How different of a person would you be without music?
 

How would your life be different if you weren't ever into some of the artists you have been into?

For me, I don't think I would have gone through phases where I wanted to be things I surely wasn't and probably be more of a snob.

i grew up listening to Britney Spears. I honestly believe she contributed something to my homosexuality. But had I idolized Aerosmith or Nirvana than her, I think i would be the exact opposite of what I am right now.

if I hadn't listened to the John Peel Show on the BBC World Service when I was a teenager, I probably wouldn't listen to half of the music I do today

If it weren't for my first loves in music that weren't at all influenced by my parents' listening habits - Jewel, Savage Garden, and Blues Traveler - I really don't know where I'd be today. I went through phases of awful music, but these were the bands I most loved when all of my other peers were mad for Hanson, Backstreet Boys, and all of that.

Jewel has definitely evolved my taste into a lot of the more acoustic singer-songwriter-y stuff I like now, a la The Mountain Goats, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and things of that nature.

Savage Garden led me to artists like Radiohead, which has in turn led me to be turned onto a lot of indie and alternative stuff.

And Blues Traveler really helped me gradually get into improvisational music and superb instrumentation; if I'd never loved Blues Traveler as a kid, I can almost guarantee I'd not be into bands like Phish...

And without Jewel AND Blues Traveler, I doubt I would have really gotten into The Grateful Dead.

So really, I can trace most of the music (if not all) that I listen to today back to those three acts. Without them, God knows what I'd be listening to.

Savage Garden are awesome!

I'm not sure. I consider music my main hobby and not a definition of who I am. Then again I do listen to it to relax, to help me study, as a common bond with many friends, etc. so maybe it has had a huge effect on me. Guess I'll never really know, and I don't want to know.

i wouldn't even be listening to English music if my dad weren't blasting the Beatles and the Rolling Stones when I was a baby

Good question... No idea. I guess I would be into books more (I'm already an avid reader as it is). I'd be pretty much the same, except I wouldn't annoy people with my excessive talking about music.

In all seriousness, I'd be dead. Music got me through some dark times. Without it I wouldn't of made it through. It's what keeps me alive and passionate today. Even if I can only fantasize about being a singer it's still enough to keep me ticking.

videogames would be my life... then again, if they didn't have music...

Suicide.