When I first found interest in music, I liked Oldies. And only Oldies. My favorite song was "Love Potion No. 9," and every time my family ate at Acapulco, I would sing to it in the karaoke bar. (I'm sure it was an amusing image: a child of about ten, amidst the haze of cigarette smoke and cheap beer, belting out "I didn't know if it was day or night / I started kissin' everything in sight / But when I kissed a cop down on Forty-fourth and Vine / He broke my little bottle of Love Potion No. 9" [yes, I still know all the lyrics by heart, and am willing to recite them if anyone would like to hear me sing a classic].)

As I grew older, however, I found that my tastes in music changed. I still liked Oldies, of course (and do to this very day), and Kenny G. (whose spectacular saxophone melodies are forever ingrained in my mind as sounds from my childhood, as my father played Breathless often while I was growing up), but I began getting into both Classical and popular music, the latter being provided solely by 99.1 KGGI (before they changed their tune, quite literally), and 102.7 KIIS FM (sparingly). So now I was into the Beach Boys, Beethoven, and Outkast (whose song that began with "Oom boom boom, let me hear you say way-oh" is what stands out in my mind most clearly) simultaneously, an odd combination to say the least.

For a long time, Oldies, Classical, and Pop music were my only interests. Then I was introduced to Modern Swing by a band known as the Cherry Poppin' Daddies ("Zoot Suit Riot" hooked me, but their entire greatest hits CD is still one of my absolute favorites). Of course, by that time 99.1 was out and 102.7 the hip and happening station, revealing to me the mellifluous sound of the Backstreet Boys (whom I have liked from the moment I saw their first video, "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" [I believe that's what it's called - any true blue BSB fans are welcome to correct me]) and Britney Spears (to avoid hate mail: yes, she is really quite pretty, but I like her primarily for her music, not her body), among others. I soon added to my collection of CDs (which, if one were to count only actual physical compact discs that I have bought myself, is still probably under a dozen) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The W's, and Squirrel Nut Zippers, all Modern Swing bands I enjoy, as well as Soul Caddy by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, in which the band experimented with other genres of music than Swing (quite successfully, in my opinion). But I basically still only liked Oldies, Classical, Pop, and Modern Swing (I add "Modern" because I honestly haven't heard much Classic Swing, and therefore cannot accurately judge my interest in it).

Then, for a reason that still eludes me, I began realizing that I enjoyed some rock and punk music in addition to my previous mostly unpopular mainstays. The first song in that genre that I enjoyed escapes me, but suffice it to say that two of the first few were Limp Bizkit ("My Way," "Take A Look Around," and later "Faith," mostly) and Linkin Park ("One Step Closer," "Crawling," and "In The End" are three of my favorites). Then came Alien Ant Farm with their remake of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" (the original is boring and effete; the remake, edgy and catchy), Drowning Pool's "Bodies," Sum41's "Fat Lip," and sundry Blink-182 and Green Day songs. (Truth be told, I forgot to mention that I liked Green Day's "Basket Case" long before any of these other punk/rock [whatever this stuff is called - I'm no music connoisseur] songs.) I had begun listening to 106.7 KROQ upon occasion (I still only listen to it occasionally, as I'm not a big fan of much of the music they play) by this time, and there was a song whose melody I enjoyed immensely, although with my limited knowledge of popular music I hadn't the foggiest idea the name of the song or the artist. Much later, I found that it was "Hash Pipe" by Weezer, which brought me to rip their Green Album onto my computer to discover that I also delighted in "Photograph," "Crab," and "Knock-Down Drag-Out," among others. So I added Weezer to the list. Then I heard Incubus's "Nice To Know You," which piqued my interest in them, although I have liked only a few songs off of Make Yourself and even less on S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (I have yet to hear anything else off Morning View, but I hope to get that soon).

My family somewhat recently acquired satellite television, and the first music video I saw on MTV (at home, as opposed to a friend's house) was "The Middle," by Jimmy Eat World. I thought it was awesome, and immediately downloaded it until I could rip Bleed American from a friend, after which I found I also enjoyed "Sweetness." So Jimmy Eat World was in. Sometime before, another friend of mine (Chris, without a doubt the individual who has influenced my tastes in music most profoundly) had bought New Found Glory's self-titled album and let me hear one of their songs, "Dressed To Kill." I liked that song, but when I received a burned copy of the CD, I must admit that I was not thrilled until I listened to them every night while falling asleep. They are now one of my favorite bands, "Dressed To Kill" being one of my most treasured songs. Chris also revealed the virtues of System of a Down, whose "Chop Suey," "Atwa," "Forest," and "Toxicity" are excellent in my opinion. I heard Bad Religion's "Sorrow" on the radio, found out its name and artist eventually, and ripped their CD. Superlative. Check. Another of my friends raved about The Living End, so I ripped their self-titled album, on which their cover of "Prisoner of Society" is undoubtedly my favorite.

Chris has always, as far as I can tell, worshiped MxPx, allegedly the band that first sparked his interest in the entire genre. So he let me borrow several of their CDs, and I found I actually enjoyed almost all of The Ever Passing Moment, but not much more, their Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo not catching me until recently, and Life In General only revealed recently as well (I particularly enjoy "Cristalena"). I heard The Strokes's "Last Nite" somehow, liked it, and ripped Is This It from another friend (Chris doesn't like them much). Chris did, however, finally solve one mystery I had always wondered about, namely, the hidden track on Fourth From The Last, by The W's. It was entitled "Five Iron Frenzy," and I had never understood its meaning until Chris told me it was the name of another band that plays mostly Christian ska. I ripped a couple of their CDs from Chris, and my favorite song off of them is "One Girl Army" (the chorus is one of the best I've ever heard, but everything else but the beginning lacks something).

Somewhere along the line, I heard about Save Ferris from Chris, and, although being a ska-ish band and therefore not technically part of this list, they deserve to be mentioned, as three of their songs, "Come On Eileen" (a cover), "I Want You To Want Me" (another cover), and "Goodbye" (not a cover) are among my overall favorites. (I recently attended a concert of theirs at the Glass House, and it was unforgettable!) I also discovered The Beatles, and soon became particularly enamored with "Yesterday," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Hey Jude."

But the band that I find the most pleasure in at the moment, one that Chris (of course) introduced to me, although I had heard about them from various other friends of mine (who all raved about them), is A Fire Inside, perhaps better known as AFI. In one memorable night, I heard them, fell in love with them, and ripped three of their CDs, All Hallows EP, The Art of Drowning, and Black Sails In The Sunset, the first two of which are my favorites. (I later added Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes, but, save for "A Single Second," that album has yet to grab me.) This band is perhaps the best indication of my complete conversion, as they are Gothic Punk, a genre I wouldn't have given the time of day two years ago. (Did I mention that this metamorphosis occurred within the last year, at most? Quick, no?) But now I adore them, and simply cannot wait until their new album is released.

Now, if you've bothered to read the above drivel (I cannot imagine you give a whit about my tastes in music, so I'd understand if you simply gave up), you're probably wondering what the Deuce all this has to do with Converse. Good question, but there is a simple answer: for quite a while, I had noticed the immense popularity of Converse All-Star shoes among my fellow high school students, but for most of that time I disliked them, thinking that they looked stupid. (Whatever caused me to condemn them in such a fashion I cannot imagine.) But as my tastes in music changed, I found, so did my tastes in footwear, apparently. I became increasingly interested in procuring a pair of my own, but until the school play came along had not taken any initiative. The aforementioned play, which happened to be "Bye Bye Birdie," was a musical set in the 1950s, and therefore buying myself some Chuck Taylors seemed justified, as those were the shoes worn way back when as well. (Some things never change.) So I bought some, and found that I love them! They're inexpensive, comfortable (despite being little more than canvas, rubber, and rivets), and, best of all, stylish! They go with any outfit, which, although because I am a guy (and not a very fashion-conscious one at that), one would hardly think it, actually matters to me.

So it's official: I'm a Converse convert, a proselytized punk rocker, a newly emerged emo kid butterfly straight from his cocoon and ready to spread his wings. Amusingly enough, my musical tastes still include Oldies, Classical, Modern Swing, bits and pieces of Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, and Country, and innumerable others, as my interests are varied, disparate, and diverse. My compilation CDs have included everything from Disturbed to Frank Sinatra to The Elms. I currently have an all-AFI disc entitled Adipocere (if you're wondering about the title [although I'm sure you're not], adipocere is a fatty, waxlike substance that human and animal tissue sometimes convert into when corpses decompose underwater, and which may preserve physical features for long periods; it's an interesting concept, and a fascinating word) that comprises all of All Hallows EP and The Art of Drowning, as well as select tracks from Black Sails In The Sunset and Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes. Orpheum, my latest multi-artist compilation, is as follows:

1. Fall Children - AFI
2. Nice To Know You - Incubus
3. The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
4. Chop Suey - System of a Down
5. Totalimmortal - AFI
6. Sorrow - Bad Religion
7. Blurry - Puddle Of Mudd
8. Sweetness - Jimmy Eat World
9. Dressed To Kill - New Found Glory
10. Photograph - Weezer
11. The Nephilim - AFI
12. Prisoner of Society - The Living End
13. Toxicity - System of a Down
14. Forest - System of a Down
15. Atwa - System of a Down
16. Crab - Weezer
17. Stellar - Incubus
18. Hash Pipe - Weezer
19. Come On Eileen - Save Ferris
20. Goodbye - Save Ferris
21. I Want You To Want Me - Save Ferris
22. Pretend To Be Nice - Josie & The Pussycats
23. Shapeshifter - Josie & The Pussycats

[Exit Orpheum.]