Do you have a "Music" Friend?


I don't mean a friend who you B.S. about audio equipment with, but someone that will sit down and do some 'serious' listening with you. You and they pick an artist or specific album or two (varied genres even), and just sit and listen. Basically someone who knows when to just shut up and just listen to the music? I've had a few friends like that in the past, but not one of my current friends know how to just sit and listen for even 20 minutes. It's always background music or just one favorite  song they like. My wife for instance lasts about 1 song before bringing up something she saw at HomeGoods. Is this a lost concept or am I just not hanging out with the right people? 

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I find it so interesting the seeming commonality in so many of our posts on this topic. I almost always listen alone these days. Occasionally my wife will come in and listen quietly for a while if the record is by one of her favorites (Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, particular Tim Buckley or Bob Dylan recordings, the Clash or Flaming Lips). I had a friend who I could listen all afternoon with though he had relatively narrow tastes, Jazz and classical, but he died. I can still spend long hours listening with any of my brothers and sometimes with my sister but they all live in another state,500 miles away, so that is a rare occurrence. It is true that in the 1960s and 1970s I had numbers of friends that would listen for several records at a session, though we were generally stoned at the time.Now I have two rocking chairs nearfield and a couch  a bit further away just waiting but really I listen alone. My wife says that it is for two reasons, 1) my tastes are just too catholic and so there will be on any given day a point where something I like will drive all other available humans from the house and 2) most people just don't listen to recorded music in a concentrated way any more. Sad, sad and sad.
Hey old bear, thanks for jumping in, I was surprised this thread didn’t get more responses. The ones that did though were really interesting. Not sure what you mean by too Catholic. But wish I could fill one of your rocking chairs, good music is good music. And yes, people dont just sit and just listen anymore. My wife just loves to talk, which defeats the whole concept!
I had a few musical friends stop over a few times a month for a few hours of listening and cappuccinos. We usually took a lunch break for nearby Indian, Chinese or Brazilian buffet and would return for more music. I would play different types of music, something to please everyone.
That was pre Covid hoping to get back to it soon.
Recently met a new music friend. Have had two get-togethers. Similar musical tastes. Enjoyable.
No. Not when it comes to serious listening. My wife will occasionally be in the room when I’m seriously listening but she is usually reading and barely listening.

We enjoy listening to music together but not in the audiophile sense. Music is playing most of the time at my house. Usually when it is playing on my secondary system or Sonos it is lighter stuff that my wife likes.


In college my roommate and I had similar tastes. He had an extremely nice system for a college student. We listened. We discussed. We collected. We obsessed about and dubbed cassette tapes on his Nakamichi. It was enjoyable.

I would not say that I miss not having a serious listening friend but at the same time it would be nice to have one.