Great thread!
If I was to pick one band, at one moment in time, that cemented my music/life style of choice it would be Nirvana and Grunge
Here's my jackanory to bore you all.
I always had an interest in music from a young age due to my Dad being a Keyboard player and teacher, but as a child I loved the pop thing and found myself happiest when listing to Shakin' Stevens and Michael Jackson. Although my first and favourite Cassette was Electro 10 and that was I don't know where it came from 'cos my mum was into the Beatles and any 80's disco she could wiggle her arse to , and my Dad was into Pink Floyd, Led Zeplin, Kinks etc.. (He actually wrote a song with the Kinks as a teenager but that's a different story)
So...Me (Just turned 13) and my brother (15) were on a caravan holiday with the parents at Camber sands and we meet these 3 girls in the camp-site arcade playing Double Dragon. They were from Southampton and were a couple/few years older than us.
So we got chatting and got invited back to their Caravan for a drink (and we were hoping a snog was on the cards as we quite liked two them ) We arrived in their caravan and the joss sticks were already burning. We shared out the White Lightning and MD 20/20 while the girls made some funny looking cigarettes. Out came the 'Wog box' or 'Ghetto blaster' what ever it was called at the time, and I was blown away by the Grunge. Nevermind had just been released and that was the first of many albums played that night but I was hooked.
We had a great time and soon became making it a very memorable night and holiday.
A week later I bought Nevermind and Bleach and in the months to follow, Sonic youth, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins were all members of my now growing collection.
That year Me and my Bro' learned to play guitar and drums and started years of being in various bands.
Through my teens my choice of music was mainly Grunge/Alternative/Indie or older stuff such as Hendrix, The Doors etc... Basically anything I could either jump around to or 'smoke' to. and If I wasn't 'gigging' with a band I was at a festival.
I did also very much liked the alternative dance...Prodigy, Leftfield, Chemical Brothers, Goldie etc....
So I suppose that night in the Caravan shaped my life in a way (well my teens anyway) but as this isn't my auto biography I'll shut up now.