Bastard of Young
Anyone who really knows me knows that I consume untraditional media like a stoner with a bag of CheezDoodles. I don’t watch “television shows.” I don’t read “People Magazine” or the “New York Times.” I read books, listen to songs that formed me and search for things that will “evolve me.” Sorry for the Chris Farley "air quotes."
So, as I’m thinking above thoughts, a song comes on the Mexican fighting radio. It’s a formative song I haven’t randomly heard in decades.
My me came to a screeching halt as I listened.
The said song is a ringing, chiming, shouting guitar anthem by perhaps the best band ever.
The Replacements.
Saw them live in New Brunswick in the late 80’s. In a cafeteria at Cook College (Rutgers). MTV was there and they interviewed me after the show. I don’t think they aired the interview because every other word I said was “fuckin”.
The album is Tim (google it), and, as I said, it informed me. It formed me. They were the pre-grunge Beatles who only a few million knew about. I jumped to the Pixies soon after the Replacements, and then Nirvana happened. The rest is devolution. Here are the words to “Left of the Dial.”
Explanation: Back in the day, when cars were old and cheap, we had to tune in radio stations with a deft twist of hand, as if it were an intuitive skill, and all the cool stations were on the left side. And, I was a hard-pounding, punk-rocking, funky-sex-beat, wild-haired drummer for hire associated with a few bands in the Northeast. So, I find these words and references meaningful. You might not.
Read about your band in some local page
Didn’t mention your name, didn’t mention your name
Sweet georgia breezes, safe, cool and warm
I headed up north, you headed north
On and on and on and on
What side are you on?
On and on and on and on
What side are you on?
Weary voice that’s laughin’, on the radio once
We sounded drunk, never made it on
Passin’ through and it’s late, the station started to fade
Picked another one up in the very next state
On and on and on and on
What side are you on?
On and on and on and on and...
Pretty girl keep growin’ up, playin’ make-up, wearin’ guitar
Growin’ old in a bar, ya grow old in a bar
Headed out to san francisco, definitely not l.a.
Didn’t mention your name, didn’t mention your name
And if I don’t see ya, in a long, long while
I’ll try to find you
Left of the dial
2 comments:
Nice. Really mang, great post.
I'm a very late blooming Replacements fan.
Sometime in the spring of 1998, I picked up "Don't Tell A Soul" on cassette at a garage sale for a quarter.
Slid it into the cassette player in my car, where it conveniently got stuck for good. I tried prying it out with knives, screwdrivers, and wire hangers.
Didn't work. Nope, this was one record that refused to abort.
In 2003, I had to sell the car, tape still stuck and still playing fine in the player.
This is what I had printed in the auto trader:
"For Sale: Replacements cassette- 'Dont' Tell A Soul.' Comes with a 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue. High mileage. Displaying signs of a leaky head gasket. Make me an offer I can refuse."
It was the "Don't Tell a Soul" tour where I saw said show blistered with their brand of twisted rock magic.
The following is an SAT situation in my world:
The Replacements are to rock as Willy Wanka is to chocolate.
I described one of the shows where they did not run into trouble by devolving into alcohol and underwear.
Maybe people can make the leap of thought why the above two latter alliterive nouns have their attributes.
How weird is that, though, that the band and fan briefly meet on higher ground where the two things they had in common didn’t, for once, end up with a night in county jail.
I wasn't working with you at the time of the car ad. Had I known, I would have paid cash. And by cash, I don't mean Replacement bucks. Or Lanmark coins.
Post a Comment