Recordshop, Milan, Italy, 1980.

Music shapes the way you experience the world. Sitting in a car looking out of the window listening to Lola by The Kinks or Careless love by Hugh Laurie is a completely different experience, amiright? The same goes for the music we grow up with. We not only choose our own music when we're but wee little ones, but we are -sometimes forced- to listen to the music played by our parents. This not only makes us pick certain songs when sitting in a car, but it also creates a particular soundtrack for our (younger) years on this earth.

"But don't be fooled by her sweetness, she still has a sour taste on the edges."

This idea spurred out of me during a random supper, which ended in an interrogation. A friendly, passionate interrogation. As you could read in part 1, my father is quite the rock ballad fanatic and has some sharp edges in regards of nowadays beats. My mother SPOILER ALERT is a bit milder at heart. But don't be fooled by her sweetness, she still has a sour taste on the edges.

Birthday party September 1970. My mum is the cute girl standing in the middle (with the white socks).

Paradise

In this part: MY MOTHER aka Marjan (Maria + Johan 'Jan' = very creative grandparents). Another (late) 1960s child, who once when she was younger eagerly recorded Paradise by the dashboard light by Meat Loaf from the radio on a cassette tape, rewinded it and wrote down, sentence by sentence, the lyrics. Why? She was electrified by the song. The lyrics, which she discovered sentence for sentence when listening back to her cassette, only made her more and more excited. And, although it took her some hard work, she finally had the whole story in front of her. The first one of her class, if not the first one in the Netherlands. But quite like within the song, this 'accomplishment' is met with an anticlimax: a week later the lyrics were published in Dutch teen magazine Hitkrant. "But now I never forget those lyrics!", she says triumphantly. Which I can personally confirm.

What's your favourite kind of music?

Pop, jazz... Honestly I like a whole lot of different genres. Ballads. I mean, I listen to almost everything. ;)

"Why? Because of the way they looked, of course."

What was the first vinyl record you bought?

Dolly Dots! Why? Because of the way they looked, of course. But also how they sang. But mostly the way they looked. Before buying that record however I'd bought a single. My first single was You and me by Spargo. They actually performed at my school which was very impressive.

At our house there was constantly music playing in the background. Grandma was a big Harry Belafonte fan and grandpa loved Shirley Bassey! I really enjoyed their music and I think that's the beginning for my jazz love. Though I don't like jazz jazz, I'm more of a popular jazz type as I think you need to be able to hear what they're playing to enjoy it.

What do you think of current music compared to back-in-the-day?

I don't think it's bad. There are plenty of artists who are absolutely smashing it and can really touch you. *ahum* Adele *ahum* I really hate trance or house music or anything electronic dance club headache beating. Although I think that when I was younger I had more of a 'relationship' with music. I don't have the foggiest who are hot right now.

First concert you've been to?

Simple Minds with Simply Red as their opening band at the Amsterdam Forest (10 June 1986). It was quite the experience. (nervous laugh) I didn't actually enjoy it as I don't like crowded spaces and there was a lot of pulling and pushing.

Most impressive live performance you've experienced?

I haven't actually been to many concerts as, you know, I don't like crowded places. I once went to a concert of Renee Froger in Rotterdam, Ahoy. We were sat on the first ring of the stadium and I kid you not, when everyone got excited you could feel the concrete moving in flows underneath your feet. I sat nailed to my seat and cried for most of the concert. However I went to one of his concerts in a theatre in Utrecht and it was amazing. The floor didn't move an inch. ;)

"I actually really enjoyed their music, so it wasn't that I was there only for you."

I think out of all the concerts I went to, Tokio Hotel must be the most impressive one. I actually really enjoyed their music, so it wasn't that I was there only for you. And I just loved the way they looked. Especially Bill Kaulitz. It's I guess the same with the Dolly Dots. He really carried an interesting look that intrigued me and caught my attention.

Who would you like to see live? (Dead or alive)

Paloma Faith, Adele and Michael Bublé. Although attending concerts is physically challenging for me... Also the prices of the tickets for Adele and Michael Bublé are insanely high. But still.

Who's you favourite contemporary artist?

See above!

A fun musical anecdote?

I really, really hate hiphop. So when there was hiphop on the background in the hospital as I was about to pop out your sister, your father very dearly asked for it to be turned off. Which would've been great during any other situation but NO I demanded they turned back on the music. Those beats, they were suddenly the best think I'd ever heard and no one dare to turn it off again. I actually frantically yelled... I blame the hormones...

Production line at CBS Columbia Records, 1953 by Ezra Stoller.

5 jazzy pop songs recommended by Marjan

In no particular order...

1. When we were young by Adele
2. Me and Mrs. Jones by Michael Bublé
3. Barcelona by Tommy Christiaanse & Tania Cross
4. Stone cold sober by Paloma Faith
5. Angels eyes by Wet Wet Wet