What this means in context, is that I'm a music snob.
I grew up listening to my dad's records,
whether it was Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, John Lee Hooker, or The Cure.
I spent hours writing lyrics down for songs when the liner notes didn't include them.
I would make my friends mixtapes for Christmas when I was 11.

When I say I prefer their earlier stuff,
it's usually because it's true.
A lot of bands tend to get progressively shit
as opposed to progressively better.
(I'm looking at you Isaac Brock.)

Among my dad's collection, was a really old Nina Simone record.
I used to listen to it constantly, and pretend like I played the piano.
I'd sing Mississippi Goddamn like I knew what the hell it was about.

When I hear her songs for yogurt adverts, car commercials, and mobile phones
it makes my skin crawl.

The link here, in case you're wondering,
is that no I didn't prefer her earlier work -
I loved all of it.
The point is, I'd like to add a new sentence to my phrase book...
I liked Nina Simone before it was trendy.

It's one of these terribly cliche things that only music lovers can appreciate.
Or, maybe I'm just so far up my own ass that I think that's how it is.

Over the years Nina Simone's music has become sort of sacred.
Although I know I am by far the only person in the world
who feels this way about such an amazing artist,
I still feel the need to document my adversity to the trendiness and stake my claim.