When I was 23 I hung out almost exclusively in Catonsville. Most nights I would drive home to Ellicott City. It was about 15 minutes in the car. I remember really clearly how I wouldn't listen to the radio on those drives home. I was always talking to myself, singing to myself. Those were the days when I'd find myself pulling over to scratch down a poem, or to dig out my tape recorder to whistle a melody that I just couldn't let disappear. And sometimes I'd interview myself.

One of my favorite interview questions was about how my musical tastes formed. I saw an obvious progression, from the Cure to the Grateful Dead, and of course, from there on to jazz and then onto Phish. From all this introspection about something so common I was able to pinpoint moments in favorite songs that I may have connected with moments in other favorites from years past.

Your favorite music doesn't change. Music evolves. And it's amazing that we have the senses to evolve along with it.

***I was never into metal, but if I was this would be even cooler.