I’m not big on answering chain-mails, except maybe to send a link back to the sender proving that the content of the mail is pure rubbish, thought up by some college student in North Carolina with too much spare time, not sure if he should write a computer virus via a virus kit he downloaded or dream up a malady which can only be cured by AOL, and only if 1 million people electronically sign an email demanding just that.

Horst, from The Aardvark Speaks, invited me to take part in a chain-letter thing, requiring me to answer five little questions on music. Now, maybe these questions were devised by some clever music exec, who’s now sitting in his office and doing google queries on his little questionnaire every hour, sending off special task forces to whatever sorry blogger just admitted to storing 100 GB of stolen music on his home computer. Well, maybe not. Maybe that’s just another meme devised by people with too much time on their hands, trying to create yet another tool to interlink the whole weblogging community. In that sense, and because I’m absolutely thrilled to be the recipient of such a meme, I’m now going to answer the questions truthfully, although I must warn any music execs out there that I live on the third floor, so don’t blame me if you’re out of breath after taking down my apartment door.

1. Total amount of music files on your computer:
Actually, I don’t know exactly. I’ve got a few MBs, but I don’t listen to music on my computer, so there are not too many. But, since I’ve recently acquired a portable MP3 player, I’m in the process of transferring my CD collection to my computer, in order to upload it to my new player (once it arrives…with the Austrian mail service, you never know). So that’ll be quite a few GBs.

2. The last CD you bought was: I don’t have money to go shopping for new CDs all the time, so I normally stick to artists I know and like, saving my money for their new albums. Unfortunately, these artists tend to either be dead or take ages to release new albums. Thus, the last CD I bought was “Thirteenth Step” by A Perfect Circle.

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
“Stockholm Syndrome” from “Absolution” by Muse.

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
As you all know, infatuations are just that, and so I may be listening to a song about a thousand times and then lose interest, but I’m sure I won’t ever stop listening to these songs below, for one reason or the other:
* “The Grudge” from “Lateralus” by Tool
* “The Wretched” from “The Fragile” by Nine Inch Nails
* “Lilac Wine” from “Grace” by Jeff Buckley
* “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” from “The Songs of Leonard Cohen” by, you guessed it, Leonard Cohen
* Last but not least, there’s that one special song, which triggers receptors in my brain pertaining to what is commonly called “memories”. And good memories they are indeed. So here it is: “And I Take It For Granted” from “Collected” by Carmel.

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? (3 persons) and why?
Now that’s a bit difficult. I don’t know too many people with blogs who know me as well, but I’ll just try and see if these people are up for it:
Christoph from engadgeted.net, since he’s a blogger I’ve actually conversed with (not in r.l. though)
Michael from Binary Bonsay, because he’s done some kind of music meme on his weblog before.
Finally, Hanni, from pinksocks, because she hasn’t posted anything in ages, and I wonder if that meme’s an incentive.