The Loop
2.11.8
Before last Saturday, I had been in a several month long weird state that had caused me to simply lose interest in music altogether. Several CDs, bought back in 2007, had gone completely un-played. I also regularly found myself incessantly skipping tracks on my iPod, just trying to find something I could bear to listen to for 3 and a half minutes.
Anyone who knows me can tell you that this is unusual. If there is one thing I love in this world, it's music. The aforementioned iPod is currently loaded with 6,535 songs...and not just randomly downloaded tracks, either. Each and every song was bought in CD format, and ripped to my computer. I love every single one, too (except perhaps for Phaedreaux by King Missile, which might be the worst song ever made).
I'm not even entirely sure what had caused this random hatred towards one of my passions, but my two best guesses are stress and the weather.
Stress would seem to make sense simply because of the timing, as the recent passing of Super Tuesday has really mellowed me out. Maybe without that huge slab of political roast beef on my plate, I've just felt better about indulging in the occasional slice of entertainment pie. I've certainly felt better in general, at least. I mean...I'm used to having a lot on my mind, but the last few months were just overkill.
However, I'm inclined to believe that this had more to do with the weather than anything else.
I've actually always had a bit of a secret ritual at the end of each winter. Every year, I wait for the first day that truly feels like spring...a day that makes it seem like the long cold winter is finally over. When that day comes, I always get in my car, roll down the windows, and drive around just blasting King Missile's VulvaVoid.
Now, Saturday wasn't VulvaVoid nice, but it was definitely close.
I was just looking out the window when I was suddenly struck with the urge to run to Best Buy for some CDs that had recently come out. I did, and as I drove away from the store with my first selection playing...I realized something: It sounded fucking awesome! These weren't even the greatest albums or anything. The first was the new release from Sheryl Crow who, let's face it, has put out a couple of tremendously average albums lately. Next up was the new Jack Johnson...another lackluster effort.
It didn't matter though...I loved every minute of it. While I had never noticed any apparent correlation before, I now think that cold weather may affect my ability to properly enjoy music. Saturday's beautiful weather just might have been the cure I needed. I was having such a good time, in fact, that I even decided to extend my listening time by partaking in another of my old rituals:
Driving the loop.
The loop is a set of roads that leads me through various parts of the city. The trip is as follows: Quincy, Gun Club, Airport, Colfax, Broadway, I-25, I-225, Parker, and of course back to Quincy. The entire trip only takes an hour and a half, but I always feel like I've been traveling for much longer by the time I approach the end.
Of course, the loop is more symbolic than anything. It's like a secret path in plain sight. It goes down county roads, through urban ghettos and suburbs, past the skyscrapers downtown, and along the interstate. It is varied in its composition, but always familiar to me. I have driven the loop to listen to early mixes of my albums, to enjoy the company of friends, or just to be alone. No matter the reason for each trip, though, getting back to the beginning always feels like coming home, and like albums and seasons, one must always get back to the beginning to experience the full effect.
There is also one particularly poignant moment in each loop trip. There is one point on Colfax Ave. where the skyscrapers, the capitol building, and an old church all come into view at the same time. It's said that a civilization's tallest buildings have always been indicative of the culture's values at the time. Centuries ago people built church steeples higher than any house in the town. When people began putting their faith in the government instead of a god, those buildings began to dwarf even the tallest crosses. These days, all of our largest buildings belong to corporations. This paradigm is illustrated perfectly in that picturesque halfway point of the loop, and each time I see it I'm reminded to never stop looking for something to believe in.
