Much of my high school years were spent in Africa and I listened a lot to the BBC and my favorites were Cream, Hendrix, Traffic and Free. And a Peace Corps volunteer my father directed gave me three jazz LPs that Atlantic Records had included in "care packages" to the volunteers and I listened to those over and over.

My final year and a half of high school was spent in rural NE Ohio and I was the most unhappy kid you would know, I didn't want to return to America really, and I didn't want to be the kid who was the son of the preacher of the church on the town square necessarily. I didn't relate to a lot that was on the radio except perhaps Santana and Chicago. . . and I found "In A Silent Way" and "Filles De Kilimanjaro" LPs by Miles Davis at the library and those just floored me, and led me away from rock and the radio and into collecting jazz LPs and then cds. . . even though I later started playing drums in blues-rock and alternative-folk-rock bands. . . it's been jazz where my heart has been ever since.

Well Donnie…since I sparked your interest that started this thread…I’ll continue.  In High School…I played the guitar in a rock/metal band and also a wedding band as a freshman in college.  

What did I listen to….I was a huge KISS fan, Motley Crue fan because of the band I was in.  I  loved Quiot Riot because of Randy Rhodes (before he went to Ozzy), and Van Halen because of Eddie.  I would say I more often favored bands that had great guitar players.  Loved David Lee Roth when Steve Vai played for him.  

My early HS years I was more into heavy metal, and then my later HS years was the transition to hair bands.    Yes…I wore a mullet and had an earring.  I had the Blue Jean Jacket with all of the Rock patches on it. I guess you could call me a metal head.  Geez!  But one major differentiation was that I played sports in high school… mainly track and field.  The majority of metal heads didn’t play sports… And those were considered “the burnouts.” The metal heads that played sports were just jock metal heads.  

But…I was actively playing guitar and still taking lessons.  So I learned jazz, the blues, you name it.  In college…we played mostly 50’s and 60’s music in our wedding band…called the Lynch Mob.  

Well that question jogs some memories. I’ve always had varied musical interests. With my buddies I listened to a lot of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, with my parents a lot of Roger Whittaker, Willie Nelson, and John Denver. With my grandparents a lot of the Chicago jazz and blues music- Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley.

On my own time I was really into the DC punk scene and metal. Metallica, Slayer, Minor Threat, and later Fugazi. In my last year of high school I really got into the California punk scene, early Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise, Lagwagon, even Sublime and early Tool. And then there were some oddities- Steve Vai, Kitaro, Marty Friedman, Dire Straits, John Coltrane, Butthole Surfers, Mr. Bungle.

A lot of it I don’t listen to anymore. I’ve heard it a hundred times and I’m a different person. But if I had to pick one that takes me back it would be Physical Graffiti.