Day 207: Musically Clueless

So today, just for shits and giggles, I decided to log into the MuchMusic website and check out who's on the Top 30 Countdown. I was completely shocked when I realized that not only have I not ever heard like 90% of the songs on the chart, but that I haven't even heard of at least half of the ARTISTS on it! What the hell??? How have I become so behind and so lost and so out of touch from the North American music scene in just under seven months??? It's like I blinked and the music world back home has completely changed!

Most of the Top Ten artists/songs I had not heard of, and browsing through the charts I saw tons of names I've never seen before. The Killers? Lloyd Banks? Keshia Chante? How the hell are they? And The Trews? Sounds like a country band to me. And who the hell is Ashlee Simpson? Jessica Simpson's sister or something? (if that's true than I'm really not missing *anything* back home.)

The charts were even full of familiar well-liked artists of mine that all had songs that I've never heard. All of the latest singles from Hoobastank, Nelly, Matthew Good and Linkin Park were completely new to me. Man, I'm so behind!

And then I was also surprised to see the names of some artists who I thought had been near buried six feet under as its been ages since I've heard *anything* from them! Since when did Green Day, The Tea Party, and the frickin' Beastie Boys come out with new music!!!??? I feel like I've been in a time warp or something!

This is especially embarrassing for me as I was always Mr.Music back home. I was always on top of, no let me correct that, *at least one step ahead of*, the music charts back home. I always seemed to be 'in the know' about new artists and what new singles were about to be released. I could always name the Top 10 backwards and forwards, and knew which albums were flying off the shelves and which ones were collecting dust. I was often the guy that people came to when they wanted the latest update on the music scene.

And now look at me! Completely clueless! What have I become?

In all fairness I do live in a foreign country that plays very little English music (but hey I guess I could check out the scene more often back home online or something, eh?) I feel very, very far removed from the North American music scene (same with TV, movies, and just general pop culture/celebrity back home) but most days I don't miss it at all. I'm too busy with my own thing here to be thinking much about the Canadian music charts, although I am quite curious about it at times. I can't help it - it's in my nature to stay in the know about music!

If this is how I am after just seven months, how bad of shape am I gonna be in come December 2005 when I return home to Canada (briefly) after having been away for a *full two years!*??? Am I gonna be as bad as my parents when it comes to knowing who's hot and who's not in the music industry? Am I on the road to becoming a...*gasp*...Music Relic?