St Francis of Assisi whats on your walkman.

Gregorian chant.

(Sorry, it was just too easy.)

But seriously...I'm thinking perhaps those interminable Pete Namlook/Fax Label ambient releases. Nice, "pretty," non-threatening, content free, easy "sublime."

why do good people have to like content-free music? i think st.francis would be into biz markie.

The Grateful Dead and the Indigo Girls, of course!

I wouldn't be surprised if would be into Brian Eno's ambient music, in all seriousness.

Leonard Cohen

Think Cohen likes the flesh a bit too much.

No, redemption and compassion are important.

Like A Virgin - Madonna.

leonard cohen is the best answer yet.

"Don't kill the animals, / don't kill the animals,
The animals are free, / ee-hee-hee-hee."

He'd be listening to some environmental/naturescape crap.

Or the Byrds. Haha! Or the Animals! Or the Super Furry Animals! Or Atom Heart Mother.

all these joke answers don't recognize what a really good question this is.

No, you're right, and to get things back on track, I thought I'd share this tidbit, which I found on a Franciscan web site:

"Most people know Francis as a middle-ages ascetic who loved animals. The complete story is even more interesting. He was born John Bernardone, the son of successful merchant Peter Bernardone. Peter made his living travelling to and from France, and importing their fine fabrics. The early sources say that Peter nicknamed his son "Francis" ("Frenchy"). Or perhaps John acquired the name because as a teen and adult, he liked to play the French instrument -- an early form of the guitar, and the subject of some ecclesiastical disapproval."

"We read that in his youth, Francis used to organize parties for the upper-class kids. Whether he had any romantic involvements will never be known. An early liturgy honoring him as a saint stated that he "surpassed all the other young people in debauchery".

The account goes on to tell us:

"Returning home, Francis remained in public life. He negotiated one important peace settlement, and completed his "Song of Brother Sun", which he urged his emulators to play on the still-controversial guitar."

So, there you have it. St. Francis - pop star. A friend long ago told me I should read his life, and now I'm thinking I should. The ex-Catholic in me avoids that sort of thing.

I wonder if anyone here has seen the old Donovan movie about St. Francis, "Brother Son, Sister Moon." I haven't, but I remember one of my older sisters raving about it and buying the soundtrack and mooning over Donovan. Having once taught at a Franciscan college, I'm sorry to say that the brothers I knew there seemed to like tepid adult contemporary music best; I once got in trouble for playing a rather vulgar Ministry song on the college's radio station. It might have had animal sounds on it.

I think St. Francis would be into 'contemporary classical' Frankly, though, I think men like Mr Francis are a thing of the past; that's why it's so hard for me to imagine the dude listening to anything poppy, or 'adult contempo' for that matter. If saint Francis was among us today, he would be either homeless/insane or a hard-line animal rights activist.

frankly mr shankley by the smiths?

san francesco or as you call him st francis was a guy that inspired my parents (agnostics in religion, and leftwing in politics) to give me this name. he was a bizarre and lovely guy and he would be listening to field recordings

Nick Cave

I honestly think that St. Francis would unabashedly love later-period Talk Talk.

Something pastoral off Faust IV would have him dancing in the village square.