So this is going to probably get kind of weird. I'm trying to get my old last.fm account set up to track what I listen to on my iPods. Some random Reddit thread pointed me to a program that will get my iPods talking to the site via my PC. With that in mind, I'm going to try to convert that into a fairly straightforward, weekly blog post in which a ChatGPT bot basically judges me for my listening habits for the week.

Fun, eh?

I decided to run the testing tracks through ChatGPT just to see what the output looked like. I got two options.

Here is the "standard blog post" version:

My iPod Listening History This Week: A Completely Normal Person's Musical Choices

There are two kinds of people in the world: people who carefully curate playlists to match a mood, and people who let their iPod ricochet between Pink Floyd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Led Zeppelin, and Mark Chesnutt like a caffeinated squirrel with access to a jukebox.

Based on this week's listening history, I am very clearly the second person.

Over the course of 32 recorded listens, my musical tastes demonstrated all the consistency of a weather forecast in Indiana. Somehow I managed to bounce between classic rock, hard rock, progressive rock, country, metal, and whatever category "Kick Out the Jams" falls into when it suddenly appears in the middle of everything else.

The good news is that I'm never bored.

The bad news is that neither is my iPod.

The Top Artists of the Week

The crown for most-played artist wasn't exactly a runaway victory. Instead, several artists finished tied at the top with two plays each, creating what can only be described as a musical traffic jam.

Boston

Boston managed two appearances with "More Than a Feeling" and a live version of "Rock And Roll Band." This suggests that at some point I decided that hearing one of the most recognizable guitar sounds in rock history wasn't enough and immediately followed it with more Boston.

Honestly, that's hard to argue with.

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin also landed two spins with "Bring It on Home" and "In My Time of Dying." Apparently I spent part of the week reminding myself that subtlety is overrated and that songs should occasionally be longer than some television episodes.

David Gilmour

David Gilmour's solo work showed up twice, including "A Boat Lies Waiting" and a live version of "Wish You Were Here." This is the musical equivalent of taking a brief emotional journey before immediately returning to giant guitar riffs elsewhere in the playlist.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd also earned two plays with "Sorrow" and "Bring the Boys Back Home." The combination suggests I was either contemplating the human condition or simply enjoying one of the greatest catalogs ever assembled. Possibly both.

The Warning

The newest band among the week's leaders was The Warning, whose live recordings of "MONEY" and "Dull Knives (Cut Better)" proved that my listening habits aren't entirely trapped in a classic-rock museum.

Only mostly.

Mark Chesnutt

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Mark Chesnutt's "Goin' Through The Big D," which was the only song to receive two plays during the week. Apparently I heard it once and thought, "You know what? Let's run that back."

I respect that level of commitment.

The Songs That Defined the Week

While most tracks received a single play, a few stood out as representative of the week's overall vibe.

The playlist opened with a classic-rock parade that included REO Speedwagon's "Keep on Loving You," the Eagles' "Take It Easy," Led Zeppelin's "Bring It on Home," and The Who's live version of "Won't Get Fooled Again."

In other words, the week started with a soundtrack that could comfortably fuel a road trip, a backyard cookout, or a conversation beginning with, "They just don't make music like they used to."

Then things became delightfully unpredictable.

Billy Ray Cyrus appeared with "Achy Breaky Heart." Metallica showed up with a live symphonic version of "Nothing Else Matters." Paul Brandt rolled through with "Convoy." The Presidents of the United States of America crashed the party with "Kick Out the Jams."

At this point, my listening history stopped looking like a playlist and started looking like a radio station being operated by multiple personalities.

Genre Breakdown: Controlled Chaos

The dominant genre this week was unquestionably classic rock. Boston, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, The Who, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and the Eagles formed the backbone of the listening session.

Progressive and psychedelic rock also made a strong showing thanks to Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Rush, and Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets. This suggests that while I enjoy straightforward rock songs, I also occasionally want a track that requires a map, a compass, and a willingness to disappear into a twelve-minute instrumental section.

Country music maintained a healthy presence through Dierks Bentley, Mark Chesnutt, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lyle Lovett, and Paul Brandt. These tracks served as a reminder that sometimes the perfect follow-up to Pink Floyd is a song about trucks, heartbreak, or both.

Meanwhile, Metallica and The Warning brought some heavier energy to the mix, ensuring that the guitars remained loud enough to prevent anyone from accusing this playlist of being relaxing.

Final Thoughts

If this week's listening history proves anything, it's that my musical taste refuses to stay in one lane.

One minute I'm listening to thoughtful David Gilmour ballads. The next minute I'm blasting Led Zeppelin. A few songs later I'm singing along to Mark Chesnutt and Billy Ray Cyrus without the slightest concern for genre consistency.

And honestly, that's probably the best part.

The playlist may not make sense on paper, but it never gets boring. My iPod continues to function as both a music player and a personality test, and based on this week's results, the diagnosis appears to be: enthusiastic classic-rock addict with occasional country detours and absolutely no interest in staying on theme.

I can live with that.

Here is the "Spotify Wrapped-style" version:

My iPod Wrapped: The Week My Musical Identity Crisis Went Public

Every year Spotify releases Wrapped and people discover they listened to one artist for 47,000 minutes while convincing themselves they have "eclectic taste."

This week, my iPod generated a much more honest report.

And the results suggest that I don't have a favorite genre so much as a favorite activity: aggressively changing genres every few songs.

By the Numbers

Total Plays: 32

Unique Artists: 30

Most-Played Artists: 6 artists tied with 2 plays each

Most-Played Song: "Goin' Through the Big D" by Mark Chesnutt (2 plays)

Percentage of Songs Played Only Once: 96.9%

Commitment Level: About the same as a toddler walking through an ice cream shop.

Most people have comfort artists. Apparently I have comfort chaos.

Nearly every song this week was a unique selection. Instead of settling into familiar territory, I spent the week wandering through decades of music like someone who accidentally gained access to every radio station in North America.