As I hinted back in my gaming history post, music was my big thing during my teens and twenties (it carried on during my thirties but in a much calmer fashion :P). It was what defined me I suppose. I used to live for going to gigs and clubs – it was a wild and fun time :)
When I was a teenager, it was all about the indie scene so bands like the Wedding Present, The Wonderstuff, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, then grunge hit and I was listening to Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Tad, Alice in Chains, The Smashing Pumpkins and yes, Nirvana. After that, it kinda gets blurry – I’m still listening to all those bands (how could I forget Radiohead?)and many more besides notably I guess Kings of Leon and Queens of the Stone Age (I’m completely out of touch and stuck in the past with music now – when I was 20 I didn’t think that would happen, I thought I’d be different to the ‘old fogies’ but as it turns out, I’m not :P)
But I didn’t want to write a band by band history of the music I liked. Instead I thought I’d write out a few memories sparked by songs.
The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream. Before Dimzad and I started going out, he printed out these lyrics for me – and Soma is our song. I am notorious for getting the words wrong when I’m singing along – I don’t really care to be honest. My best not-quite-right-lyric was Mudhoney’s Sliding in ‘n’ out of grace – I was convinced it was I can’t breathe in outer space – makes sense at least :P
Prodigy – Firestarter. Two reasons – first, we used to play wipeout on the playstation (part of the soundtrack), and we got really freaked out driving back from a festival through a tunnel while listening to this. Second, our friend came up with some alternative lyrics, something along the lines of I’m a cheese potater, taramasalata which still makes me laugh now.
Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf / Screaming Trees – Sweet Oblivion. I had to commute from one side of the district line (London tube line) to the other, a journey of about 45 minutes, a few weeks after the London tube bombings. I was alternately rational (better chance of winning the lottery you know) and completely terrified that there was going to be a repeat attack. The strange thing that kept me chilled was this soundtrack – I thought if anything did happen, at least I was going to die listening to the best albums ever.
I remember Roger from Contains Moderate Peril, tweeted that an album he had bought felt like a lifetime ago. I replied something along the lines that my youth felt like it had happened to another person. Twenty years later, I look and act very different to the girl in the picture, I was such a free spirit (and full of pretentious twaddle ;)). I sometimes wonder where she has gone. At the same time, I still get surprised when I look in the mirror. I don’t actually want to go back to that age, I’m far happier now then I was. I do occasionally miss the ‘everything is new and awesome’ feeling though :)
