Chapter 3

1. Who was your first favorite group or singer? How old were you at the time? What was important to you about the music?

My first favorite group to listen to was the boy band, Back Street Boys. They appealed to young girls because they were attractive and they sang sweet love songs about girls they liked or were dating. Most young boys were not interested in this band. I was probably around the age of eight or nine when I began liking this band. My parents gave me the cassette tape for Christmas and I can remember winding it up to re-listen to it. The important thing about the music was that as a young girl, I could relate to the songs the guys were singing. The songs were sappy love songs and upbeat pop songs that every young girl could enjoy.

2. If you ran a non-commercial campus radio station, what kind of music would you play and why?

If I ran a non-commercial radio station, I would play music that college students requested be played. I would give students the opportunity to send in their ideas and opinions on what is being played on the station. If people had issues with the music that was chosen, I would make the appropriate changes. I would also have music that students created be played on the station to give students the opportunity to express themselves through music. I think this would be a neat way to get their voice heard.  A non-commercial station would also keep students from wanting to change the station to something else.

3. Think about the role of the 1960s drug culture in rock history. How are drugs and alcohol treated in contemporary and alternative forms of rock and hip-hop today?

In the 1960s, drugs and alcohol use were the norm. It was popular and "cool" to surround yourself with these things. However, in this day and age people associate drugs and alcohol with a negative tag. Artists, especially within hip-hop and rap music often portray drugs and alcohol in a way that makes it seem like the cool thing to do. Artists such as Lil' Wayne speaks of smoking marijuana in just about all of his songs. He is not the only one though, many artists also have lyrics referring to the alcoholic products "Grey Goose" and "Patron". Many teenagers who are not even of the legal drinking age are hearing this and thinking it is the thing to do. I think parents should be sure the music their children listen to is age-appropriate.