I liked Abba as a 4-year old and listened to their records all the time and learned to sing along to the songs even though I had no idea what the words meant.

When I was very young (2, my mom says) I knew all the lyrics to "Country Roads" by John Denver. I remember liking my dad's music, Gordon Lightfoot, The Beatles, etc.

The first time I bought music on my own was when I was 11. My favorites at this time were Michael Jackson "Thriller", Prince "Purple Rain", Madonna "Like a Virgin", etc.

The following year I went to summer camp. I was the only guy my age into "pop." The two other white guys in my cabin were into heavy metal, but all the black guys were into rap. I came away addicted to rap.

My first non-mainstream album purchases, at the age of 12, were Run-D.M.C. "King of Rock" and Fat Boys "Fat Boys". From 1985 to about 1989, rap was basically all I listened to.

My love for alternative music began in 1990 with the movie "Pump Up the Volume". The soundtrack to that movie was a defining moment for me.

I got sick of techno and started listening to as much rock/metal music as I could

when i moved to a small rural town and had nothing better to do. i sorta went psycho, depressed and whatnot. i would sit in my motel room and listen to the radio and CDs and tapes. i'd go to bed at about 4:30pm and just lie there listening to music. and i never spoke. i didn't eat, i got headaches, i swear to god i was mental, THE MUSIC DID IT TO ME.

then i got a computer and started talking to people online about it, downloaded kazaa to get up with their music tastes and that's when it REALLY took off.

so music nearly screwed me over once, but it was ok in the end.

The first music video I ever saw was the Thriller "mini-movie" by Michael Jackson (back when he was kick ass). Momma and Pops never let us watch MTV or VH1 as kids, but for some reason they let us check that video out. Not only was I amazed at the creativity of the song, but the dance moves we so fly for that day and age...why can't he make music like that nowadays??

The first CD I ever bought was some crap-tastical dance compliation. I hadn't really gotten into any other kind of music, besides what was getting played out on the radio. I was hooked on the dance music from that CD, and eventually got into the trance and house music of ATB, Tiesto, Oakenfold, and some of artists on and off the mainstream.

Rap was my parents biggest peeve for me growing up. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Pac, BIG...they were all the anti-Christ. My first rap CD was the EDITED version of Busta Rhymes' album, When Disaster Strikes. Curiosity killed the cat and I went back a month later to get the raw version. Snowball effect ensued, and I went for everything from Eminem to Cypress Hill to Wu-Tang.

I had never liked rock growing up. It was always for the kids who hated thier dads or loved the drugs. When I was in 7th grade, my uncle played the Rage Against the Machine CD in the car one day...at like full volume. It gave me the insiders look into rock, and really let me to start appreciating it. I actually still rock that CD in my car on those summer days rolling around in DC. That sparked my interest in Incubus, Sublime, Weezer, RHCP, and many...many more

After all that....music's become my life

I was into MTV stuff until I was 11 or so, and then I started hanging out on the internet more, and found out about a lot of new types of music I had never even known existed. And that I really liked them. I started downloading stuff, and then downloading more, and then special ordering albums at the local music store, and ordering records online. I've kinda gone from there into the full fledged music whore that I am.

Here are some big statges in my musical history

My parents took me to a midnight oil concert in about 1982 when I was about 10 and I got into midnight oil.

I discoverd pink floyd when I was about 13-14

Not long after, I was in year 8 at school I discovered the sex pistols

In the same year (about 1986/87) my love for punk was quickly forgotten when I listened to Black Sabbath. This metal fix spread to metallica, motorhead and slayers reign in blood.

For the next few years I got very much into thrash/speed and death metal, kreator, slayer, destruction, celtic frost, bathory etc.

In about 1989/1990 I rediscovered punk (the DK's, Black flag husker du etc) and alternative acts such as the pixies, the cure and janes addiction.

In about 1991 I got into mudhoney, nirvana, TAD sonic youth etc. At this time my musical taste became much more diverse, I discovered artists such as bob marley, bob dylan, king crimson, Frank Zappa etc.

Were you a Taranaki Pig Farmer? Or were you a possum hunter in the king country?

ahhha, no, nothing so INTERESTING as that. i would've killed to at least have something to do like that in those days.

It 7th and the beginning of 8th grade I was obsessed with Limp Bizkit....I know I know, they suck cock, I realize that now. But in Febuary of 2002 I got Nevermind and I NEVER listened to Limp Bizkit again. After that I got every Nirvana cd and all that unreleased stuff off the illegal terrible download sites. Then I got into Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair and Guns N Roses. That leads into this year and I have started getting into Blind Melon and Primus. I'm stuck in the 90's. I like a lot of other bands too, those are just my favorites.