Is This Your Favorite Y A Category

What is your favorite song by your least favorite artists?

Thanks for the question Sam, you have identified a category that I think we all can answer even if we’re not always happy about revealing specifics. Some artists have disappointed me after I became a fan, and some I’ve never been a fan of but they still were able to record a song I couldn’t help but like.A band I was never a fan of was Quiet Riot. When they covered Slade with “Cum On Feel The Noize” and “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” I was just not impressed, I didn’t even like Slade when years earlier one of my best friends was always trying to get me on board with them. Imagine my surprise when they released a song I did like, “Slick Black Cadillac”So it’s a good song, I’m not a fan of the band but yeah, I really like THIS song. Solid gold hubcaps, two thumbs up.At first I liked The Von Bondies after I heard their song “C’mon C’mon.”That was it though, none of their other songs got to me in the same way and then when Jack White and Jason Stollsteimer got in a dust-up it was easy to drop those Von Bondies like a hot potato. I still think this is a good song though, Detroit scores again!It’s a real pain in the ass when a band is good and then the frontman becomes a pain in the ass. That happened with Guns N’ Roses.Without opening up a big discussion on merit and whether deserved or undeserved I’d have to say “Welcome To The Jungle” would fit the category for me. I just don’t have the time or patience for tedious and there is a lot out there to listen to. As Seth Meyers would say, “sorry Guns, ya’ burnt!”“Welcome To The Jungle” is still a good song though, no denying that.Madonna is not my particular cup of tea. She rose to fame with her MTV type of choreographed dance music that touched not a single nerve in my mid-thirties, alternative music loving body. Later in the 90’s I joined one of those music clubs that send you CD’s and you have to send them back if you don’t want them. I didn’t cancel that in time and was stuck with her “Ray Of Light” album. Grudgingly I’ll admit I can listen to this song “Ray Of Light”Well, after that admission I feel like I need a shower so I’ll close with that.

What is/was your favorite class in high school and why?

Probably English. I love to read (always have) and prefer writing essays and papers to more standardized tests so English classes were always good in my book. It also helped that I had the same amazing teacher throughout most of my high school career for that subject.I think the year that had the most impact was my sophomore year. We read Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” and our teacher had us plan our own pilgrimage to a location in our region that was roughly the same distance traveled in the stories. We made up our own characters and wrote our own verses. It was so creative and fun and really helped me understand the nature and importance of the text.This same teacher also sparked a discussion in class that completely changed the way I viewed a book we’d been required to read. The first time I read “Wuthering Heights” I absolutely HATED it. It was a drag and I resented every second I had to spend reading it. The class after we were supposed to have finished reading was basically a round table debate/discussion that I got so involved in - and so riled up about! - that I went home that night and read it again cover to cover. And that time? I loved it. I experienced it differently the second time because of the different questions she posed and the way she pushed us to think differently about the text and what it meant. It not only changed the way I felt about that book, but it really made me start thinking differently and more critically about all of the books I read.My other favorite classes were psychology (senior year) because I find people and the human mind endlessly fascinating and AP French because our teacher had us read “Les Miserables” (among other classics) in French, had us prepare and share French cuisine, and read French papers and magazines to better understand the culture, how the language was used, and how it evolved.

What are your favorite slow, soft and soothing English songs?

Apart from the  names, there are certain specific things I'd like to say about these songs. So here goes: Your Song by Elton John.The piano in the beginning is utterly moving. You can tell everybody that this is your song, it maybe quite simple but.. Stairway to heaven- Led Zeppelin And as we wind down the road, our shadows are taller than the road.. In my life- the Beatles All these places had their moments..And the piano in between.Maahi Ve- A. R. RahmanGreat song to listen to when travelling in a bus or car with window open! Rahman's voice takes my breath away.21 Guns- GreendaySuch a melancholic start.And your thoughts have taken their tollWhen your mind breaks the spirit of your soulLuka Chupi- AR Rahman and Lata MangeshkarMeri Patang Ho Befikar Udd Rahi Hai MaaDor Koi Loote Nahin Beech Se Kaate Na..A mom calling out to his son.Titanium- The Piano GuysYou have got to hear it.My heart is open- Maroon 5 and Gwen StefaniLet me hear ya say yeah..What makes you beautiful- The Piano GuysListen to the sounds they make on the piano.(Yes, on the piano.)The Scientist-ColdplayBig fan of the band. This song is my all time favorite.Saawali si Raat- Arijit Singh (from the movie Barfi!)You feel like a baby listening to mother's lullaby.Kisike Muskurahaton Pe- Mukesh (from the movie Anari 1959)Yellow- ColdplayZindagi ke Safar Mein- Kishore Kumar (from the movie Aap Ki Kasam)Mitti Di Khushboo- AyushmannThis song and rain.I See You- MikaMy Sundown- Jimmy Eat WorldSomebody that I used to know- Gotye feat KimbraDaylight- Maroon 5You found me- The FrayTime of your life - GreendayMagic- Coldplay