Hey, Peace: When my youngest son was feeling lost and confused becvause of all the conflicting advice people were gibing him, I told him "Don't let anyone define who you are." Just as importantly, "Don't define yourself is such a limited way that it will keep you from becoming who you are to be." That applies to music, as well as anything else. I still have to work to live up to the advice I give. I can say that I don't like bluegrass, and yet there is enough bluegrass that I do like to expose the statement as a lie. On top of that, I haven't closed myself off to bluegrass, and have bought a fair amount in the last few years.

Reminds me of liverwurst. A long time ago it irritated me that I didn't like liverwurst. It was on my short list of food I didn't like. So I set about trying to like it. I'd make a sandwich with liverwurst when I was hungry enough to eat my shoe, with a thin slice, doctored up in a variety of ways. Through time, I started to get a taste for it, and now I like it well enough to eat it and enjoy it. I just don't seek it out.

I did the same with opera.

Opera, liverwurst, polkas... the principle applies..

Jerry