- a bottle of some Merlot from Chile by way of Trader Joes given to us by Susan's aunt from Olympia - home
Remember that scene from "Risky Business" where Tom Cruise dances in his underwear to Bob Segar's Old Time Rock and Roll? Even though I do not dance in my underwear (most of the time anyway) I love to listen to music loudly when I am home alone. And I love to listen loudly when it's least expected. In the morning before work when I'm the only person in the house I can turn it up so loud and be surrounded by sound, or at night (not a Friday or Saturday when it might be expected) after dark when the neighborhood is asleep.
I absolutely love my speakers. I've had them since UCLA when I bought them in a stereo shop (before there were Circuit City's and Best Buys). I traded in a large pair of Cerwin-Vega's (which were rockin' too) for the JBL's I have now, because they allowed that. When it was Final's Week (which is probably the equivalent of the stress-inducing "Report Card Week" that I'm suffering through now), everyone in Westwood would make as much noise as they could at midnight each night throughout the week. I would turn up my stereo as loud as I could and play a fitting song for the Final's Week occasion. Some I remember playing were It's The End of the World (As We Know It) - REM and Where Is My Mind? - Pixies. I'm not sure if my roommates appreciated it, but it was fun and now it's a great memory.
I've hauled these damn speakers around for about 20 years now. They are heavy and fairly large, compared to today's typically smaller speakers, but I just can't seem to give them up. Susan tolerates them, and I think about when we're "with child" and how easy it will be for him/her to knock them over and I think, "What am I to do about them?" And to make matters worse, my dad gave me his surround sound speakers a few years ago, and I love the subwoofer, which takes up even more space in the living room. Anyway, the JBL's sound so good and I don't think I can part with them.
"Risky Business" is one of my favorite all-time movies. I think it's actually one of my first favorite movies. I saw it with my mom when I was under 18 years old (it's rated R) and then saw it again with my dad and step-mom (who were very embarrassed to see it with me and swore they would never take me to see another R rated movie), but I loved it right from the beginning when it was released. I bought the soundtrack and loved that too. I think I love the movie so much because Tom Cruise wasn't well known at this time (and I still think it's his best movie ever...I don't like him as much now) and the movie just flows.....it's one scene after another of dark, sexual, comedic intensity. *"What the fuck" gives you freedom.*
So, if you haven't already guessed, that's me in my underwear above listening to my dad's reel-to-reel in a rental in Lakewood, WA; back in '68. I've always loved and listened to music. My earliest memories of music were singing along to Don McLean's "American Pie" and listening to The Door's "Light My Fire". In fact, my mom has "Light My Fire" listed as my favorite song in my baby book! We also listened to Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John, Carly Simon, The Beatles, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, The Rolling Stones, The Guess Who, and CCR. There were undoubtedly more too. I suppose my dad is my main electronic geekness influence. He always had hundreds of records, and now he has as many CD's too. I don't think he's gotten into digital downloads, but I'm amazed at how many records he still has. And, he does love his electronics.
So, it's late and I need to sign off. My cd is over, the bottle is gone and I need to get some sleep.
Au Revoir,
cheshire
2 comments:
my earliest regular music listenings were of Michael Jackson and "Footloose" (which I thought was sung by Michael). My folks have a similar picture of me with those types of earphones on from the early 80s. But my music tastes changed a lot. I was exposed to musicals when I was 8 and fell in love with them for a few years, never really paying attention to pop music. And then my sister bought me 2 Meat Loaf CDs, and we went to his concert (my first big concert). And it merged from there to semi-bad pop music (Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Backstreet Boys, who I also saw in concert, etc). I feel like it wasn't until college that I began to find music that can actually stick with me for more than 2 years.
Since my Dad studied music and was a music teacher for most of his career, I basically, grew up in a house filled with music all of the time. So, my earliest memory of music goes way back to when I was about 3 or 4 and would listen to my dad play the French horn. When he'd play I'd wander up to him and let the sonic experience take over as I'd watch my reflection in the bell of the horn. That is perhaps my earliest memory of sound & vision. I also have early memories of me and my brother actually playing music, but that's another story. My most exciting memory of contemporary music goes back to when I was 5 or 6. My parents took me and my bro to Summer Fest in Milwaukee, WI (yep, I grew up in the Midwest) to see my very first rock/funk concert. The one and only Earth Wind and Fire played with pyrotechnics, super fly outfits and groovin' music. My brother was 2 years younger than me and was jarred by the explosions on stage. But, me I was fascinated. Ever since then I've been a sucker for a good show and a good music festival.
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