I got invited over to a new friends house in the 8th grade. He skated like I did and had an older step brother with an awesome music collection that he didnt have to hide from his parents. I remember seeing two albums on his bed that that sparked my interest, the first one was Louder than Bombs by the Smiths and Staring at the Sea the Singles by the Cure. My friend gladly dubbed off the two albumd for me on his dual casette deck and I was introduced to what I like to call mope rock. Futher down the road my friend dubbed me a Buthole Surfers album over a tape my mom recorded herself reciting bible verses on. The dub started late so you got my my mom receiting whatever verse then the music kicking in. If I were a producer I would have used that as a technique because it wad pretty cool. Whenn I told my mom about about years later she said it was Gods way of pointing ou to me that I was listening to inappropriate music.
This music was melancholy and poetic and offerred an outlet for me to see the world as a much larger place than midwest bible belt town that I am from. As I dug deeper and listened to the Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus and Joy Division I realized the music being pushed by American pop culture was nothing but tits and ass. This music had references to poetry by Keats and Yeats, addressed real issues that mattered. I would go to church and youth group and be controlled and told what to think and how to think. This music was another avenue besides comedy that allowed me to escape and see the world as a much bigger place. Who knew that 25 years later it would also give me an appreciation for chanting in high church liturgy when I showed up at friends wedding at a Catholic church.
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