Favorite? The New.

 jjxo.4.jeremy.2

I can’t say what my favorite is. Don’t ask me. I’m stricken with the absolute inability to sum up anything in this realm of questioning. I’ve learned to be vague about it. I’ve learned to compare and contrast as a means of misdirection. I’ve learned to redirect the question to someone else and agree with the positive assessment without using any superlatives. This is especially true when it comes to something near and dear to my heart; music and musicians.

I can’t tell you who my favorite band is. I have 20 at any given time. And even the idea of ordering those top 20 into a first and last place situation seems futile because they have such differing qualities. They can’t really be compared on such a simplistic scale.  Perhaps if people were more specific with their line of questioning:

Question: What’s your favorite unleavened bread accompaniment with soup?

Answer: Matzo, because Saltines suck. Easy.

I also think my indecision is largely due to the fact that I change mind mind and tastes so often. I am chronically fickle about everything, especially about music. My fickle nature is exactly the reason I have no tattoos. I would not be happy with my choice for long and don’t want to pay for that outcome.

JJXO is the perfect outlet for my fickle taste in music because that fluidity in genre and style bleeds into what I write, making it futile to try and express it in the same way over and over. If I want to write an East LA salsa/industrial tune, I’m going to do it, and then I’m going to put another song right after it that that doesn’t sound anything like it because being a one trick pony is FUCKING BORING. It bores me and I’m sure it bores you.

Beck is in my top 50 favorite all time songwriters for just that reason. Track to track, album to album, the cohesive element is not the genre or style, but his voice, melody, lyrical content, and irreverence. It makes me want to listen. I gravitate towards diversity and often times just towards something new. I will always take “new” in place of “tested" except when it comes to matters of life and death, so, please do give me the tested medication and the well tested airplane. The basic idea, however, is the only way for me to truly diversify myself.

Innately, I think this is where all music listening has headed, at least in people, mostly, under the age of 30. It is the catalyst for music sharing, and live streaming sites, and I LOVE it. Give me “new” everyday, and I will try to do the same for you. Promise.

Question: What’s YOUR favorite song YOU have ever written?

Answer: Whichever song I am working on at the moment. My favorite is always “new.”