This morning while jogging with my dog Frank, I was listening to my “Power Ballads” playlist over on Spotify. I was “backtracking” my musical tastes. Hehe. Then the song “Silent Lucidity” by Queensrÿche played and I remembered that came out 32 years ago.
You’re old, Dad. :-))
And I remembered summer of 1991 after graduating High School, I was on my way for a job interview for Coney Islands – an ice cream parlor over in Makati City. Silent Lucidity was on my mind that day. 32 years ago and I still recall it like it was yesterday. I was 16 years old. Man, time flies when your growing up. 😉
Growth years!
I even tried to learn it on my acoustic guitar! Operative word: try. 😉
“Hush now, don’t you cry, wipe away the teardrop from your eye…”
I was listening to the Godfathers’ album “Birth, School, Work, Death” yesterday and it occurred to me: I dropped out of school. I have no work as of the moment because of Covid. And I cheated death. Twice! Seems like the only good thing I achieve is being born.
Or is that the worst thing to happen to me? I don’t think so. I survived. And I will continue to do so. I’m listening to Faith No More’s “King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime” on cassette now. Next one is “London Calling” by the Clash on original US pressing. This morning I biked to my favorite trails. There’s beef for lunch earlier. There’s chicken for dinner. And now I’m having coffee with my wife and kid. And my doggo Frank is always his annoying self. The way I like it. 😉 Long story short – just counting my blessings.
I remember 30 plus years ago, I was always listening to “Circle” by Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians. I was about 15 at the time, I think. I even tried learning it on my new acoustic guitar – with the action so high it went out of tune as you go up the fret. I really identified with that song.
Meand my acoustic!
But thinking about it now with todays problem – I don’t know what I was thinking before! My troubles before where nothing compared to now. With me asking to be lent money to pay for my old debts. With me who cannot work full time because people at my office are scared something bad’s gonna happen to me (I was a stroke victim almost 6 years ago). And me who cannot find new work because of it.
But I still smile and laugh. The troubles are still with me – always at the back of my mind. But now I’m more positive. Maybe it’s got something to do with my diet. I’m close to carnivore now. Maybe it’s my biking – because it’s a real stress reliever.
No, I wasn’t cursing you. Or maybe I am. I don’t have any idea what “Alahadupaks” means. The title is the name of this punk band from the 1990’s that I haven’t heard about until now. Maybe I should curse myself then.
When I go home from work, I usually play my favorite songs playlist over on Spotify – which I titled “Shut Up! They’re Playing My Favorite Song!” playlist. 😉 It has most of my most loved tracks; from Cheap Trick’s“the Flame” to Carcass’ “Blind Leading the Blind”. Carpenters “Superstar” to Sonic Youth‘s version of the same song. From Slowdive’s“Alison” to Siouxie and the Banshee’s “Slowdive”. To Astrud Gilberto’s “Dindi” to Einsturzende Neubauten’s “Z.N.S.”. Well, you get the point. There will be more if Spotify has all of them. Where are you “Millennium” by Killing Joke? And why is Motorpsycho different from the one I know during the early 90s. Because I’d like to include “Scarred for Life”.
Getting back to the topic: I heard “the Promise” by When in Rome (I know) and I suddenly remembered our old, beat down apartment before. I remembered my brother bought the cassette single then the album next. Because before the album came after the single. I don’t know or care how it is now.
And Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night”, I remember this singer who always performs at Celebrity Sports Club – a high class sort of, ah, sports club – during the 80s. I remember me and my siblings laugh at how he pronounces “Sanglassessss at night” while we swim at the pool.
“I wear my saaaangglasses at night…”After that, Sting’s “Field of Gold” played next. I remembered this mall me and my friends used to hang out in. Remembered it because it was playing this one time in the PA and I told my friend Ernesto how I liked Sting’s ‘new song’.
Then came Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye”. Of course I remembered me and my other friend Jeremy riding in his old Volkswagen which we always tell him to start using but he’d rather have a Toyota which he can’t afford. Well, he used it – the Volks – anyway. And he fixed it to boot. We were on this “gimmick” at our friend’s house and we went out to buy booze and some cigarettes. I used to have a picture of me in front of that Beetle. How I wish I had one right now.
And what about the Nissan Sentra Ernesto used to drive; each time I hear “Stars” by Hum I still remember that car. Because it used to keep playing on the radio during that time – which was the middle part of the 90s.
Lots of remembrances and lots of things to remember. Wish there’d be more. But Fuzzbox’s “Rules and Regulations” still wants me burn my high school during a dance will all the bullies inside. #jokingnotjoking 😉
Andy Gill has passed. At 64 – too young for someone who has been influential in numerous genres of music. Look for old interviews of bands like Nirvana(“a Gang of Four and Scratch Acid ripoff”, according to them), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Therapy? (both of which he produced), and you’ll find Gang of Four. Even Trent Renzor’s disjointed guitar work, specially on “Pretty Hate Machine” is, I think, has something to do with Andy Gill.
I still remember finally buying their album “Entertainment” a few years ago. I was going to buy a second hand amplifier for my turntable and there it was, Entertainment. I had to give up sealed copies of Chvrches and a band I forgot now for an original Canadian print. That’s how expensive it could get here in Manila.
There’s this new (ish) band that I’m falling in love with; they call themselves “Life on Venus” and that name fits their music. Dream pop and Shoegaze with a lot of reverb, of course. If you listen to “Slowdive”, you won’t get lost here. Or rather, you’ll get lost here just like with Slowdive.
They hadn’t put out a lot of releases yet – but their album “Encounters” is out of this world. Name fitting again. The last track, “Rosetta” is one of my absolute favorite last album tracks. Time to update my “Favorite Last Album Tracks” I did before. And they will put out a new record in two days time. I’ve listened to the three tracks from Bandcamp and it’s reverb-drenched as always. Just the way I like it.
The title doesn’t make any sense other that that’s the copyright holder for Chris Cornell’s music (You Make Me Sick, I Make Music). Of which I haven’t used here. The one here is Philippine punk band who call themselves the Class which released their album on cassette.
Here is their album cover in case you never see them at a record bar. If you know what record bar means.
They have the most punk lyrics: “Sigaw namin syo! Putang ina mo!!!!”
I’ve been chatting with this record bar owner – well, soon to be owner – about stuff he’s selling and offering me. Because he’s into a lot of shoegaze. And right now I can’t stop listening to it. As of this moment I’m listening to Slowdive’s debut album “Just For a Day”. Right before that I’ve been playing “Lost” by the Stargazer Lilies. Something about all that reverb all echo and the down-mixed vocals gets to me in a good way.
There’s some shoegaze bands that I could just hear from streaming services. But a lot of stuff he’s selling I want to buy. He’s even has Deafcult’s “Auras” (again with the stars) album.
Too bad that I’ve learned from him that Life on Venus hadn’t released a vinyl record yet. They do have streaming and CDs. They even have cassette tapes. So I’m hoping to hear “Rosetta” on vinyl soon enough. In the meantime, here they are performing said song live! 😉
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Cultural Idiot 