Over the past few weeks I have been reading a lot (5 books in four weeks is a big deal for me). If I sit in just the right seat on the bus, I don't have to worry about motion sickness. Doing so allows me to read a great deal more than I have been able to since I began my patronage of Spokane Transit.
Three of the books were related to music and pop culture. Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About AA Boy, Fever Pitch) was in there writing about an aging former singer-songwriter who disappeared into a reclusive haze somewhere in Pennsylvania only to be discovered by an English museum curator in a small seaside town in England (Juliet, Naked). There was another English writer (Tim Thorton) in there writing about an obsessive writer who discovers his all-time favorite lead singer lives three buildings down from him and he does everything in his power to find out why the band, he obsessed over for years, imploded (The Alternative Hero). Both books were fun and gave me fits of laughter. Hornby will always be one of my favorite novelists because he seems to be as much of a pop culture nut as I am. As for Thorton's book, I related to the narrator due to the probability if I was in the same situation I would probably act in the same manner. I feel I would engage in many of the same stalker-esque actions if say Noel Gallagher of Oasis lived three houses down from me. Both books made me laugh and both made me think about their possibilities as screenplays.
The third book, Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life by John Sellers, is an autobiographical telling of how Sellers' music taste evolved from his Grand Rapids, Michigan upbringing to the die-hard fandom of 90s indie rock stalwarts Guided By Voices. Sellers tells us of how Grand Rapids was not the best place to hear new a progressive music growing up in the late 70s and 80s. He discusses how a girl or woman usually lead to him finding music he had never heard, because he was trying to impress them. There is the true awakening when he first became stuck on watching MTV and when he went to college in Lansing and Ann Arbor. There are chapters dedicated to the Smiths, Morrissey, the Cure, and Joy Division (all amazing bands). There are discussions of how great David Lee Roth is compared to many other front men. It is one man's musical discovery tour.
I felt I could write the book myself but mine would begin ten to fifteen years later, but the same obsessiveness for new bands and music would still be there. My only question for Sellers is; How did you get someone to pay you to write a book about your love of indie rock?
The thing I found most interesting was Sellers admittance to making lists. Lists of favorite songs, albums, guitarists, etc. I do this! Maybe not to the extent that he does, but I do. He began the book by discussing his purchase of an iPod and the use of iTunes. With these two music listening media he was able to determine his listening background by viewing his 25 Most Played. He was very surprised to learn the results (I won't ruin it for you, just in case you decide to give it a read). I went to my list as well, and was very surprised by the most listened to song of the 15,000+ songs I have on my hard drives.
Top 5 Most Played Songs:
1. Donde Esta La Playa: the Walkmen = 151
2. Keep the Car Running: Arcade Fire = 122
3. Mr. November: the National = 90
Sellers was surprised by his top 25, because it showed that his obsession with Guided By Voices was real. My 25 were a surprise to me, but after considering the list, the reasoning became clear. The reasons follow as well as the end to this nonsense:
1. Now you may think that the Walkmen are my favorite band from this listing. Not so. I actually used to listen to the Walkmen's album You & Me to fall asleep while I was camped out in design studio at Washington State. I listened to the album a lot but none of the other songs made the top 25. I am guessing it is no. 1 because it is the first song on the record, and my sleep would be interrupted numerous times during the semester, and I would start the album over again.
2. Now the Arcade Fire are my favorite band currently. This list would be a whole different if I would have had iTunes counting back in the 90s (OASIS would rule and they still do in my heart). This song was also on a playlist I made for my girlfriend, Ashley, and was the first song. I also like it a great deal.
3. Mr. November was my anthem during the 2008 presidential campaign. The National actually designed a t-shirt for the Obama campaign with Mr. November under a pixelated image of the would be president. I also feel it is one the best songs in the past 10 years.
4. Frightened Rabbit rule and that is all I am going to say about it.
5. Shout Out Louds' Tonight I Have to Leave It used to be the number 1, because my old iPod would for some reason turn itself on at random times, run the battery down, and always play this album. My old iPod really loves Swedish indie-pop.
So there you go. Maybe you will get the urge to look at your own list, or maybe want to read something new. Good luck.
Alright, this is the end. Goodnight.
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