I can totally understand Friend B. Matter of fact, I probably would’ve had a Friend X do one of those save-me-from-this-date “emergency” phone calls, so I could’ve been rid of Guy C even faster. If you listen to that kind of music, eh, okay. Hell, even I have some Soulja Boy and Jeezy in rotation (workout mixes ONLY, don’t get it twisted . But the fact you’d have it blaring—on a first date?—with a woman you’re supposedly interested in, speaks volumes about your character. Next!

And to answer your earlier question of “How important is the love of music to a relationship?” Very.

Case in point: If a man I’m talking to doesn’t at least—at the VERY least—have a deep appreciation for Stevie Wonder, I know it won’t work. I love Stevie. Everything about his music moves me deeply. If you’re not down with that, or can’t understand that, then…again…next! Might be weird, I know, but I can’t explain it. It’s been a good indicator of a man’s character thus far, so I’m not X-ing out the criteria quite yet.