My favorite music at 8, 13, and now.

When I was around 8 years old I had a profound liking for classic rock. I'd been a fan since conception, apparently, and during my younger years I listened aptly to AC/DC, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, and whatever else you could hear on KFOX. I didn't actively listen to the music, it came to me more passively, mostly through the radio or whenever my parents would listen to it. I shared essentially the same tastes as my parents and I really liked their music – it just sounded good, and I was cool with that.

When I was around 13, however, I had started to develop some of my own tastes separate from my parents. It was around this time that I was starting to get tired of classic music, and it was also when my mother bought me my first stereo with seven or eight CDs. I started listening to pop, grunge, and alternative, especially Nickelback, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains, but still occasionally listened to some of the harder classic rock like Metallica. I started following the trends on MTV and VH1, started seeing what my friends listened to, and moved into more alternative bands like Linkin Park and P.O.D. I went to my first concert (Linkin Park) and started to really get into music. My tastes were really diversifying, I spent vast amounts of money on CDs, and I became very attached to music, carrying my CD player around everywhere until it wore down to nothing. It was a product of my tastes for hard rock mixing with what I'd seen in the mainstream through radio and TV.

And lastly, we have my present tastes. Between 2002 and 2003 the second generation of peer-to-peer filesharing networks had opened up. I had missed Napster, but my aptitude for computers that I had acquired in my youth led me to music on the Internet. From there I stopped listening to radio and TV, and just started getting what sounded good. This led me to indie and electronic music, some hip-hop, and then into my distinct taste for the ever more obscure genres such as post-rock, noisecore, mathcore, post-metal, dream pop, and all other weird sorts of music. Music has become as much a reflection of lifestyle, personality, and aesthetics, and my music has come to reflect who I represent as a person. My favorite artists include Mogwai, Clint Mansell, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Modest Mouse, Metallica, Andrew Bird, Venetian Snares, the pillows, and a wide variety of other bands and musicians. My tastes rarely change but I often find myself expanding to new music to reflect how I feel and who I am, and my collection has become incredibly expansive and eclectic. The Internet really let me develop my own sense of style and taste, and my music helps me feel the way I want to feel - & I think that's how it's going to stay.

Five Questions and Answers

How much money did Elvis products gross in the 1950s?
>$50m

How did Elvis effect the Ed Sullivan Show?
It turned it from popular into explosive.

What effects did Elvis have on the political field?
He helped usher in civil rights and the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

Why did Ed Sullivan let Elvis onto his show, despite his dislike towards him?
Elvis was just that popular.

How did Elvis affect the youth of the 1950s?
Elvis empowered teenagers and created discontent towards the predictable lifestyle of the 50s.

Tips for Success

Here are my top tips as far as doing good goes.

1. Do your work. Seriously. I learned this the hard way.

2. Show up, be on time.

3. Eat and sleep. Too little of either means you can't focus, too much of either makes you
complacent.

4. Study. Even if you have fantastic memory retention you can't get an A without looking back once or twice.

5. Get help when you need it, not when the crisis is upon you.

6. Be responsible for your actions (especially partying). Exercise moderation.

1.1 and 1.3

Exercise 1.1

1. 4
2. 4
3. 4
4. 3
5. 5
6. 4
7. 3
8. 5
9. 4
10. 3
11. 4
12. 5
Total: 48

Exercise 1.3

1. Sometimes I have positive views of myself and my academic abilities. I feel intelligent but lack some self-esteem.

2. I always behave ethically when completing academic tasks. I hold myself to a moral standard.

3. I set realistic an d appropriate goals for academic achievement. I know what I want, and figure out how to get there step by step.

4. I understand my learning strengths and weaknesses. I'm terrible at math unassisted, for example.

5. Sometimes I use effective learning strategies. Most of the time I rely on very good memory retention and repetition through writing.

6. I sometimes manage my behaviors to reach my academic goals. I try hard, but sometimes things get in the way.

7. I use appropriate academic resources, getting help when I need it (ie tutoring in math, which I have done prior).

My Top 10

Here's my Top 10 favorite bands of all time.

1. Destroyer
2. Radiohead
3. Andrew Bird
4. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
5. My Bloody Valentine
6. Lightspeed Champion
7. Bob Dylan
8. Elliott Smith
9. Deftones
10. Metallica

My Top 10 Songs
1. My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes
2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Dead Flag Blues
3. Bob Dylan - Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather
4. Andrew Bird - Darkmatter
5. Radiohead - House of Cards
6. Radiohead - Idioteque
7. Elliott Smith - Everything Reminds Me of Her
8. Deftones - Change (in the House of Flies)
9. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
10. Radiohead - Arpeggi/Weird Fishes

All About Me

Hi, I'm Joshua Shimabukuro. My favorite bands are Boris, Destroyer, Lightspeed Champion, and Andrew Bird. I took Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll because I really enjoy rock and roll and listen to it rigorously and often. I have a deep apprecation for music, being a fledgling guitarist and drummer myself. I like to read and watch movies in my spare time. My favorite book is House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski and my favorite film is Lost in Translation. I like to write poetry and play music.

Top 10 - 1950's

Here's my top 10 favorite '50s rock tracks.

1. Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire
2. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
3. Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock
4. Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes
5. Ritchie Valens - La Bamba
6. Freddy Perkins - Palisades Park (The Ramones did a great cover of this one)
7. Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around the Clock
8. Elvis Presley - Hound Dog
9. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall in Love
10. Ritchie Valens - Come on, Let's Go