Nevertheless, I do feel that sometimes there’s something mysterious about our susceptibilities. I don’t have the pop music chromosome–is it because I never danced much? Even the Beatles meant almost nothing to me; but when, in high school, entirely on my own, I started listening to opera recordings, I became fascinated and am still alive to that music today. That’s not about education–my bookwormish contempt for paperback bestsellers, in contrast, comes from a lot of years of reading classic novels–but this spontaneous musical snobbery (although it’s not really that, it’s susceptibility) came prior to any training or education. It’s apparently how I’m wired. So I would go easy on the scorn for music that doesn’t reach me–but I’d be happy to point out how Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte is as complex a vision of love as any popular form has ever offered.

Similarly, our sympathies can bely our education: having taught dramatic literature all these years, I have never, despite Western tradition’s dictates, believed in tragedy so much as I believe in comic forms, which (I feel, therefore I think) carry a more persuasive truth.

So the interplay of education and experience with personal wiring makes our artistic susceptibilities always surprising.

Thanks for opening this up, Mark–

But I am a book snob. I can’t enjoy a book if I’m reading it and thinking to myself “I could have written this!” Nicolas Sparks makes my eye twitch. Jodi Picoult infuriates me by refusing to write a book that actually says something. The DaVinci Code is just silly. If I want to zone out with some brain candy, I’ll watch Pretty Woman or Dirty Dancing for the 700th time. But when it comes to reading, I’d rather have Tolstoy.

My favorite Broadway composer of all time is Stephen Sondheim precisely because he does such unexpected things with melody, harmony and lyrics and yet his music is instantly recognizable as Sondheim. Conversely, I can’t stand Andrew Lloyd Webber as a solo act – his best work was when he was with Tim Rice – because he’s so fucking predictable. Also, not much of a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, with the exception of a few songs, but I adore Lerner and Lowe.

As for movies, well, I’m kinda snobby there too. I’ve loosened up a bit since I started seeing my boyfriend, who is a movie enthusiast and loves crappy horror and grindhouse films (I love horror movies, but more along the line of Hammer horror films or anything with Vincent Price – yeah, I know he’s done some bad one’s, but he’s so gosh-darned entertaining in them), but most romcoms bore the crap out of me unless I find the leads especially appealing – most of the time I don’t. Don’t like tearjerkers except for one or two and Farrelly Brother-type comedies are exquisitely painful for me. Action films usually leave me cold (though Die Hard IS pretty damned great – thank you, Alan Rickman).

Contrary to my above paragraph, I really do like movies. Usually ones that take a chance or are just supremely excellent good pieces of entertainment.

(Though, yeah, even I can’t explain why Earth Girls Are Easy still entrances me after all these years. Wait, yes I can: a young, bare chested Jeff Goldblum. Oh my.)

As for books, I’ll read almost anything, but it’s got to be well written. I’ve never read anything by Dan Brown and I never want to. I am John Irving’s and Nick Hornby’s bitch, Kurt Vonnegut and the team of Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle grab me every damned time and I am surprisingly a fan of Sue Miller’s work. Neil Gaiman is phenomenal. And I loves me some Arthur Conan Doyle.

I guess I’m just a snob in general. I don’t mean to be. It’s just where my tastes lie, I guess.

(Sorry about the novel above, Mark.)

And although I thought The Love Below was pretty amazing, I prefer him as part of Outkast proper.

As far as my tastes go, I tend to avoid most music that I can’t feel anything from. It’s not easy to explain, but I can definitely tell the difference between an artist and someone just making noise for money.

I may not be into every song in Radiohead’s catalog but I feel like I understand what they’re trying to say a whole lot more than, say, Sheryl Crow, who to me is a good example of the most vapid, soulless music I’ve ever heard.

And as for books I read a lot I bought James Spader and a few Dean Koontz books. But also
A few religious books like a purpose driven life by Rick Warren. I can’t stand it when I read a book and its a great book
But then they make a movie of the book like for instance
(Like Water For Chocolate) by Laura Esquivel it was originally In spanish then done in english. Personally I like the book better.

Pride and Prejudice now I’ve seen the movie and I plan on reading the book but I hope by reading the book it doesn’t ruin the movie for me.
I took journalism for four years I’m more of a critic against my own work than I am of others.