Back or white, it's all good

Suburban White Kid goes into his favorite record store and purchases the latest effort by Tupac Shakur. Suburban White Kid takes his tape and plays it in his car where Suburban White Kid's friend says, "Why do you listen to this stuff? Are you trying to be black or something?"

Say what?

As odd as that may sound, it happens. Hey, it's happened to me. You see, my favorite music is rhythm and blues-type stuff. You know, music you can dance to. I've got rhythm and I can keep a beat. So what is my friend's reaction?

"Well, your mom must have lied, your real dad is black."

I think statements like that are about as asinine as they come. To think that racial lines in this country divide even the music to which we listen is a little scary.

Rap music is stereotyped as music for young black people, just as alternative rock is stereotyped as music for young, white slackers.

Well, I'm young, white,lazy, and I think that music pretty much sucks.

Don't get me wrong; it's not all noise pollution. I'll admit that not all rap is good either.

If you look at my music collection you'll find everything from Digital Underground to Eric Clapton, from Pearl Jam to Garth Brooks to a Christmas album from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Now that's a weird combination. I've even been known to listen to the soundtrack to West Side Story on occasion. Does that mean I want to put on my leather jacket, slick my hair back and go out get into a rumble? No.

I am simply a music lover and sometimes I'm in the mood to do the Humpty Dance.

I think what a person listens to is influenced by their environment while growing up. Until the age of about 12, I thought music began and ended with Motown. That's what my dad always seemed to have on the radio and that's what I love. The three hours I once spent at the Motown museum in Detroit is as close to a religious experience as I have ever had.

Think about it. In the 1960s and 70s you had The Four Tops, The Temptations, and The Supremes out of Motown, as well as other acts like James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone and Parliament.

If you don't think George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars have influenced a lot of musicians, you're tone deaf.

In the 90s, you've got all sorts of acts that trace their musical roots to the aforementioned masters. Even some of the sounds from Bone Thugs 'N' Harmony can be traced to the stylings of the Motown groups.

I like Bone Thugs. I'm also a big fan of Sade, Billy Ocean, Michael MacDonald and Luther Vandross.

Hey, everybody needs a sensitive side.

Music shouldn't be about color. It should be about listening to what you like. Listen to music that makes you feel good, that makes you want to get up and dance. And whether that dance be a two-step, a mosh pit or even breakdancing- I tried that once, too; scary- just do it. Digital Underground implores us to just "Dowhatchyalike."

Sounds like good advice to me.

Craig Degel is a junior majoring in journalism and theatre.

He thinks whoever the real Milli Vanilli are should put out another album - he'd buy it.