📙 Part 2: Talking about music you didn't like

This episode’s vocabulary

Gig (noun) - is slang for a live musical performance, recording session, or other (usually paid) engagement of a musician or ensemble.

Recognition (noun) - acknowledgement of the existence, validity, or legality of something.

Cover (noun) - In popular music, a cover version, remake, cover song, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by someone other than the original artist or composer of a song.

Irritating (adj.) - causing annoyance, impatience, or mild anger.

To admire (verb) - regard with respect or warm approval/to look at (something impressive or attractive) with pleasure.

Betrayal (noun) - the act of betraying someone or something or the fact of being betrayed

Mature (adj.) - (especially of a young person) having reached a stage of mental or emotional development characteristic of an adult.

-

Questions and Answers (Part 2)

Maria: Now, I'm going to give you a topic and I'd like you to talk about it from one to two minutes. Before that, you have one minute to think of what you're going to say and you can take notes if you wish. Here's your topic. I'd like you to describe music you didn't like. Could you start speaking now, please?

Rory: Yes, I'm going to talk about an Amy Mcdonald gig that I went to. It wasn't a recent one. It was about 15 years ago maybe. So I was like very young. I was a teenager. I should explain, Amy McDonald, if you haven't heard of her, is a singer who... Well, she's famous Scottish singer. I think she has some worldwide recognition and success, but who knows? Anyway, that's the singer. But the song itself is actually called Hallelujah. I think everybody has heard this song. We were at the gig and this was one of the songs that she was going to sing. It was a cover of the song at the end of the gig. And it was supposed to be a surprise for the audience there because no one actually knew that she was going to sing it until she came out with it. I'd gone with my mom and my cousins, and up until that very moment, we were having a great time. But then she started singing this song and I absolutely hated it. And I think one of the main reasons why is - at the time I was a bit of a dramatic teenager and I didn't appreciate anything that wasn't original. For example, like, at the time that she was singing this song, everyone else was as well. It was in adverts, it was on TV, it was everywhere, and it was really irritating to have to hear again from someone that I actually quite admired. And it felt like a bit of a betrayal to my young teenage mind. So I wasn't very happy and I expressed this in no uncertain terms. Looking back, I probably should have been a bit more mature about it since everyone was singing this song, why couldn't she? But I think when you're a teenager, things are dramatic or that shouldn't be dramatic, actually are dramatic and you treat it that way. So I've definitely learned a lesson, even if my singer didn't.

Maria: What about your friends or your family? Did they enjoy it?

Rory: Oh, they had a great time. It was just me. I was having a miserable time.