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"Looking back through the chapters of your life searching for a storyline."
I don't listen to as much music as I used to. Before I became a film fanatic, way back when, I devoured music like a hungry boa constrictor. All hours of the day, before school, during school, after school, late at night...whenever. MuchMusic was it as far as TV. I used to scurry on home and push a tape into the VCR and sit there with my hand on rec/play/pause and put together mix tapes...ready and willing to listen to the same song over and over again. Dudes with long hair and guitars and ripped and frayed clothes. It was the soundtrack of my youth, and to this day when I hear certain songs I am transported to a time and place and mindset that I can't get to otherwise.
Crunchy, noisy guitars...lots of feedback...loud, crashing drums...thick, bouncy bass lines...anger, frustration, melody, screaming bloody fucking murder. Teenage angst never felt so good. It was like opening up a valve in my chest and letting it all pour in and out of me like black, syrupy water. We here in Canada were doubly blessed that we not only got the best from America, but we had tons and tons of great homegrown bands. Sloan, rusty, Transistor Sound & Lighting Co., Limblifter, Headstones, Thrush Hermit, Matt Mays, Hayden, Treble Charger, The Watchmen, The Tragically Hip, The Tea Party, Big Wreck...and all those smaller bands that had one or two really kick ass songs that put them at or near the top of the mountain for a minute. That's not to mention bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Weezer, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Blind Melon, Tripping Daisy...among others. There was just so much good music. Granted, I'm biased towards early/mid 90's stuff...and maybe I just remember it differently...but man were we spoiled.
I was surfing around the internet a few nights ago and stumbled upon a video for Tinfoil by Limblifter. A few hours later, I had rolled through about 20 different now 'classic' videos...and man didn't I feel 14 again for a brief, wonderful moment.
There have been a few bands since then...The White Stripes spring to mind...but really, after I left school in '02, and found myself in the rap game full time, I lost touch with the music fanatic that was the teenage me. I still turn to those bands and songs when I need a lift.
Today was a good day. I woke up feeling like shit...super tired from restless night and about 6 hours of sleep. The water pressure was gone thanks to some water pipe work going outside, I got an unwanted text from her asking for a midnight ride home, there was no food to be found in the fridge and I was already late for work. It was looking bleak. But I rolled into work, grabbed some yummy beef patties on the way, and despite a hectic, busy day at the office, I found myself gaining not losing energy as the day went on. The place was buzzing with activity, and I was at the top of my game...or something close to it...and that midnight ride turned into a 10pm one. Things fell into place, I was able to get out on time, and got there in time to pick her up. She was full of a wicked cold and it was radiating off her like germ warfare, but for whatever reason the vibe in the car was buoyant and we had a good conversation about work and kids sneaking into R rated movies. I dropped her off, but not before she invited me out to a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl with her and her boy and a bunch of work colleagues which surprisingly didn't strike me as a terrible idea. I might even go and have a beer or three.
And now I'm sitting here listening to some old tunes, filling my ears with beautiful noise and feeling alright.
I'm going to try and ride this wave until it breaks.
I don't listen to as much music as I used to. Before I became a film fanatic, way back when, I devoured music like a hungry boa constrictor. All hours of the day, before school, during school, after school, late at night...whenever. MuchMusic was it as far as TV. I used to scurry on home and push a tape into the VCR and sit there with my hand on rec/play/pause and put together mix tapes...ready and willing to listen to the same song over and over again. Dudes with long hair and guitars and ripped and frayed clothes. It was the soundtrack of my youth, and to this day when I hear certain songs I am transported to a time and place and mindset that I can't get to otherwise.
Crunchy, noisy guitars...lots of feedback...loud, crashing drums...thick, bouncy bass lines...anger, frustration, melody, screaming bloody fucking murder. Teenage angst never felt so good. It was like opening up a valve in my chest and letting it all pour in and out of me like black, syrupy water. We here in Canada were doubly blessed that we not only got the best from America, but we had tons and tons of great homegrown bands. Sloan, rusty, Transistor Sound & Lighting Co., Limblifter, Headstones, Thrush Hermit, Matt Mays, Hayden, Treble Charger, The Watchmen, The Tragically Hip, The Tea Party, Big Wreck...and all those smaller bands that had one or two really kick ass songs that put them at or near the top of the mountain for a minute. That's not to mention bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Weezer, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Blind Melon, Tripping Daisy...among others. There was just so much good music. Granted, I'm biased towards early/mid 90's stuff...and maybe I just remember it differently...but man were we spoiled.
I was surfing around the internet a few nights ago and stumbled upon a video for Tinfoil by Limblifter. A few hours later, I had rolled through about 20 different now 'classic' videos...and man didn't I feel 14 again for a brief, wonderful moment.
There have been a few bands since then...The White Stripes spring to mind...but really, after I left school in '02, and found myself in the rap game full time, I lost touch with the music fanatic that was the teenage me. I still turn to those bands and songs when I need a lift.
Today was a good day. I woke up feeling like shit...super tired from restless night and about 6 hours of sleep. The water pressure was gone thanks to some water pipe work going outside, I got an unwanted text from her asking for a midnight ride home, there was no food to be found in the fridge and I was already late for work. It was looking bleak. But I rolled into work, grabbed some yummy beef patties on the way, and despite a hectic, busy day at the office, I found myself gaining not losing energy as the day went on. The place was buzzing with activity, and I was at the top of my game...or something close to it...and that midnight ride turned into a 10pm one. Things fell into place, I was able to get out on time, and got there in time to pick her up. She was full of a wicked cold and it was radiating off her like germ warfare, but for whatever reason the vibe in the car was buoyant and we had a good conversation about work and kids sneaking into R rated movies. I dropped her off, but not before she invited me out to a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl with her and her boy and a bunch of work colleagues which surprisingly didn't strike me as a terrible idea. I might even go and have a beer or three.
And now I'm sitting here listening to some old tunes, filling my ears with beautiful noise and feeling alright.
I'm going to try and ride this wave until it breaks.
posted by neil at 2:30 AM
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