By 18 I was having sex to the music of Brian Eno': Tim Booth's honest playlist

"My older sister, Penny, played me So Long, Marianne by Leonard Cohen when I was eight, like some kind of initiation, to say: Now this is a real poet. It felt like contraband and so different to all the pop flotsam I had heard in my otherwise white, suburban upbringing, and gave me a taste of adult romantic relationships that a child could not possibly understand."

"I first heard Birdland by Patti Smith on the night I was told that my father would probably die, when I was 16. It taught me that music could be medicine for someone in pain. The lyrics are about maverick psychotherapist Wilhelm Reich, whom I ended up studying, and helped lead me into the world of altern"

"It's great music to make love to because it slows everything down, which men need and, in my experience, women appreciate. I was having sex to Discreet Music by Brian Eno by 18, and have ended up associating his ambient music with sex rather than new age music."

A personal reflection on formative musical experiences spanning from childhood to adulthood. Leonard Cohen's 'So Long, Marianne' introduced sophisticated artistry at age eight through an older sister's guidance. Early purchases included Patti Smith's work, establishing a pattern of seeking meaningful, unconventional music. Various songs marked different life moments: party atmospheres, karaoke preferences, and intimate experiences. Some early favorites like Cockney Rebel's 'Sebastian' later seemed pretentious. Despite public taste preferences, appreciation exists for contemporary artists like Billie Eilish and Beyoncé. Brian Eno's ambient music became associated with intimate moments. Most significantly, Patti Smith's 'Birdland' provided emotional solace during a family crisis at sixteen, demonstrating music's therapeutic power and influencing subsequent life direction toward alternative studies.

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