Just the other day, fresh back from my travels to the coast, I grabbed my favourite cup, poured something unmentionable and sat down in front of my computer.
Well, after I kicked Skittles off my office chair, which he'd staked a claim to while I was away.
I was really looking forward to catching up on what had been happening in the blogging world. I dallied a bit while I was away, thieving internet from people with wireless networks who didn't take the trouble to secure their access. Good thing I'm not into porn or anything illegal...
So, I drop by Down in the Hole. Now, Stuart's blog will always take top spot in my heart, because it was the first blog I ever read - strictly for interview research (so I'm suing him for the addiction) but I've discovered a number of great blogs I like to drop by semi-regularly, as much as possible, just to let people know they aren't talking to themselves via the keyboard. I mean, if nobody's listening, lose the keyboard and the spell-checker, already! Just go for straight dialogue or talk to plants or something.
And Daniel was posting about 80's music. Lordy, what a trip. 80's music - the forgotten songs, the ones you haven't heard in a dog's age. Yeah, talk about nostalgic urges, Daniel. I'm reading names on the post and then the comments
- Queen: Princes Of The Universe
- Thomas Dolby: She Blinded Me With Science
- Cyndi Lauper: What A Thrill
- Glenn Fry: The Heat Is On
- Taco: Puttin' On The Ritz
"Excellent for tap dancing, I used to listen to this on my huge, portable FM headphones." - probably a bit more than I needed to know, Daniel - the image of you tap dancing...
And then there were these mentions:
I Wanna Be a Cowboy by Boys Don't Cry?
Cars by Gary Nueman?
Belle Stars: Sign of the Times
Thomas Dolby: Hyperactive
Vitamin Z: Burning Flame
The Cult: She Sells Sanctuary
Icicle Works: Whisper to a Scream
Talk Talk: It’s my life
Haircut 100: Love plus one
"Love My Way" by the Psychedelic Furs.
The Cult - "Rain?"
So, I got sucked in at HMV, replacing some missing U2 and INXS, and picked up Classic Alternatives - 80's Retro Hits and Big Shiny 80's. Yep, that's right, I spent all my allowance and now I have 5 cd's of blast-from-the-musical-past to listen to.
But shock of horrors, Classic Alternatives had SHE SELLS SANCTUARY by THE CULT CD #1 and song #1.
Now I have, in addition to that one, songs like:
Love Songs - Simple Minds
Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Cars - Gary Numan
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
If You Leave - OMD
Whisper to a Scream - Icicle Works
Video Killed The Radio Star - The Buggies
Call Me - Blondie
Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran (brought to mind courtesy of The Shield last season)
I Ran - A Flock of Seagulls (in my head thanks to the stupid but funny Pepsi commercial with the retro hair)
It's my Life - Talk Talk
Modern Love - David Bowie
Shock The Monkey - Peter Gabriel (where did the Gabriel cd's go? Damn Kevin and the locked box in his office.)
You might think - The Cars
99 Luft Balloons - Nena - now there's a flashback!
Train in Vain - The Clash
White Wedding - Billy Idol
Back on the Chain Gang - Pretenders
Suspicious Minds - Fine Young Cannibals (still the best version ever)
Love Shack - B-52's
Love my May - The Psychedelic Furs
LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - The Dream Academy (what a trip! Talk about half of my life, or so I thought...)
Always something there to remind me - Naked Eyes
Is it just me, or does the music you listen to in your teen years resonate with you on a different level, no matter how much time has passed? I still hear The Joshua Tree and close my eyes and I'm back in my office in Gravenhurst (I had an office and a bedroom in my parent's house) looking out at trees and rock cuts that stretched for miles and it's a spring day, not too hot, not too cold, a nice gentle breeze and I've got a record player as well as the boom box.
Oddly enough, just last night I was sitting up, listing to Ian Rankin in part one of the BBC's series Music to Die For - an exploration of the evolving role of music in crime fiction. I've always thought it a brilliant way to add to characterization - there are moments when Rebus is listening to Jackie Leven that I can just hear Classic Northern Divisions or Desolation Blues or whatever the mood calls for. And The Blue Nile. Oh, yeah, great band.
So, you know, I protest, but thanks Daniel, for the flashback, and for making me break open the piggy bank and go retro.
I'll die my hair blue and get a mohawk next.
Not.
And as though that isn't retro enough for you, time to sue the people trying to make me either fat or a smoker...
21 comments:
Okay, this time I'll let you live, just because I enjoyed your cheap and transparent attempt at making me actually read your blog.
Shock The Monkey tonight!
Now, Daniel, if I'd been trying to get YOU to read my blog, I would have sent you an email.
Really, I was just looking for an excuse to promote a link to your blog, so you owe me.
The things I do for people, and they don't appreciate it...
I am now jonesing for the Belle Stars version of "Iko Iko," which I can never find. Love "Hyperactive," still, and a lot of these. It's my college music, but same-same imprinting.
DAMN! Now I've got to go read Daniel's, too, and here I was thinking I was going to make dinner. NOT.
Yeah, I've been listening to this all afternoon, thinking about changing musical references in my manuscripts...
OMG, Dave Dudley. 6 Days on the Road, right?
I used to have that on a 45...
Do I need to sue you too?
He's tricksy, Master is trixxxxxieeee, precccccioussssss.
Okay, but not right this second! I'm listening to GOD, aka Ian Rankin, doing part 2 of Music to Die For - it's brilliant.
What I MEANT to say was: Thank you, Sandra.
* walks off with tail between legs *
Kim, I don't know if it's spring for most people, but memories of spring stand out so clearly with music, and then some with fall.
Daniel, tail between your legs? You aren't part kangaroo are you?
I ripped a couple of those eighties retro cds to my hard drive a few months back, then ended up deleting almost all of the tunes on them. We tend to forget just how much utter shite there was back then, as well as the classics. And those wince-inducing hairstyles...
And does no-one remember The Associates? Japan? Depeche Mode (still going strong)? The Teardrop Explodes?
Ahh, memory lane. My favourite place.
I love the 80's music! The music of my sordid youth *sighI*
James, I remember Depeche Mode and I've been to Japan.
Yep, there was crap in every era as well, but still, classics that take you back to where and when...like Trace said, the music of a sordid youth.
In her case. I was an angel.
Kids, that's all you are.
I'm gonna sue.
Crap music brings back memories for me too, however much I try to stop it.
Sandra, you're lucky your cat waits until you're away to stake a claim on your chair. My cat miaows until I get up to see if her food bowl is empty and then jumps on my chair.
Bernita, I'm not sure you can sue us for being young and foolish.
Kate, crap music? Is that like the stuff in bathrooms for you to read, except this is programmed into a radio or something?
Aren't you supposed to be seeing Val McDermid or doing something slightly more important than reading my blog?
"crap music? Is that like the stuff in bathrooms for you to read, except this is programmed into a radio or something?"
So that's what crap music was actually composed for. Now the only question is why so many people want to listen to it on the radio all the time. Before you say anything, I've decided I don't want an answer to that!
"Aren't you supposed to be seeing Val McDermid or doing something slightly more important than reading my blog?"
The Val McDermid thing is tomorrow, but yes I should be doing slightly more important things than reading your blog. I'll sue you for distracting me!
Oh, so casual. I'm seeing Val tomorrow. No big deal.
I hope she hasn't read her forum lately, all the unsavory types showing up over there...
Sandra: I suppose I've had kangaroo steak a few times in my entire life, is that enough to create a tail?
"Oh, so casual. I'm seeing Val tomorrow. No big deal."
Are you trying to scare me? I have to think it's no big deal or I'll be completely overcome with shyness and unable to leave the house!
"I hope she hasn't read her forum lately, all the unsavory types showing up over there..."
They probably think she can't access the internet from Australia. They've probably got entirely the wrong idea about Australia from the latest tourism ads.
I'm with Bernita...you guys are too young for good music...Led Zepplin, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix,..LOL..Arlo Guthry!...Now that's music
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