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| a conversation on music, albums and life (disguised in a chain-type thing)Think of 25 albums (we're talking music, you know CDs, or more likely LPs) that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world.
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I once did something similar to this for Hyeyoung when I made her two cd's full of songs that had this same idea in mind. I'm happy to do this with albums, too, though. I'm also hoping that this more stimulates some conversations about music and getting to know people and music more than anything. I warn you, this gets a little long. Cheers, James.
1. Spin Doctors: Pocket Full of Kryptonite - Let's begin with the beginning. This is the first cd I ever bought way back in junior high. It set the tone for how I experienced albums from then on.
2. Singles: Soundtrack to the movie - I unabashedly jumped on the Seattle music scene bandwagon in my West Texas teenage years. Something about the angst and the yearning to reach beyond... beyond high school pettiness, beyond my father, beyond unrequited love, beyond... Midland? This'll be the album for all those women I hopelessly pined after as well as those I realized only too late could have offered me a wonderful time in relationship.
3. Pearl Jam: Ten - on the same note... only this album didn't have as much to do with my lovelorn quirkiness.
4. Fugazi: 13 Songs - These guys set down political thought, questioned societal assumptions, and championed the straight edge scene, all with the kick-ass simplicity of punk and raw emotion. Suggestion is my constant reminder of the struggle against what society defines as manhood. Kudos, Brandon.
<gonna jump my life's chronological introduction from here on out... beginning with the end>
5. Gogol Bordello: Gypsy Punks - Ever since watching these guys last Fall, they've reminded me to not take myself too seriously. This entire album is filled with an unquenchable thirst for life, love and colorful experiences. It's also wicked fun to listen to and got me dancing in the car again. Oh, and another important reminder... PARTY, PARTY, AFTER-PARTY!
6. Joy Division: BBC Recordings - It was these recordings, especially from the two tracks from the Something Else airings at the end, that re-introduced me to the Mancunians who redefined dancing to rock/punk/goth/whatever. I think it was Joy Division who brought me to a place where I feel most comfortable dancing at Goth clubs than any other place. They are also a good reminder that darkness is not meant to be avoided or even shunned. Rather we fully confront it and wade through the midst of it. I'll add, it's usually in the darkest of the dark corners that we actually find God. If I may commit an atrocity and mix in a quote from Madonna to sum it up: "I know a place where you can get away. It's called the dance floor, and here's what it's for, so..." "dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio!"
<got carried away with that one, sorry>
7. Van Morrison: Astral Weeks - I was introduced to this one by my roomate at Glasgow University, Andrew Hegarty (from Dungannon, Northern Ireland). He described this album as the essence of a lazy Sunday afternoon in Belfast. I soon spent a lazy Sunday afternoon in Belfast with him that year. And I'll be damned, but he couldn't have been more astute.
8. U2: Achtung Baby - Speaking of Irishmen... this album represents a band taking a little trip inside themselves and doing some serious self-discovery. Up against the wall and not sure where to turn, they opened themselves up to imagination and new horizons. Thus was born the riff to "One" (check out this VH1 Behind the Music if you get a chance). Then "Even Better Than the Real Thing" came out with its video and opened me up to new horizons. Here, I must also mention that Joshua Tree also nurtured some deep emotions of mine throughout my teenage years. Perhaps this should rightfully have its own note, but I've come to the end of my list already.
9. The Pogues: Rum Sodomy & the Lash - To complete this Irish trilogy... some punkers with a taste for Irish folk music get together with some Irish folk musicians with a taste for punk. Thus is born Celtic punk. If I could have "The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn" playing every time I went out on the piss (especially that year in Glasgow) I would have. Also, "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda," an epic anti-war protest.
10. Nastyona: 아홉가지 기분 (loosely translated as "Nine Kinds of Feelings") - We're going from Ireland to Korea here. In my search for underground/indie music during my year in Korea, I stumbled upon this band at a concert at 홍대 (Honggik University). The album is quite broad in scope of musical genre and chock full of emotion. The lead singer, Yona, reminds me of the voice of Tori Amos. Of course, she takes it in some exciting directions that Tori hadn't. You can find them on Youtube, in case you're not living in Korea.
11. The Wombats: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation - Ran across this debut album while I was in Korea streaming BBC Radio 1 with Huw Stephens. A fun post-punk-pop album that could get me excited about doing just about anything (without the usual annoyance of most pop (especially West Coast American punk-pop). Became my second soundtrack for Korea behind Nastyona. Nice bunch of lads from Liverpool and beyond.
12. Reverend Horton Heat: The Full-Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend - Back to my homeland for a bit. If ever there was a perfect album to listen to while traversing the endlessness of West Texas highways, you can't come closer than the good Reverend. I must, of course note that "Big Sky" was not on this album but is the pinnacle single song for driving through West Texas at night (especially when Brandon had his Miatta's top down).
13. Nirvana: Nevermind - Basically speaks for itself. Opened me up to new emotions and new ways of engaging anger and sadness.
14. Black Sabbath: Children of the Grave - Heavy Metal has always been the best way for me to engage anger and sadness without having them overcome me... similar to the healing qualities of blues music. In addition, the title song from this album, "Children of the Grave" became my rallying cry for working toward peace and reconciliation in the world. I was volunteering with youth in England when Bush Jr. began beating the Iraq war drums. When I was on the edge of embracing despair in my work and in the world, "Children of the Grave" turned me around and renewed my determination to work with youth toward peacemaking.
15. Tool: Lateralus - Also healing qualities of metal, except this band takes another step in order to engage something beyond our immediate tangible experiences. They do it with gusto, with emotion, but also with exquisite subtlety. When I'm on the brink, this album gives me something to hold on to.
16. Stevie Ray Vaughn: The Sky Is Crying - Did I mention the healing powers of the blues? Also, when discussing music to drive along West Texas highways to, this must be a part of it.
17. Pantera: Vulgar Display of Power - Kept me from releasing my anger upon people and things around me while I was dealing with the vulgar display of my father's power in my household throughout my teenage life.
<slight change of gears here>
18. Natalie Merchant: Ophelia - Something about her unique voice and the emotion it carries pulls on my heartstrings like no other vocalist out there. Then, which album do you pick? Tigerlily? Motherland? Maybe I should put all three into this list. Natalie represents the only obsession I can honestly say I had with a female musician.
19. Kate Rusby: Little Lights - This list needs more women, I reckon. Kate, the Yorkshire folk singer introduced to me by Joanna, my Scottish Country Dance dearest friend. This album became a soundtrack to my year in Glasgow, despite the fact Kate's not Scottish.
<gear shift back>
20. Rage Against the Machine: Self titled ablum - Similar effects as with all heavy metal. This band also nurtures my will to question authority, thankfully. Worthy of note is also the Battle of LA album, which I recently used in a lecture as an education assistant in Christian Ethics for my last semester at seminary.
21. Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Yes, the Pumpkins on their Siamese Dream tour were the first live concert I ever saw, and really I'm indelibly torn between these two albums. So I will say they both helped me look up at the stars and recognize that I'm part of something greater, something greater than all the crap we have to deal with here in this life. I suppose Mellon Collie did this on a grander scale and with more precision, and therefore gets the higher billing. I could change my mind tomorrow.
22. Steve Earle: The Mountain - This album really represents the period in college when I decided I wasn't going to totally leave country music in the dark recesses of my mind. Steve gave it a flavor that I could relish, and I still do. No less than Cash, actually. So I suppose he'll get the next note.
23. Johnny Cash: Unchained - The beginning of his American label recordings. Down and dirty and in the thick of it. Carries the folk tale of, espeically southern, American life. In a twist of genius it also carries stories such as that of a cover of "Rusty Cage" originally from Soundgarden. I'll note that I purchased this album a year or two before college. So perhaps I should really give Cash the credit for my eventually reconnecting with country music.
24. Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti - Seriously, which album do you choose from these guys? Not III? Not the album otherwise known as Zoso, or Signs? I mean, come on... Houses of the Holy? Can I say that it's tracks like "Kashmir" and "Trampled Under Foot" that hit it for me? I can for now. When I first installed a wicked sound system in my 'Burban with Patrick and Brendan, on the first night driving I went on, "Kashmir" was my song of choice. Anywhere Robert, Jimmy, John Paul, or John B. wanted to take me, I'd go.
25. The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack - Probably the only album I could sing off the top of my head, including the rousing performances I could give of the instrumental numbers. The soundtrack to an amazing story of self-discovery, searching for that creative spark, struggling with that periodic specter of meaninglessness in life that we all face now and then. Jack Skellington's adventure in imagination, introspection, trying new things, failure, death and rebirth... I will carry through my entire life, and it will probably do a fair share of carrying me. The moment of enlightenment in "Poor Old Jack" is nothing short of a God moment (despite the fact that God is not explicitly referred to). Who cannot deny Burton's ability to entice a new generation into goth-type styles, clothes, music, and so on? If this is ever translated into a stage production, I don't care how long it's been since I've been on stage, I'm auditioning for a part, if not merely to be a nameless extra... I want in.
My goodness, that's the end. My friend James had trouble finding 25 albums, I had trouble choosing once I got to the 25 mark. I had to consolidate albums of the same artist simply for number reasons. Many of them could have stood on their own and probably deserved a separate note with particular associations and connections. And what should be said of the albums that I haven't mentioned? Where is Soul Asylum's Grave Dancers Union? Pink Floyd's The Wall? As well as their Dark Side of the Moon? I cannot deny the impression Paul Simon left on me with Rhythm of the Saints and Graceland. As annoying as many found Adam Duritz, Counting Crows helped heal my blues often. The Polyphonic Spree opened me to new realms of the imagination and creativity. Shan't I mention the Who? Iron Maiden, and the grandest metal concert I ever attended along with my Scottish/English brother, Richard? Why not a list of single songs? It would look a bit different, would it not? How about films? Ok, I must stop this eventually. Can we say this is a conversation I would LOVE to continue with any number of you readers out there. Especially those I haven't seen in years. How I long for a evening spent, perhaps over wine, beer or coffee, in conversation about this with you! | | |
| Revisiting NightmaresBefore I get writing, I must express publicly my joy in now having received my copy of Nightmare Revisited. Marilyn Manson's contribution just finished winding up and tickled every bone in my skeletal body!!!
Now to get on with my post, which actually involves revisiting something of a nightmare of my own! True, much time has passed since the event, but the time now seems perfect to open up old (okay, just a couple months old) skeletons and tell scary stories, such as....... Riding the Train of EVIL!
So, in my new job for Fourth Presbyterian Church, I helped take our youth group down to New Orleans this past July to work on some houses, and a church and other work that remains undone since Katrina. To get there we all thought it would be a great idea to take Amtrak. You know, none of the adult leaders have to drive that huge distance; we get to freely move up and down the cars to stretch our legs; and it's a great bonding experience for the group to all ride the City of New Orleans along the route made famous by Willie.
Now, that ride was supposed to take 19 hours. It was only delayed a little over and hour, which isn't bad. It actually was quite enjoyable on the way down. On the way back, the tune of the song changed.
Our ride back to Chicago began on Saturday afternoon around 1pm. Keep in mind we were scheduled to arrive in Chicago at Union Station the next Sunday morning by 9am. (aside: Kurt's a little disappointed with the Polyphonic Spree rendition of "Town Meeting Song.") Our train was rattling along just fine until a good way into Mississippi when the train engine decided to die. After sitting in one place for about 20 minutes without hearing anything, someone finally comes on the loud speaker to announce that the engine died, and they were going to try to fix it. 20 minutes later we heard that they couldn't fix it and they were calling for a freight train engine to come get us and lug us back to McComb Station, the nearest station to our current position.45 minutes later, the freight engine arrives and carts us back to McComb.
When we arrive, they let us off the train to stretch our legs outside and hang out in the little station building (that serves a population of about 5,000). It was quite hot in mid-July and we had gone several hours without hearing any updates on what is going on, what will happen, and what to do about food. We hear tell of a McDonalds not too far away from the station. So, with 25 youth all hot and getting hungry, we head out to McDonalds together to buy them all food and hang out in air-conditioning. Our brief respite went well until the Sheriff of McComb showed up at McDonalds looking for all the train passengers. He informed us that busses were waiting for us at the station to take us to Golden Corral so that Amtrak could feed us dinner.
We head to the station. John V (my boss) and I decide we could use the Golden Corral time to work on siging each others journals with affirmation, since doing it on the train won't work out so well. As we attempt to board the train to get everyone's journals, our car attendant stops some of the youth and me at the head of our group and won't let us on the train. We have a short argument about whether we can simply get our journals off the train, and then he criticizes me/us for going to McDonalds. We were apparently supposed to sit around and wait, hoping that they eventually tell us their going to take us to Golden Corral. (aside: Kurt must admit, Korn and Rise Against offer two delectible songs to the Nightmare.) He agrees to let us onto the train, but only for the journals!
About this time, I begin work on what turns out to be one of the more pleasant products of the trip, a take-off version of Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," which I rename, "McComb Station Blues."
We finish our time at Golden Corral, which did not offer us any actual space to work on journals together putting that activity off 'til later. We get back on the train outfitted with a new engine ready to take us the rest of the way to Chicago! We all snuggle in for the evening's journey. Throughout the night I occasionally wake up and notice the train isn't moving much and wonder whether I'm dreaming or whether that really was the same tree outside my window I keep waking up to see for 7 hours.
Sure enough, we all wake in the morning to find out the train had sat in one place for almost 9 hours the night before. Apparently a tornado had swept across our route taking out a freight train only 6 miles ahead of us. One of the adult volunteers who woke up early enough saw its remains out the window as we rolled past them. Around 7:30am on Sunday morning we hear that our train will not be going any closer to Chicago. We also find out that we have yet to leave Mississippi!!! The was now waiting for clearance to pull into Yazoo City station, also a town of about 5,000. (aside: Well done, Rodrigo y Gabriela with "Oogie Boogie's Song.") After waiting another 20 minutes, we slowly pull into Yazoo City station where we would wait longer for busses to take us the rest of the way to Chicago.
While waiting there, one of the passengers spots a watermelon stand and decides to get himself a prize pickin'. Then we find out that our train has to move out of the way of other trains passing through. Our train pulls away as the unknowing passenger is left at the watermelon stand. We sit and wait more a mile or so down the tracks and watch as trains fly along past us. It did not really urk us until we saw our own sister train, the City of New Orleans pass us by heading south. 20 minutes or so later they announce that we will soon be heading back into Yazoon station, so we should gather our things. 20 minutes after that, our car attendant comes through saying, no, really we should go back to our car now we really are going to be moving. "Are the busses there now?" "I hope they are." The dissemination of information was probably my favorite part of the trip.
Finally, we head back to Yazoo and unload to get on the busses. It takes us about 2 and a half hours to load three busses with a hundred and fifty people or so. At the end of that 2 and a half hours someone thinks, "maybe we should get them lunch." They send out for KFC. 45 minutes later (us waiting on unmoving busses) KFC lunch boxes start coming to the busses. Only four boxes make it to our bus and they realize that they didn't order enough. They order again, and another 45 minutes later we all have food and the busses are leaving.
It was amazing to be moving toward Chicago with such speed in such little time. Then dinner time came upon us. We found out that Amtrak was going to send someone to meet us in Sikeston, Missouri (since Amtrak couldn't offer us food if an Amtrak staff was not there to buy it). We arrive at the restaurant happy to hop out of the bus and get some hot food... until we found out there will be another 45 minute wait for seats. So, more waiting and more wondering if God simply didn't want us to go back to Chicago or not.
Eventually we did eat and head back out to Chicago. We pulled into Union Station in downtown Chicago about 3am on Monday morning (remember at the beginning of the story we were scheduled to arrive at 9am Sunday morning). That may be the last time I ride Amtrak.
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| just to put something up hereI totally dropped the ball this summer on writing something every week. Figures. I guess I underestimated how much time these youth trips and time with Hyeyoung would actually take up. Despite that, there are some amazing stories I'm going to have to write on this at some point... even if they are well after-the-fact. For example, a ride on the train of EVIL, losing a toenail, a hangnail that got overly infected, a hat-trick, and I'm still toying with the idea of throwing up quotes from my father every time we visit... just for kicks. (though part of me feels that might be a bad idea) We'll see. I may end up writing about only a few of these actual goings-on post-hoc. Now it's time to grab a bite to eat before the first youth committee meeting of the Fall. Mmmmm, what sounds yummy now? More sandwiches? Soup? Burger? Not so many options downtown for cheap. Could go with an ING salad. The Soup Box salad I had last week was pleasing. This all must be terribly riveting for anyone reading. | | |
| old 97 washed up super hero gomezAlthough my usual 4th of July weekends are low key, this time I really packed in the entertainment.
On the 3rd, despite my reluctance, Hyeyoung dragged me downtown to meet some other friends for the big independence eve fireworks. The place was a madhouse, and I heard there were only a couple gang shootings while we were there. Lucky us! The night did get much better once we made our way to Hackney's Irish pub. Had a pint of Magic Hat for the first time, which was delectable. Still, I couldn't tell you the magic ingredient... maple syrup? brown sugar? curry powder? kidding, kidding.
Friday, I never knew how lucky I was to have a blind friend until Maureen scored us bracelets that let us into the priority seating up front at Taste for the evening concert. Got to see the Old 97's again, who rocked as usual. I was also introduced to Alejandro Esovedo, who impressed me. Enjoyed the show. Clever mix of blues/rock along with a violin and upright bass. Then we we treated for our patriotic pleasure to a wonderful band from the heart of America- er... I mean from Southport, England... Gomez. First time I heard that many songs by them, and hey, they were good. You gotta appreciate being entertained by a group from the old kingdom on the day you celebrate your independence from them. As they put it, "gate crashers... with guitars."
Then wen out to catch Hancock on Saturday night. No, it did not end in a flash of hyper animated battles. Yes, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Not only did it touch on themes that relate to my current work with homeless, but it also gave us a an opportunity to explore the mind of a washed up, outcast super-hero at a deeper level than the Incredibles gave us.
I've also decided that I don't have to watch dvd's as soon as possible, rushing them back to Netflix in order to truly enjoy new freedom in dvd rental. Searching for that balance... yup.
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| I'm spending this morning recovering from last nights endeavor. I took a little trip down to Kuma's Corner, a restaurant I was told I should be visiting regularly. On the one hand, I think they were right. The atmosphere awoke the metalhead in me. As we walked in the door, Iron Maiden was rocking the stereo. The menu has a great amount of burger varieties all named after different metal bands. I had also prepared and decided what burger I was going to take on before I got there. The task could be none other than the vicious SLAYER. Here's a rundown of the ingredients: "pile of fries topped with a 1/2 lb. burger, chili, cherry peppers, andouille sausage, onions, jack cheese... and anger." Here's a picture of the beast from their website.
I was not anticipating the amount of anger they laced it with. Don't get me wrong, it was heaven as I was devouring it. It wasn't until three fourths of the way through the tide began to change. Last night I couldn't do much more than try my best to lie still. My belly was still a bit angry at me this morning. So, I'm gonna try and do a little grease detox the rest of the week. We'll see if that holds up.
As for soccer, the team did better! We only lost by two goals instead of our usual 5 or 6. We put in our average one goal a game. I didn't get my name on that one. Got an ok shot off myself, but the keeper didn't seem to have too much trouble putting it down. Next week, the majority of our team should be back in town. Maybe we can put a win together.
Ok, back to my chores.
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