Classical: Classical music lovers have high self-esteem, are creative and at ease with themselves, but not outgoing.

I read the article and I think lumping all classical music fans together might be an issue for some. True, some of us like most everything, but what about the person who won’t listen to anything after Beethoven? Or the person who hates anything but contemporary music? Might those two individuals be somewhat different? I wonder.

According to Professor North, both heavy metal and classical fans are united by a shared “love of the grandiose”, which means that a Metallica fan is far more likely to listen to Mahler than an indie kid is to give reggae a try.

“Aside from their age difference, they’re basically the same kind of person,” he said. “Lots of heavy metal fans will tell you that they also like Wagner, because it’s big, loud and brash. There’s also a sense of theatre in both heavy rock and classical music, and I suspect that this is what they’re really trying to get at when they listen.”

John Gregson, 23, a classically-trained musician with a passion for heavy metal, agrees. “As an instrumentalist, out of all of the main genres of music heavy metal and classical are the ones which require the most discipline to play – they’re technically very difficult and involve playing at inhumanly fast speeds,” he said.

“You feel like you’re in on a secret – you identify with it personally. It also feels like you know something that other people don’t, because you appreciate a style of music which is often vilified.”

I like both Mahler and Wagner. I do not like any of the heavy metal music I have heard.

Just a little FYI, in case you are trying to figure out what you want to buy me for my birthday.