2001-02-21 - 6:04

On music

I've been playing around with the latest Diaryland profile features. It's kind of interesting seeing who people list as their favourites. It's surprising how much overlap there is sometimes. (Oh, you like Nick Cave and Charles Bukowski? Cool.)

What occured to me as I was filling in the comments for my favourites was that the profile page was inadequate to say why certain works of art have meant so much to me. So, in lieu of reporting the day's events (believe me, very little is new in my meagre existence), I'll expand on why certain music has meant so much to me. (I'll probably take a crack at explaining my connection with certain authors another day; but c'mon . . . you knew that music would be first.)

I think that at any particular time, I have always had one band that stood out as my focus; and that band has reflected who I was at the time. Before I even started school, I was very heavily into Iron Maiden. Yeah, I had older brothers who got me into metal and parents who didn't object. There probably weren't a lot of five year olds who could sing the words to "Running Free." Heh.

Maiden is the band that really got me into music in a serious way, devouring the lyrics, the artwork, the videos. I loved the music; but the subject matter really hooked me. This was a band writing about mythology and swordfighting, about history and science fiction, about Edgar Allan Poe stories. In the end, I can't say whether the band reflected or directed some of my influences. I think that I may have started watching The Prisoner because of one of their songs. I can say, though, that at a time when my favourite part of school was writing stories, my favourite band was strongly into narrative songwriting.

Halfway through Elementary School, while Maiden was moving past their peak, I got into Alice Cooper. I think what drew me into Cooper was the humour in his songs. I'm sure that at that age, I couldn't appreciate the depth of many of the songs; but I remember finding a lot of them very cool, partially because of their dark humour.

By the time that I had moved on to Junior High, I was completely taken by Anthrax. For starters, they had songs like "A.I.R.," which is all about growing up and becoming your own person. How could that fail to strike a chord at age twelve? In addition, as I was starting to become more aware of the world, I was listening to a band sing about politics, war, racism, and drugs.

At the same time, I suddenly made a connection to a band that I had known since I was a kid: Black Sabbath. I think that when I was thirteen, I must have worn out my brother's tapes of the first five Sabbath albums, every one amazing. Ever since that time, I've felt a personal connection to Sabbath stronger than I feel for any other works of art in any medium. Volume Four has helped me more than any book or movie; and their debut album always hits me. Seeing the original lineup live in '99 ranks as a life highlight. The sensation when the band took the stage was about the most intense I've ever felt.

By High School, I was more concerned with the personal than the political; and I discovered Rollins Band. Henry Rollins dealt with the themes of alienation and depression, stength and intensity. Between his music, books, and spoken word albums, Rollins was someone who revealed himself very openly in his work; and I've always felt inspired by the philosophy behind the man.

Since Rollins, the artists that have most affected me have dealt primarily with emotion. PJ Harvey's music entered my world at a time when love was foremost in my mind. I will always consider To Bring You My Love a masterpiece; but I have made strong connections to all of her albums.

After PJ, I got into Nick Cave. I clearly recall lying in bed in my basement room one summer in Ottawa, absorbing every note of The Boatman's Call and echoing every emotion. Since then, I have been amazed at the quality of Cave's other work: album after album of genius, astute lectures that added to my appreciation of his songs, and a breathtaking novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel.

I've used this quote before in this journal; but I'm allowed to repeat myself: "Life without music would be an error, a hardship, an exile." That notion is one that I truly believe. At every stage in my life, music has been an undeniable part of me. Although there are many other bands that have meant a lot to me, I feel that the artists I detailed here have both reflected who I was and affected who I became.

J.