What Are You Listening To?
Three New Yorkers take off their headphones and chat.
By Austin Duerst
Lauren, 28
What are you listening to right now?
I listen to a lot of Spanish music, like Julio Venegas, and I like old-school stuff, like salsa.
Do you have a Spanish background?
Yeah, I dance salsa and speak Spanish. I lived in Cuba so I like a lot of Cuban music, like Silvio Rodriguez and Los Van Van. I really have broad tastes though — I also listen to a lot of Broadway musicals and Top 40 hits. There's a twenty-two-year old in the production office where I work who also keeps me clued in to all the hipster bands.
Listen: "Ojalá" by Silvio Rodriguez
MP3
What does he say are the hipster bands?
I seriously haven't even heard of most of them. I'd say the most hipster I am is three-years-ago hipster, like MGMT or Arcade Fire.
What are the Broadway musicals you like?
Oh God! It's so embarrassing! All right, here are the musicals I like: Once on This Island, Blood Brothers, Pippin, I mean, really dorky stuff. A Chorus Line is also my secret thing — it gets me in a good mood on my way to work. But this is a serious secret! I'd never admit it in public.
Don't worry — no one but the internet will know about it.
Great.
Your date goes to the bathroom and you look at his iPod. What band makes you run out without paying?
I'd say if someone wasn't into Bob Dylan, I'd question that, probably. Even though I recognize Top 40 is terrifically awful, I still enjoy it, so I don't judge people for stuff like that. They make it to be catchy and danceable, and I enjoy dancing.
What do you think it says about a person if they don't like Bob Dylan?
That their parents didn't raise them right. [laughs]
Listen: "Masters of War" by Bob Dylan
MP3
Who should stop making music?
Who's the girl who did the "Friday" YouTube sensation?
Rebecca Black.
I'd tell her to stop.
Commentarium (17 Comments)
love that eduardo is a hip-hop head and listens to lil b. I love hip-hop and i love lil b precisely because he makes up for what he lacks in technical lyricism through unfailing creativity, energy, and uniqueness
Yeah Eduardo was a favorite of mine. Seems like a great guy.
Yay Jurassic 5. Eduardo has good taste *takes cigar out of mouth. That kid'll go far
I really liked that none of these people take themselves too seriously - they all seem pretty down to earth!
Sorry to the Lauren, but your forced nostalgia won't make Bob Dylan sound any better! Just because Rolling Stone sucks his dick doesn't mean he's a prerequisite for someone having decent taste in music (much less being datable)
agreed.
truth, I love dylan but I'll be the first to acknowledge that too many of his fans think he is a prerequisite to strangers having good personalities....GET OVER YOURSELVES!
it's funny when people tell others to GET OVER THEMSELVES...seems like you be preachin' to the choir son!
Jessica wins for liking Cursive.
agreed.
Jessica wins for everything!
aaaaah bob dylan - i wasn born 20 yrs too late., Love that guy, he makes me wanna cry.
Jessica is hilarious
Paul McCartney - please stop.
Love this feature, have more of them more often, Hooksexup! Also, Foo Fighters should stop making music in my humble opinion - their new song sounds exactly like what they put out pre-hiatus...
I totally agree with Lauren. Sorry people who love talking crap on message boards but if you don't like dylan you got problems. And it's not just rolling stone who loves him, it's the world who decided he's good.
Created the greatest artciles, you have.