I thought you might be interested in the posting which, at the time got more comments than any other. From 8th December 2006:-
MUSIC : RESPONSE
Something I saw today got me thinking about music. And the shallowness of anyone who slags off any song as ‘shite’ just because they, as a person, don’t like it, the singer or the band.
My organisation holds an annual Christmas party for around 200 young kids with physical handicaps or learning difficulties. A load of our staff get dressed up in costume as cartoon characters; we bring along all sorts of kid’s entertainers; and of course at the appropriate magical moment, Santa makes an appearance.
But the mainstay of the three or so hours that the party goes on is the disco. And believe me, song after song after song after song would normally have had me screaming in agony and racing for the nearest exit.
The thing that stopped me was the sheer joy on all of these kids’ faces. They were on the dance-floor having a real blast. Most of them needed help and support from the adults, whether it was the folk in fancy-dress or the teachers/parents/volunteers who are with these kids every day. Many of the kids were wheelchair-bound, but that didn’t stop them making their way onto the dance-floor.
Now if the DJ had spun something that I was wanting, there is no question he would have cleared the room, far less the dance-floor. He knew his audience, and he gave them exactly what they wanted. And they loved him for it.
Music is there to be enjoyed. If what you or I hear every day on the banal radio stations or on prime-time television, we can always find an alternative station, or turn on the PC and surf for a while.
But let’s not just have a go at someone else because their taste is wholly different from ours.
Here’s one that filled the dance-floor earlier today. I had to ask a colleague who and what it was and then I found it on Limewire.
mp3 : Girls Aloud : Something Kinda Oooh
It’s superb pop…….
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Sadly, the archiving site which is enabling me to salvage these posts isn’t able to keep the 8 comments that were left behind. But I do recall just about all of them appreciating the sentiments I was trying to convey even if my choice of band left something to be desired.
And Limewire…..there’s a place I haven’t visited in years.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Totally agree. I once saw Lemmy on The Word who, when asked by Terry Christian what he thought of the band who had just played on the show, replied: “It’s not my kind of music, but I’ll fight to the death for their right to play what they want to play.”
I tried ‘educating’ my daughters with the White Stripes and Morrissey from an early age. They inevitably went to Lily Allen and Rihanna! But my eldest Maddie has found her own way and currently has Frank Turner, Arcade Fire, Foals, etc on her Blackberry.
Strangely, I’ve just been working on a piece myself about Abba. We all have guilty pleasures, and we all have valid reasons for liking what we do, no matter if the ‘hipsters’ laugh at us. (Personally, I laugh at hipsters because they are, quite frankly, ridiculous…)
Also noteworthy is how relevant your articles remain seven years down the line. Credit due.