-opener?). 

And that leaves Eric Clapton. I say I like Eric Clapton because I want you to know that I play guitar and if I could play like Eric, I would. But I'm blowed if I can remember the last time I listened to an Eric Clapton album. (I could say the same about Jimi Hendrix.) And when I listen to any of the Clapton compilations, I'm always surprised at how much there is that I don't like. (And that includes Cream, I'm afraid.)

Which means I need a better answer to the question, "So, what sort of music do you like?" And, having thought about it, I think the answer goes something like this:

I like people who write songs, play musical instruments and sing in an interesting and engaging way. That's my new triumvirate.