Hey, it's Alan, and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing

history of new music early and ad-free on Amazon music, included with Prime.

Decades ago, I was the best man for my buddy Charlie and was in charge of driving the

bridal car from the church to the reception. The happy couple were in the back seat, and next

to me up front was the bride's sister-in-law.

When I started the car, welcome to the jungle, from Guns and Roses started playing on the radio.

And the sister-in-law freaked out.

What is this garbage?

She screamed, turn it off.

I looked at Charlie.

He looked at me, and then he just shrugged.

No sense of making waves.

So I switched to a pop station, but the sister-in-law's violent reaction to the gunners stayed with me.

Then, not long ago, I was in a car with a friend when Rage Against the Machine's Bulls on Parade came on the radio.

I instinctively turned it up. I mean, why not? It's an awesome song.

But my friend shrieked, what is this? Bleep, she said. It's awful. You can't possibly like this.

Now, I was slightly taken aback. We go back a couple of decades, and she came from an alt-rock radio background, too. Her life used to be filled

with this kind of music. How could she not like rage against the machine? I don't know, she said.

Maybe I'm just getting old. I prefer softer stuff these days. And there it was again an example

of how someone's musical tastes evolve with age. It's just something

that happens with most people. Most take that as a given, but not me though, which is something

that's always fascinated me. There has to be some kind of science behind why we listen to different

...