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Show DAILY C6 UK V HERALD Sunday, September 9, 2007 How that tune gets 1 A v stuck in your head ? r Other times, they wanted the rich guy. So if you're passing on genes, you want the creative guy. As a record producer Q. What if the creative guy . turned neuroscientist on a e is a tuba player? Are tuba basis with Stevie Wonder and Carlos Santana players hot? A. Tuba players are hidden Daniel Lev it in holds the in an ensemble of 90 or 100 title of Most Righteous Colpeople. I would imagine that if lege Professor. (At least until recent astrophysics PhD Brian there was a tuba soloist, there May of Queen gets a teaching would be tuba groupies. Q. Now I have "Stars and gig.) We caught up with the author of This Is Your Brain Stripes Forever" stuck in my head. Explain that to me. on Music The Science of a A. Scientists call songs that Human Obsession," whose rocking out is now confined to get stuck in your head after the German a sax and guitar gig with Ohrwurm. We don't know University's Diminished a lot about how or why they Faculties. Q. You're the expert, but happen it's hard to get funddoesn't the B.B. King riff play- ing to study this type of thing but we know a little. Like, ing in this lobby seem kind of it tends not to be a whole song weird for a Westin? A. When I came down for that gets stuck in your head, breakfast they were blasting a just 0 seconds of one, and Steely Dan song about a drug it tends to be a simple song can hum that even dealer who made acid in an out in Oregon. It was without effort. Q. Is there a cure? really bizarre. ... Especially A. Some people get since music today is becomso bad that it interferes ing the new architecture. Kids under 20 are using music very with their ability to sleep or differently ... They don't have work. For those people, antifavorite bands; half the stuff depressants and they have on their iPods, they drugs can help. They relax the circuits. Then again, some don't care who it is or where it came from. It's more about people become musicians bean cause they have earworms. It's atmosphere. creating Neil Young told me that he sonic wallpaper. started writing songs because Q. In your book you say he couldn't get rid of the tunes music might be an evolutionin his head. ary asset. A. Darwin thought the funcQ. Doesn't learning everytion of music was to attract thing about how pur brains members of the opposite sex. interact with music ruin the ... A man who can dance for magic of the listening experihours on end, always varying ence? A. Like that famous Oz the steps that shows great scene where the Wizard is rephysical stamina and mental vealed as a nebbish little man flexibility. Women could be behind the curtain? For me it's subliminally thinking, "This been the opposite. Every time guy is clever. This guy could I get a modicum of insight into bring home a bison." Q. And how, in our bison-fre- e mystery I'm overwhelmed by the intricacy and the beauty. era? A. Look at Mick Jagger. Q. Where will you go next with your research? There's an ancient genetic A. My lab recently comecho that musicians are attractive. ... In one study women pleted a study in which we found an area of the brain that were asked to rate various fictional potential mates. The responds to the silence in beeither or were tween creative guys symphony movements. not creative, rich or not rich. It's really a study about memWhen women were at their ory, and event segmentation, most fertile, they wanted to and how we define beginnings hook up with the creative guy; and endings. Monica Hesse I;! THE it WASHINGTON POST first-nam- ' ;t r , .,;.pf!lKaWki. '- - . j ," Mc-Gi- ll A - r- -l , . . A -j . 15-2- non-singe- MEDICHINIAssociated ANDREW Press People pay their homage to late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Modena's Duomo where he is layed in state, northern Italy, Friday, Sept. 7, 2007. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since Caruso and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame as a popular superstar, died Thursday in his home. He was 71. ear-wor- anti-anxie- Pavarotti ily trumped one afternoon of ersatz opera. At its best, Pavarotti's Continued from Cl brand of opera was the real deal: technically accomplished Nevertheless, news of death made me very and musically in good taste. It could be frustrating to see sad. After all, you don't meahim take the easy path, with sure this singer (or any perconcerts like The Three Tenformer) by a single concert, ors. Still, his fame was based or your personal reasons for on a musicianship that thrilled enjoying it or not. Anyway, and newcomers the memory of listening to opera-lover- s the first recording I bought of alike, including soccer fans at "La Boheme," with Pavarotti the World Cup. That duality has been the singing opposite Mirella Freni with the Berlin Philharmonic gift of other musical geniuses, and Herbert von Karajan, eas like the violinist Jascha Heif- - etz or the pianist Vladimir Horowitz, neither of whom were averse to pleasing the crowd with zippity-doo-da- h encores that Med listeners out of their seats. The late soprano Beverly Sills, who later turned her singing talents to raising money and running opera companies, was one of the few other classical performers recently with such wide name recognition. What current opera singer does everyone know? Placido Domingo's reputation is huge, but he doesn't seem to me to Encourage your children to read a newspaper every day. It can help make their wishes come true." Brandy, recording artist, actress Your Town. Your Neighbors. Your Newspaper. www.heraldextra.com court his fans with the same enthusiasm as Pavarotti. (Points, though, for appearing on "Sesame Street," as Pavarotti did.) Andrea Bpccelli has mass appeal, but many listeners (count me in) aren't satisfied with his musicianship. Once you get into a list of other top singers, the fan bases get more specialized. Bryn Terfel, Anna Netrebko, Thomas Quasthoff, Deborah Voigt, Thomas Hampson, Roberto Alagna you get the idea. They're giants of the musical world, each with a devoted coterie of fans. And they are virtually unknown in everyday households. So, we'll see. Is there a young singer out there who one day will match Pavarotti, in quality, in star power and in willingness to go out and sing at soccer matches or television shows? We can hope. And we can listen to our Pavarotti recordings to remember how it was done. r w...the Savvy Shopper UTAH VALLEY Making Your Money Buy More! 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