Background Noise
I was wondering today when I stopped listening to music. I started liking music when I was about eight or nine and even then I used to listen to it properly, but somewhere down the line I stopped, I think it was during the last 5 years. Today was a bit of a puk day, one of those days when nothing seemed to go right, everything was getting on my nerves and I kept feeling that I need to punch something. I couldn’t study after making dinner bc my powers of concentration had clearly abandoned me and that didn’t help my mood so I decided to do what I used to do when I was small. I Grabbed my Ipod and went into my room, cut the lights, put volume as high as I could, closed my eyes, and listened. It felt like I had come home after a long trip, that feeling of familiarity and comfort. I didn’t open my eyes for about an hour, I stopped thinking and I let myself drift.
I realised what I had been missing for so long. When I was younger, every evening I used to put my walkman on, get into a pair of shorts and go to the to the top of the road, sit down and listen to whatever cassette I had picked that day. I’d listen and let nothing else get in the way, no day-dreaming, just listening to the words, the way the instruments come together and blend in with the vocals, the story being told, I’d close my eyes and see the bass guitarist strumming his chords, the pianists’ fingers dancing to and fro and the drummer’s arms wave about creating a haze. Every now and then I’d hear something particularly powerful and I’d physically feel the music as a chill runs through my body leaving behind a trail of goosebumps. Later on when I was studying for my AL’s I used to kickback at the end of the day after dinner with a glass of iced tonic with lime, a nice armchair on my balcony and listen to the Late Late Request Show which I had recorded from the night before. I loved that chill in the air, the light breeze that somehow doesn’t disturb the stillness, and that solitude that is so precious.
Tonight I felt it all over again, the peace, the solitude, the goosebumps, everything. I made a promise to do that more often, just me and my music. It feels slightly criminal that music has just become background noise of late. I only seem to have some music on while working, while on the tube in an attempt to make the journey shorter and basically only while doing something else. As a result it feels like I’ve missed out on a lot, it’s sort of like reading an abridged version of a great piece of literature, you get the basic idea but miss the whole point, like 20-20 cricket. Here’s to the real thing and to the men and women that make it happen.
see the bass guitarist strumming his chords, the pianists’ fingers dancing to and fro and the drummer’s arms wave about creating a haze. Every now and then I’d hear something particularly powerful and I’d physically feel the music as a chill runs through my body leaving behind a trail of goosebumps.
Sounds like some good acid
Also, ipods are a symbol of the bourgeoise. Renounce them and join me in my effort to throw off the shackles of the capitalist scum and build a new egalitarian society!
And try to grow a beard while you’re at it.
Comment by Curious Yellow — May 3, 2006 @ 8:07 am
moving….I guess sometimes we hear and dont listen…
Totally agree with Curious Yellow, on ipods.They are a sign of the bourgeoise
and oh yeah beard sounds good as well!!!
Comment by Savi — May 3, 2006 @ 1:52 pm
Long time back I said the following in some post,
“I remember in my first year of undergrad I was a Marxist. For one term, but a Marxist nonetheless! Unfortunately my facial hair didn’t grow in an even manner so I couldn’t get a nice beard and I was too cheap to buy a red cap.”
So you can’t say I didn’t try. I am now substituting facial hair growth for head hair growth. 4 and a half months since December 2005, taking over the world one strand at a time.
That said I too believed ipods were the epitome of evil, and that was till I got my own one. The grape then tasted a lot sweeter
Comment by ddm — May 3, 2006 @ 4:09 pm
4 and a half months? That’s ridiculous. I went about 16 months just because I wouldn’t pay 1440 Rs for some bugger to fuck my hair up.
If you were a real marxist you’d have got some spirit gum, paid some trannie for it’s pubes and made a beard out of it. A real marxist wouldn’t let something as trivial as a genetic inability to produce luxuriant facial growth get in the way of attaining the ultimate marxist symbol.
By way of retribution I demand you acquire one of those CCCP or Che Guevara t-shirts and wear them. While wearing them, you should verbally insult anyone else you see wearing the same thing. And hurl several copies of Mao’s little red book at them simultaneously.
Comment by Curious Yellow — May 4, 2006 @ 12:16 am
I got a Che Guevara mug, it says “come on che give us a smile”. But I don’t think that quite cuts it as being in with the commie spirit. I do however own a cap that makes me look much like a French revolutionary. You can imagine the stir when I wore that to watch Les Miserables. It’s also very handy when tricking friends, I sneak up on them and doff my cap saying “Big issue?”. Works every time.
Speaking of Che, the other day I was at some Cuban bar and a mad bugger dressed in what could only be described as a poor imitation of a General’s jacket started dancing as if he had a broom stuffed up his rear, squatting almost, and waving the knees like that fake cripple in Something about Mariamma. Bloody wannabe commies.
Comment by ddm — May 4, 2006 @ 12:27 am
Cuban bar? Some bohemian mojito joint more like!
Must watch motorcycle diaries at some point.
It’s not pronounced Big Issue you bugger, it’s “beee gishu!”, and “bigishu miss?” or “bigishu sir?” are acceptable accompaniments.
Do you mean you have a beret? If you do then get a stripy shirt and some onions and a bicycle while you’re at it!
Did you abuse the spastic dancer? And what the hell were you doing in a bar? I thought you didn’t drink?
Comment by Curious Yellow — May 4, 2006 @ 10:18 am
It’s not exactly a beret, but I guess there’s a resemblence. About the spastic dancer, who do you think put the kossa up there in the first place?
Ah yes the bar, day after ze birthday you bugger, had to go do something no.
Comment by ddm — May 4, 2006 @ 2:21 pm
Your birthday? You actually celebrated your birthday?
FASCIST PIG!
In the new communist collective there will be one birthday for all. Individual celebrations for birthdays have been deemed wasteful and capitalist by the party. Plus, having a massive mashup will mean you can score easier.
Never say the communists didn’t make it easy for you to get laid.
I am sad you have given in to peer pressure and started drinking
Comment by Curious Yellow — May 4, 2006 @ 7:59 pm
Ah happily enough I am yet to give in, just had a few cocktails, still don’t like the hard stuff. Macho man I am.
Comment by ddm — May 4, 2006 @ 8:22 pm
No worries machang. I’m not going to judge if you start drinking/injecting IV drugs etc. Hopefully it will make you a bit interesting.
Good thing about you drinking is that if we meet up then there will be one less “bite eka diet karanne hadhane” bugger. I remember some buggers would really tuck into the French fried and onion rings when we went out
Try and see if you can pop by here when you visit the kakka kakka dolls. Will be good to see you.
And I was joking about you being boring, you’re actually excruciatingly boring. I’ve had more fun watching paint dry.
Comment by Curious Yellow — May 5, 2006 @ 11:46 pm
Interesting post and excellent comment section! I was laughing my way through it.
Music is such a big part of my life that I feel lost without it, but strangely enough the only music I really listen to (i.e close my eyes and feel the music and the lyrics) is still sinhala songs.
I love Jazz, latin, Indie and Rock (mostly alternative) but nothing speaks to me like a beautiful sinhala song (not this modern crap but ones with lyrics that makes sense) and I get the peace and solitude and lots of goosebumps
Comment by Venus — May 6, 2006 @ 10:53 am