Friday, August 27, 2004  

Before Sunrise / Sunset

Husker Du, "Hardly Getting Over It"
from Candy Apple Grey (Warner Bros., 1986)
Husker Du, "Hardly Getting Over It"
from Makes No Sense at All bootleg; live at Vikateateret in Oslo, Norway 9.13.1985
Husker Du, "Celebrated Summer"
from New Day Rising (SST, 1984)
Husker Du, "Celebrated Summer"
from Makes No Sense at All bootleg; live at Vikateateret in Oslo, Norway 9.13.1985

I recently saw my high school girlfriend for the first time in 15 years. Gaele was a French exchange student in my tiny town of Howell, Michigan, and we dated in 1986. (I'm not sure anybody from France had been in Howell since, like, the 17th century.) I went to visit Gaele in the summers of 1987 and 1989, but I hadn't seen her since, though we did manage to stay in touch via brief phone calls every few years. She got married, had three kids, and is a doctor in a village of 1,000 in the south of France. I got married, have no kids (but our parakeets are a pain in the ass), and edit a jazz mag in a suburb of Washington, D.C. C'est vrais, c'est tout.

Gaele was visiting NYC with her sis, so wifey-poo & I went up to visit, staying with my best buddy Samps. It was a great experience---especially the SoHo rooftop party overlooking David Bowie's pad and the tearful goodbye at the crowded corner of Broadway and Spring where somebody snapped, "Move it!" (Thank you, New York!) But it was also Flashback Central. There were moments when I felt 16 again, and I think I even developed a zit just to make it seem like old times.

Naturally, I started thinking of music that reminded me of Gaele. Our first kiss? During a Tears for Fears documentary (Orzabal l'amour!). Our first concert together? Echo & the Bunnymen. Our favorite bands together? Depeche Mode & the Cure. Bands that remind me of her that we didn't necessarily listen to together? 7 Seconds---since it took exactly the length of Walk Together, Rock Together to drive to her host home---and Husker Du. The Cure will come, but today is all about Bob, Grant, and the dude with the 'stache. (And in an indirect way, this post continues the Nordic love I started last week.)

Did you know Bob writes a blog? Of course you do. I moved to D.C. and eventually met Ian. So if I meet Bob, and then Robert Smith and Milo Aukerman move to the District, I could sell off my teenage record collection and just invite the fellas over for bonfires and sing-alongs.

Speaking of D.C. homeslices, Waremouse has fired up the MP3 blog.

Posted by CP | Link |

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