Taking identification with musical heroes to the next step
I've always been a person that falls under the spell of temporary phases or obsessions. I remember listening to David Bowie as an undergraduate, and becoming completely transfixed by his Berlin albums of the late 1970s. I listened to the music, I discovered the history, I even visited the city. There was something about the music that spoke to me at the time, and to a certain extent it still does - but, as you might have guessed, other obsessions have risen up since.
The point is that I identified strongly with this music. I felt that it was a tangible part of my identity, and liked to imagine that the records reflected in some way the person that I was. The same goes for all my current obsessions, of course. But while identifying with music is one thing, a group of people from South Wales have started something altogether more literal - and it's gaining popularity all the time. It's called sleevefacing, and you can find out all about it at Sleeveface.com.
