On Being Awkward, Issue 4.

On Being Awkward, Issue 4.
Today's situation has potential to be embarrassing/awkward/strangely stress-inducing. So let me guide you in a little mental visualization, just to set the scene properly for you...

You're sitting with some friends, enjoying some nice company and some stimulating (or at least entertaining) conversation. In the back ground, your iPod is hooked up to the speakers, playing that awesome playlist you made up last summer. All in all, it's an enjoyable scene. Inevitably, there is a lull in the conversation, and the room is quiet for a second or two. And that's when you hear it, coming from the speakers like a spiteful little sibling, jealous that you're not giving it enough attention:


Dun. Dun dun. Oh woooo-ah. Dun dun. OooOooOooo-waah. Dun dun. OoooOOOooOOoooOOoh*... Ya know ya love me-

Oh balls. Justin Bieber's "Baby" comes on your iPod, just in time for everyone in the entire room to judge. There's an awkward pause as everyone takes in the fact that, yes, this is the Biebs playing on your iPod. No matter how fast you jump up and change the song, or joke about "uh, yeah.. my sister totally put that on there," it's too late. Despite the fact that this song is undoubtedly catchy, unless you are a 15 year old girl, you will likely be at the mercy of your acquaintances judging looks if this happens.

It's awkward/embarrassing because, no matter how good you musical taste is, that one embarrassing guilty pleasure will pop up somehow, and once you've reached that point, there's no going back. (And everyone has one of those songs- if you think you don't you're probably really pretentious and annoying about music, sorry.)  Also, I've found that also everyone (excluding those music snobs I just mentioned) is oddly self-conscious about their musical taste, myself included. For example, if you're playing your iTunes around people you don't know that well/want to impress/are very into music, it can be an oddly stressful/over-analyzed process. This is pretty much how it goes down in my head:
Okay... what to play... everyone likes Jack Johnson right? It's nice chill music.. but no, it's too obvious. Just stick to a playlist, keep it a little varied! Oh this is a good one... oh but it's got those two embarrassing ones mixed in there... what if they don't like Girl Talk? I like it, but they might not- WHY IS THIS SO HARD?!

And basically my neurotic little brain can't handle the possibility of playing music people don't like (even though, really, who bases a negative opinion of someone off of what's on their iPod? Douches, that's who.) so I just fail randomly and usually let someone else pick, or play my default Hornby playlist.

So yeah.... I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels weirdly self-conscious when my iPod is playing around people I don't know that well. Which is pretty irrational, but this situation is exactly why. At least, I think so. Is it just me?

Not my best drawing... ah well.

(*PS. Props to whoever got my very literal, but not very clear, typed rendition of the intro to "Baby" way up there.)