Awkward Conversations About Music
(or Maybe I’m more pretentious than I thought I was)
I generally like the people who are working at or patrons of the gym I go to in Chicago. One of them, about a month ago, asked me what I was listening to through my bulky Ministry of Sound headphones. I was actually listening to one of my very favorite French pop albums, Le Pop En Duo at the time but worried that saying this might sound pretentious. Something about me is that in the vast scheme of things, I really don’t know that much about French music. There are alot of albums we just don’t get here in the states. I do buy a siginificant amount on import when I find it but even the stores carrying import is a bit of an issue. I started collecting French music as soon as I turned 22 or so when I graduated from college and got a decent job. (Right now there are only two phases of life-when you’re paying for school and when you’re paying back school.) My collection is probably above average for someone in Chicago but not for someone in some areas of Canada and I’m sure someone from France might just laugh at me. So when this very nice well meaning guy asked me what I was listening to, I replied:
me: Oh I’m just listening to French pop.
him: Wow-you’re so cultured! I don’t know any French music!
me: Oh sure you do!
him: No, I really don’t.
me: Oh you must..like I’m sure you’ve heard of…(a million different French musicians went through my head-everyone from Jacques Brel to Benjamin Biolay until I finally settled on one I thought was very well known)...Air
him: Nope.
me: You’ve never heard of Air?
him: no.
me: I start singing the melody line for their big hit “Sexy Boy”
him: no. I’ve never heard of them.
me: Oh come on they’ve done soundtracks too.
me: Okay. Well, I’m sorry.
I began my workout in a hurry.
September 29th, 2006 at 8:03 am
Well first Jacques Brel comes from Belgium, and then maybe you should have tried Daft Punk’s Around The World
September 29th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
ah thanks for correcting me. I guess because I had the impression that he’s lived the majority of his time on Earth in France.
October 26th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Actually I think it’s only psautier who would laugh at your collection of French pop, or at least your love of Benjamin Biolay and Keren Ann.
I would imagine that many others would be impressed that you even know who some of their singers even are!
October 27th, 2006 at 12:25 am
People in Chicago are but like I’m sure people in Montréal or Paris would scoff.