Soundtracks Part 1

Can you tell from this blog that I day dream often? Oh, don't worry my anxiety and fear of letting people down keeps me going. And a need to pay the bills. This isn't a form of self diagnosed ADHD. I am not that hip. Instead its a form of a life spent thinking of the possible adventure. I would fail Master Yoda as I am not mindful of the present. Ever read The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber? It is a sleepy story that I loathed reading in the 11th grade but it sums up my day to day. Just with less failure to launch on my end. I know enough to shove these away to push some paper. To unload the groceries. Just scribble them down in the margins of paper or this blog.

Each reverie has a soundtrack. Musically I am afraid to tell people what I like because its not poppy Top 40 or some sort of eclectic deep cuts. A lot of "video game music" as an ex-girlfriend called it. "Tweaker music" as my wife calls it. "It makes sense for you" music as a coworker told me once. My version of a straight banger is the dropping violins on a 30 second track that Cartoon Network made from a promo for Gundam MS08th Team back in the late 90s. Additionally, because I am never as so Millenial as when it comes to music all these tracks are scattered across websites and singles. These are made for a mix playlist. Flitting between tracks while at the gym because a whole album of them would sound too similar for all but the most nuance tweaker ears.

To the interested in being the ones within my John Malkovich here is a list of tracks. Either I hear them during these situations or hearing them forces a certain reverie. The latter is easy to mark since it is the song title. So, when you porn bots become sentient you can play this and you will know what I am thinking about as I refuse to tell you where the last members of the human resistance live.

Whenever I Want To Convince Someone of Something in Person. Or, Im In A Work Meeting and Indulging My Stubborn Streak of Saying Something "Just For The Record" Because I Think It Will Make a Difference

B.O.B by Outkast



Probably the most banger of songs on here and we I am starting with it. I was in college when this came out and during the launch of the second Iraq War. This was EVERYONE's AIM away message. Remember how cable news had those countdowns to the ultimatum Bush gave Iraq? Someone figured out how to use an AIM code to make that timer over a copy paste of the lyrics. I was so impressed. Also, we deserve any dystopia we eventually slide into.

Anyway, I think Jidenna's Hail to Chief or Chief Dont Run is more of a spitting fire song but those are songs very much about growing up black and poor in America so I will appreciate them by just listening.

But, damn is this a jam! Its that snare drum beat and then how the roughly 5 minutes feels epic. Us Millenials use that word often. Epic. But this song really lives up to it. That is why it is my argument song. "Let me tell something to you! Ok, so it is unrealistic to think staff can submit their own purchase requests when leadership doesn't even know where to get the forms! Bombs over Baghdad!"

Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins

Ok, another banger. I hear this and I am guaranteed to go at least three times faster. Play this song and I GUARANTEE you I will get all the groceries up the stairs and into the house in one trip. My wife does not yell "Can you go faster?" when I am driving. No, she plays this until my speed matches the highway's number (In this fantasy we are going west on I90 to the Dinosaur Trail in Montana) and we are MOVING!



Quick and very embarrassing story about this song. At an old job we had several Katies. I think I have blogged about this before but the only Katie on staff was Katy with a Y. Or Alpha Katy because she was on staff. At this job we all had a penchant for taking 2 hour lunches and at one of these lunches I commented how I had a spare fish tank at home. A little 10 gallon one. So, in about a day everyone had given me 10 bucks to buy supplies and set it up in the break room.

On the day to get the fish Katy volunteered to drive with me to the pet store. And...you ever drive on the east side of Cleveland, OH? The east side suburbs. It sucks. Nothing but switch backs and one ways. It has main drags but these were built for a time before cars so getting anywhere takes an extra 15 minutes due to the slew of redlights and 4 way stops.

So, there is me driving to the pet store. Katy in the passenger seat and then this song comes on. My heart quickens and the pressure on the pedal inches up and up. Katy is too polite to say anything but we are now going maybe 70 in what is supposed to be a 40 and then a car stops short at a red light. SHIT! You could have made it, yo! But I slam on the brakes and I "mom-bar" Katy. You know when you stick your right hand out across the passenger seat to prevent whatever is there from flying through the windshield? I call it "mom-bar" because its a parent thing but you could do it if say you have an ornery cat in a carrier or a stack of pizzas in the front seat. You do this enough and it becomes a muscle memory. And...my arm is maybe an inch from her chest. And....hey Katy was cute and all but Im a weirdo not a creeper or a pervert. There is a difference! I don't think I could ever apologize enough to her. The speed, the mom-bar, etc. To which she was all very cool and gracious about and we got our fish after finishing the last notes to Danger Zone.

My driving in the snow song. Also my feeling bluesy song.* Or, my impending doom song

Under Ice by Kate Bush



This song has layers. The album its from (Hounds of Love) proves to me Kate Bush is an actual witch able to weave magic with her voice. The whole thing is a novel and this song, on the surface, is wintry. But it also makes me look inward whenever I feel inadequate. Its also foreboding and tells of imminent collapse. Something will raise through the ice to attack our heroes. The sub pings in the song will fire its missiles affirming World War 3. The "its me" is an old blog post a coworker digs up. The accidental like you left on a crushes IG posts after they friended you. The doctor reading your results.

My Break Up Song

Nothing Better by The Postal Service



Ok, this is a bit of a cheat. As I have only had one real break up. But I still have my break up song because 1) "Write What You Know" is crap** and 2) I swear my wife will one day realize I am navel gazing prick who spends too much time on a blog and leave me for a man who will rub her feet every day. So I got this one in the chamber.

I can't say anything new about The Postal Service save this whole album deserves to be preserved for eternity on one of those golden satellite disks. I am glad the band never got back together as this album is too perfect to be sullied by some ok sophomore effort. It could be that the line "Don't you tell me lies of some idealistic future. Your heart won't heal right if you keep tearing out the sutures" cuts me just a bit too deep

If you are here then more to come!



*The combination of those two criteria means I listen to this song often.

**Absolute horrible writing advice used to diminish output stifle learning. Sure, you can sound very phony. I once had an editor tell me that "I wrote a strong female voice" for a man which, TBH, was probably a fluke or the editor (they had a pet raccoon so take that for what its worth) but that doesn't mean I can substitute for one. You should write what you can research and listen and learn.