FRANZ FERDINAND - KAPRANOS SLAMS MUSICAL STEREOTYPING

FRANZ FERDINAND singer ALEX KAPRANOS has urged music fans to embrace a diverse range of musical styles.

The TAKE ME OUT star, who took part in a Scottish debate on the future of music at Edinburgh University last night (02FEB05), also takes exception at the way classical music is belittled by the music industry in general.

He said, "We say, 'I like this.' Because I listen to NIRVANA and KORN I am a troubled individual. I'm riddled with angst because I listen to CHOPIN and DEBUSSY.

"I listen to KYLIE MINOGUE and SCISSOR SISTERS because I'm upbeat and I like to party. I listen to WAGNER because I like the smell of napalm in the morning. We define ourselves as a nation by the way we encourage our creativity."

Kapranos was joined on the intellectual panel by composer JAMES MacMILLAN, music professor NIGEL OSBORNE and sociologist TIE DeNORA.