AM Radio

Today was a terrific day. We framed the walls to the second floor and I cut the stair parts so we can assemble the second set of stairs tomorrow. We worked until 7:00 and when I got into the ancient blue pick-up and started it up the belt squealed so I tightened the belt and that was that ( so satisfying when a problem has a two minute fix… dare I say that I welcome them?).

Then Martha and I cruised home listening to KIXI. There is a part of me that misses FM, that misses 90.3 KEXP, but another part of my surges with joy, flashing back through all this fun nostalgia that seems tailored to me and my own proclivities from the years gone by.

For instance, tonight’s drive list started out with:

Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific. Not only do I love South Pacific, but I have this vivid memory of thumbing through records at Value Village with Chris while he was collecting “Living Stereo” recordings. We found a copy of South Pacific and I believe he or I took it home. I still don’t really understand what living stereo means, but I love the logo emblazoned across 50’s album covers.

Next up was Mr Sandman which I remember singing over the school intercom with Cheryl and various other thesbians recast as “Mr Eickoff” to promote a school play. Not a knock-out anecdote, but still….

Then came “I am a Woman” which certainly plays for me, even though I don’t have the proper genitalia I can certainly keep house, take care of the kids and still grease the axle on the car.

Streisand followed with April in Paris. I remember buying like seven Streisand albums in one go and setting myself up with the lot and going to town. Nothing really stuck but I will always remember the attempt. I just like to consume things sometimes… indulgently, all in one sitting, just because.

Till I kissed you by the Everly Brothers was spun next. I used to love to vamp out to Everly Brothers tunes… mostly because I can never get enough tremolo. That waving swampy guitar quiver always gets me going. is that a vibrochamp or what they use or a big old plate reverb? I will always love their sounds.

Benny Goodman came on with Sing, Sing, Sing, which will always remind me of Grandpa Kobs. Good stuff.

I pulled into the driveway with Something by George Harrison. That one was the most interesting to me. I used to love that song. Loved to play the guitar parts and sing along with it. I don’t feel that song anymore. It is a good song, but I think I lost it somewhere in my twenties. It used to capture the complex game of committing to another person… I am not saying it is invalid, but something ironed itself out in me because I couldn’t stack that song over my life and make it fit. Putting it on repeat would seem inauthentic nowadays, which is probably a good thing- “You ask me how can our love grow… i don’t know”. I am sure there was a time when I could make it fit because I liked the song, but it seems so far away like something forgotten. It seems like Max when he sails home from where the wild things are and his soup is still warm. It was so vivid but it seems kind of hazy too.

Wow. I just prattled on for a bit there. If you actually read this far and you aren’t me or my wife then you deserve a “No-Prize” because that was quite a feat. You need to find something better to do with your time!


Comments are closed.