What's in your iPod?

I was going through my iPod with my friend Steifon the other day. He's a DJ and has wildly eclectic taste in music. When you are African-American and DJ at a country station, your musical taste is broad to say the least. Many a time he's rolled up blaring Dixie Chicks on the stereo, only to follow it with P. Diddy or something equally incongruous.

So we were going through the Pod just to make sure I have a suitably good collection of music. I got points for all my Queen, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn, but I was deducted for style due to having too much Backstreet Boys, My Chemical Romance and Duran Duran. What can I say? While I certainly love the smoky and well-aged flavor of classic rock, I can still be enticed by the refined sugar that is pop.

In any case, I'm open to new sounds. I suppose the oddest thing in my collection is probably William Shatner's cover of the Pulp song "Common People," but I have lots of stuff, from tango and techno to Texas swing. I'm willing to add more stuff but not willing to take anything out. I feel about music the way I feel about movies and books: Yes, some things are vastly superior to others, but if you like it, enjoy it. And don't worry about it. I'm not sure this really is such a thing as good taste. There is such a thing as bad taste, for certain. If you like something, but know it is in bad taste (like a good poop joke), you may laugh but you know it's crass. Good taste is entirely a matter of opinion. I have friends who worship music all day long and think Dave Matthews is a musical god, and other friends who worship music all day long and think Dave Matthews is the anti-Christ. Who am I to say? I can't even play guitar. Still.

So what's in your iPod? I'm taking suggestions.