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This episodeās vocabulary
Upbeat (adj.) ā cheerful; optimistic.
Erratic (adj.) ā not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.
Tune (noun) ā a melody, especially one which characterizes a certain piece of music.
To divide attention (verb) ā to attend to two different stimuli at the same time, and respond to the multiple demands of your surroundings.
Gig (noun) ā a live performance by a musician or group playing popular or jazz music.
Live concert (noun) ā a performance given by one or more singers or instrumentalists or both.
To mix up (verb) ā to think that one person or thing is another person or thing.
We have also added these words to a āQuizletā set for you to study and revise in your free time: bit.ly/quizlets03e18
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Questions and Answers
Maria: Rory, do you like music?
Rory: Doesnāt everybody? I always think itās funny, when I was doing online dating, youād see a lot of people on their profiles have something in their bio, like: āI like musicā. And I always thought: āWell done! You like music. Youāre not a psychopath.ā. I think thatās just a given that everybody likes music.
Maria: You were doing online dating, Rory? š
Rory: I was doing online dating, yeah. I hope that Iāll never do it again, to be honest with you.
Maria: Back to music. What kind of music do you listen to?
Rory I donāt knowā¦ I can listen to just about everything. But I think my favorite kind of music is sort of like ādanceyā or upbeat music with, well, with a beat that I can follow, for a lack of a better word.
Maria: What kinds of music do you dislike?
Rory: I really hateā¦ And Iām so sorry for any metal fans who follow us as well, but I really hate heavy metal music. Itās just too loud for me. That or erratic music. My friend Dave makes his own music and the idea is that thereās no tune to follow. At least I think thatās the idea. Sorry, Dave, if youāre listening and Iāve just misdescribed what it is you make, but Iām sure his music is great for people that like it, but I really donāt, because I canāt follow it at all, and I donāt like music that I canāt follow.
Maria: Whatās your favorite bands or singer?
Rory: I donāt think I have one. If we think about the kind of music I listen to, sort of stuff by Sia or Sigala is quite nice, but I donāt have a single favorite band or singer.
Maria: Do you prefer listening to music alone or with someone?
Rory: Well, alone, usually, because Iām usually, like, walking to the metro station and I like to listen to music while I do that. And itās nice because I can follow the beat and I donāt have to divide my attention between having a conversation and listening to music. And itās always a bit weird, isnāt it, when youāre listening to music and someone is with youā¦ Unless youāre singing together.
Maria: Oh. Karaoke!
Rory: Yeah, like karaoke. That might be OK, but, like, karaoke is not something that I normally doā¦ or ever do. Iāve never done karaoke.
Maria: š®
Rory: Maybe one time, like, 20 years ago. But probably not recentlyā¦. No. Definitely not recently.
Maria: Aya ya ya yaiā¦ Go. Tomorrow. Karaoke.
Rory: No.
Maria: Yes. Youāre doing it. Iām taking you to a karaoke. Weāre going to sing Russian songs. Yes.
Rory: No, no.
Maria: We first go to Brussels to this restaurant to eat bugs (check out our insects episode š¦), and then we go to Karaokeā¦ in Moscowā¦ on the same day.
Rory, do you ever go to live concerts?
Rory: Oh, God. I used to go to gigs, again, like 15 years ago when I was really young. But nowā¦ Not so much. I just like listening to music on my earphones, I suppose. And thatās all. I could go to a live concert again, but I think it would have to be something really special.
Maria: Does music influence your mood?
Rory: Well, it definitely picks me up sometimes when Iām feeling down. And if you listen to baroque music, itās supposed to help you concentrate more. Butā¦ No. No, actually, no ābutās. Generally, yes. I think it influences your mood. Like, you can see when people are listening to happy music theyāre quite happy. But maybe itās mixing up cause and effect. Maybe theyāre already happy and they listen to music because theyāre happy. But for me, it seems like it influences your mood at the very least.
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