Okay. Not to sound like Andy Rooney here, but there are more than a few bands in rock and roll whose importance I understand but who I can't stand to listen to.
Some of them I've completely given up on and decided they're just never going to be something I like. Others, though, I continue to give the occasional listen to, mostly at the urging of friends who are fans.
One good friend of mine has coined the term "gateway song" when it comes to liking an artist you weren't previously a fan of. A gateway song works like a "gateway drug" does. It's the one that sucks you in and leads you down the road to depravity. With these five bands, I'm still looking for my gateway song. I'm asking you to share your thoughts on them and tell me where to go for my gateway song.
Unless of course you also don't like them. Then you can just tell me what you think of them.
 1. Bruce Springsteen. That's right, The Boss. I tried very hard to like him when his Born in the USA album was on top of the charts. I was an impressionable senior inhigh school and if there was ever a time I was going to appreciate him as an artist, that would seem to have been it. I own three of his albums (Born to Run, Born in the USA and The Ghost of Tom Joad) and I may play one of them once a year. Is "Born to Run" a good song? Yes. Can I listen to the whole album? No. I give up around track five. I haven't listened to Born in the USA in a couple of years and The Ghost of Tom Joad puts me to sleep before the first 10 minutes are through playing. The funny thing is, I'm a fan of americana music and I totally appreciate Steve Earle, Uncle Tupelo, etc. I just don't get what the fascination is with The Boss. Will someone explain it to me?
 2. Warren Zevon. Okay, so he's in the same vein asSpringsteen, but I have a great friend who has been preaching Zevon to me for years. I just can't get into him. I have found a handful of songs tolerable at best. I appreciate his way around a lyric, but I find his music to be repetitive, boring, and I hate to say it... unoriginal. His voice bugs the hell out of me (which is weird because I love Tom Waits and think his voice is fine). I love the fact Hunter S. Thompson was a friend of his but that's about as far as my appreciation goes. Anyone have a suggestion on what to listen to besides "Lawyers Guns and Money" and "Werewolves of London"?
 3. Tupac Shakur. Sorry. I just don't get the fascination with him. I have almost every Dr. Dre album. I love Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, N.W.A., etc. When it comes to rap and hip-hop music, I'm generally an old school guy. Public Enemy, 3rd Bass, Erik B. and Rakim and many more grace my CD collection, but Tupac has never been a favorite. In fact, it's been years since I've bothered to give him another listen. I don't know if it's his delivery, his tone or what but I'm just not a fan. Will someone give me a good reason to try listening again?
 4. Yes. I'm pretty sure this is the snotty little punk in me, but 15 minute songs based on classical arrangements do not appeal to me. I know I'll catch some hell for liking Rush and not liking Yes, but that just goes to show, once again, that it's not entirely a voice thing. At least Rush sounds like a rock band. That people fall all over themselves about Yes boggles my mind. Why should I give a damn about this band? Really, tell me... I own a greatest hits album and 90125. That's it. Where do I go to have my mind blown by this band?
 5. The Grateful Dead. Look, I've dropped acid with the best of them, but when I did, this was the last fucking music I wanted to hear. I'm yawning just typing this. You're probably yawning while reading it. Hopefully that's not entirely due to my writing... Either way, this band is such a phenomenon and so many people from all walks of life seem to like them, it's hard not to believe I haven't found more than one song I like. That one song is "Black Muddy River" off their In The Dark album. Anyone got suggestions on where to go next?
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