About his music

To put the George Michael into further perspective, his collection contains music like this:
Grateful Dead, Phish, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Pink Floyd, Taj Mahal, Ben Harper, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Talking Heads, R.E.M., Dave Mathews, U2, Bunch of obscure bluegrass and the kind of stuff from the movie O Brother Where Art Thou, and more, much much more -- but none so strange a fit with these selections as that George Michael.

He watches Austin City Limits and picks people apart, or enjoys them and uses words like "syncopation" when talking about them.

While I am all, "It's got a good beat, you can dance to it," he is into the technical side of music and holds his artists to very high standards.

And my baby knows the technical side, at least as far as I can tell. Imagine my surprise after three years of marriage, when we go to a holiday party and the host has a full drum kit in the basement and my baby sits down and starts beating on them like a rock star would-- and well, very well --not just bar band good. (Upon investigation, I learned that he played syncopated jazz in high school --that explains the knowing what the hell syncopation is, and perhaps the Kenny G. -- I just don't know).

I knew he hadn't touched a drum in at least four years -- this was his rusty attempt and it rocked (and it wasn't just me and my Adam Ant loving self who thought so).

His discerning ear has cost us a few bucks too. Sleep experts would have a coniption if they knew the sound system we have wired in our bedroom (it really is the best room for the surround sound). Those high end speakers all sound good to me, but not Rich -- he has logged many an hour purchase planning, hooking up and tweeking a fabulous sound system for us all.

I will say, once you get used to high quality sound, you can hear the difference. We used to go to the theatre, "Why is it so freekin loud?" and now it's all, "This theatre sounds like crap and can't they turn it up a bit?"

It's not that we listen to ours super loud, it's that the sound hits your ear different and makes it seem louder -- I think.

For me it's like when CD's first came out and people said, "Hear it? Hear how clean that sound is?" I didn't, "I guess so," --not at all. But now, when my buddy Jeffrey* breaks out an LP, it's like a static machine with some Rush playing in the background.

So again, I wonder -- what's up with the George Michael?



*The only person I know with a working turn table and an extensive collection of hair band LP's.