Teen Listens to Real Music, Urges Others to Do the Same

By I.S. Mills

Scott Cordero, of Lawrenceville, doesn’t use his car radio.

“I don’t even let my friends put the radio on when I’m in their cars, because it hurts my ears so bad,” he says.

The teen can’t stand to hear Adele or Taylor Swift. He’s not a fan of Imagine Dragons or Katy Perry either.  

“Actually, I mean, Imagine Dragons has one or two good songs. Because they’re an actual band with like, drums and bass and everything,” Cordero amends.

He doesn’t spend much time with his mother or sister, who enjoy pop music. He claims that pop music is making his 16-year-old sister “crazy” and “stupider than she already is”.

Cordero’s favorite bands include Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam. He is also a fan of

AC/DC, the Rolling Stones (“Obviously,” he says,) and Aerosmith. Cordero says he often feels isolated because of his music preferences.

“All of the idiots at school listen to nothing but Rihanna. Me and the guys listen to real music. That’s what makes us unique. Nobody has ever heard of what we listen to. Except Mr. DeBrolie, he’s really cool. He has a Styx poster in his room,” explains Cordero.

Scott Cordero is a member of his middle school’s rock ensemble, in which he plays tenor saxophone. On the weekends, he helps his dad fix cars while listening to Q94 on the radio. His greatest wish, apart from skateboarding in the Grand Canyon, is for everyone to understand his love for what he calls “real music”.

“Like my dad says sometimes, they don’t make ‘em like they used to. It’s just sad that nobody knows about any of these bands because I feel like they could’ve been really popular if people appreciated good music. But everyone only has ever liked pop. Everyone in my dad’s generation probably just listened to the One Direction of 1965, whatever that was. It’s just like, duh, listen to the Beatles or something instead! Have some culture for once.”