Each person is a complicated personality that can defy description. In some sense, it is an insult to be pigeonholed into being one thing or another, i.e. "He's a punk", "She's a raver", or "They're all a bunch of stoners". For people with one-track minds, this may not be a problem. They may *like* being seen only as a raver, and they may be proud of it. But I believe that most people celebrate the diversity within themselves. They relish the contrary facets of their personality, in that sometimes they are funny but sometimes sad. Sometimes sharp-witted, but other times goofy and gullible. Sometimes a beer and a Breeders song hits the spot, other times a dark room and sixty minutes of Brian Eno.

I have realised that I have hippie appeal. Now hold on just a minute, don't get the wrong idea. I am not a hippie, I have no plans to become a hippie and I'm not repressing hippie tendencies. However, I possess qualities which make me accessible to (some) hippies. I have long hair. I love to "chill out", albeit with alcohol as my drug of choice. The Orb were one of my favourite bands for years -- what could be more hippie than that? In general, the 1993-4 UK techno scene which chewed me up (and has yet to spit me out), was heavily populated by crusty hedonists who danced like spastic freaks, gobbled drugs, and rarely bathed. In other words, they were hippies. I may not give a damn about the rave scene these days, but my techno collection has grown by leaps and bounds and I enjoy a successful career as a bedroom DJ. That has to count for something.

I fawn over trance-like, sprawling guitar rock bands whose songs routinely stretch over several minutes. One might call this music "psychedelic". I may take issue with a 20-minute guitar solo a la Santana, but I take comfort in a 20-minute rythmic workout a la Can.

When I mentioned all this to my friend Paul, he thought about it intently before firmly declaring that he had "black appeal". Paul is white, has blond hair, and speaks like a person who is white and has blond hair. He is also the biggest hip-hop fan I know. He adores dark, abstract hip-hop and dub (Wordsound label, Techno Animal, Gravediggaz). I found techno, but he found house, particularly the sweet and soulful variety (Roy Davis Jr., Larry Heard). His fiancee may like mainstream R&B, but this paves an avenue for her into Pauls' house collection. She may be white as well, but Paul's "black appeal" is a noticeable cog in her fondness for him (at least when it comes to his music collection).

The number of appeals a person may possess is, in principle, unlimited. Consider not who you think you are, but your appeal, particularly with respect to your relationship, crush, or object of irrepressible passionate desire, and think about how it impacts your attractiveness toward them, and vice versa. This may be why apparent "opposites", can and do attract.