My God, it’s full of music!

I never gave much thought to music. I went to live shows of small indie rock bands as a teenager in Louisville. We were an underground hotbed of underground sounds, and we loved our little secret. I enjoyed the live music, but never bought the vinyl put out by the bands, and that was OK with me. I jammed with my friends, moshed when it wasn’t too violent, and generally enjoyed the music combo on the stage.

Bikini Kill. I saw Bikini Kill 1992 Thanksgiving day in some guy’s living room, and I nearly swooned. Kathleen Hannah, my new goddess, but I still didn’t buy her music. I just knew I loved Bikini Kill on the inside and couldn’t wait til the next time they showed up in town.

I cared about books. I read all the time, to the point of ignoring other responsibilities from the time I was a pre-teen on. I don’t know how many times I read “Where the Red Fern Grows.” Millions of times, certainly, judging by the spine of the book. So, I had books. Loads of books, not cassettes or LPs. And I stayed that way for years, through college and two grad schools.

Who could have foretold that in 1999 I would marry a music nut. I loved the guy, and I was impressed by his CD collection, but I didn’t get it. Music just didn’t set me on fire like William Faulkner did--I still melt over “The Sound and the Fury.”

Post grad school, I’ve slowed down my reading somewhat, but still love Salman Rushdie and even a good historical romance now and then. Something new has happened to me though: I love music.

Becoming a hula hooper (shout-out to Lotus Hoops—shameless plug), I started looking at my meager collection of CDs for music to hoop to. I just didn’t have it. I turned to my HoopGirl instructor’s style and looked into trance dance. It’s cool, but not really me. Then, somehow, I stumbled onto alterna-rap and hip-hop by women. Who knew that this would set my soul alight? I didn’t—I never would have guessed.

I bought what to me were a gazillion CDs (maybe eight), and I fell in love with each one as its own little gem. Now I love Santogold, Princess Superstar, and especially M.I.A. Could M.I.A. be more amazing? I hardly think so. Listen to “Bamboo Banger” and “Jimmy” and tell me she doesn’t rule. Janelle Monae is kinda doing it for me, and I have a slight weak spot for Imogen Heap, but she is so commercial pop. I also grabbed up Gang of Four and Daft Punk. They’re not chicks, so I’m having a slightly harder time getting to their core, but I am totally feeling their vibe.

Love it. I have a secret music lover in my soul that I have finally tapped into and found. “Hello music, I didn’t know you were out there. Wilkommen.”