This is the one about my music preferences.

Posted December 1st, 2009 by Mike Lawson

I was about 11 years old when the movie Aladdin came out.  And around that time my dad used to take us to the Tower Records on Beach Boulevard in Anaheim every few weeks and allow us to spend a few bucks on cassette singles.

My sister picked out November Rain by Guns N’ Roses, and I picked out The Whole New World from the Aladdin soundtrack.

And my sister started making fun of me.

To be honest, I could have picked out anything and my sister, who was 15 at the time, probably would have found something to mock…but for some reason that ridicule stuck with me.

“Why do I want something from a musical, and not Nirvana’s Nevermind?”

Since then, my taste in music hasn’t changed too much.  I like musicals.

For some reason, however, I’m still kind of embarrassed of enjoying this “genre.”  See…I even quotation mark it to denote that it’s not a true genre.

When I’m listening to the Wicked soundtrack in the car, it’s usually played a little lower than the normal radio.  What if someone pulls up next to me and hears?

I caught the young receptionist listening to Glee Cast Radio on Pandora the other day, and we bonded over our love of all things…well, dramatic.  We both like the music of musicals, and will do what we can to obtain the latest versions of our favorite shows when they are revived on Broadway.  This weekend she plans on having a Disney movie marathon at her house.  And it felt good to find something that was like me.

So, this is a declaration.  I like musicals.  Fuck you.