Last night on the way home I
stopped at Mr. Cheapos Record store in Mineola and bought some CD’s and DVD’s
for my expanding collection as well as a Christmas present for my brother. I love records and CD’s…they are like books, I collect
them. I avoid ordering from the Apple
corporate sterile library. Why? To receive tin music on my computer? Not for me. I like reading the CD, holding it, seeing the
pictures the artist wants to share with their fans. Dave likes heavy metal music, cheesy 80’s
bands and the store has a dense eclectic collection of music - new and used
works. I found a cool DVD collection of
Iron Maiden. Being there, I happened to
find some music. Morrisey, who I am
seeing in two weeks with Amanda at CW Post,
The Hold Steady, Joni Mitchell,
and the Pixies. I bought Doolittle since
more than twenty years ago I had the tape and record. I looked at the dark copper cover with the
monkey like an old friend. Hey, wanna come
back in my life? The ride home was a
breeze through the dark traffic, insane punks cutting in and out with their
compact seats stuffed in wide mufflers, backed up trucks, and slow buses. Not a care in the world. The whole album shifted my voice and mind back
and to those years when I sang...screamed with Francis Black, I was singing out loud with
the windows rolled up. The lyrics are entrenched in my subconscious. Debasser, man I can play that song on bass,
even if I don’t know a split lick about playing the instrument. Don’t know about you but I am un chiem
anclausia (thank you for printing the lyrics) Grow up to be a debaser. And I screamed out TAME without a care who
could hear me…what a song to get out all pent up aggression. Play that one loud. Wave of mutilation ….drive my car into the
ocean. The rows of break lights in the
distance looked like the tips of the waves under the light of the December
moon. My ride was converging with the
music and I was singing along, and I had the idea in my delirious older brain I
can start a band and we’d play this whole fucking album – for sure. Because I can sing it. I’m playing the album now. It’s loud as hell I am ringing a bell…I bleed….shaking
teeth. Under the stars each new song was
welcomed into my lonely car. Like most commuters I was locked into isolation. From our cars we grasp steering wheels and imagine we’re either James Bond or a rock
star as we drive home from work. Inside
our caves we regain our composure and retain the images we created. Let me tell you some memories of this
album. Back when this was a new album, I
was a college student and went to DC to march for student’s rights – fighting against
racial injustice. It was on that bus
ride Frank Dentrone had one of the best quotes of all time - when discussing the song Monkey
Goes to Heaven. “It’s so true. This song
is it. Man is five, and the devil is six, and God truly is seven.” Yes Frank…noble words from a man who I love
like a brother….On that bus ride was a beautiful Russian student from NYC. We picked up a group of students in the city,
and I remember trying to flirt with her and she was not giving me the time of the
day. But she loved Frank. It could have been his long thin hair and his
leather anti apartheid pendant. Either
way, I saw them kissing near a tree after we finished our march. There is always time for a kiss after the riot
we created in the city. Another
memory I want to share with you, well two.
I saw The Pixies on their Doolittle tour at The Ritz in the city and
remember Kim Deal playing bass and her smiling as she played and I thought back
then, I could do that. My most recent
memory was seeing The Pixies at Jones Beach a few summers ago. Interpol opened as well as Sonic Youth
another band I will write about. Being
the cool dad and the only way I could go to the concert, I reluctantly brought
Amanda and Emma when they were twelve and ten.
There are a few songs they performed that made me shake my head in
disbelief. One of them was; I’m Amazed.
Warning to cool parents – don’t be ignorant and take your children to
see a show you don’t know completely. I
hoped the show would not scar them intellectually or emotionally. It wasn’t that bad, since from time to time I
ask them if they remembered the show…yeah, it was great….it really was great to
see the band back together. I know my girls are....well at least on the
surface - normal.
Trivia question what was the name
of the album before changing it to DooLittle?
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