This isn't web design 101, I've been doing it for years. I should have just asked outright for pages you like well enough that you'd steal their idea. I wasn't asking what to do or not to do in my first web page. ;-)

Be that as it may, I don't use backgrounds at all very often (let alone busy ones), I sometimes make the outermost background black to emphasize my page (a table), I quite frequently set links up to target a blank page, because I want to have them continue reading my page even though I also want them to take a quick look at something else. Using javascript to pop up a window to take a look at the same thing is too much work and is blocked by many browsers' security features or by firewall programs.

I hate having music pop up when I'm not expecting it, even good music, and I don't like the tricks that make it almost impossible to leave a page, just short of turning off your computer.

SRS