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10.25.2004

Marking Time 

Recently, I had the opportunity to take a long car trip with my step-father. On this car trip, I had a portable MP3 player plugged into the tape deck. This is a man whose life has been centered on hard work, cold beers, and music. The way he says it, “...Music is how we mark time in our lives.” I have come to appreciate this greatly on my own personal journey through life. We all remember the “big hits” the year we graduated from high school. My step-father plays the kinds of music that speaks of working hard, and playing hard; the kinds of tunes that tell a story. Most of what he listens to would be considered “oldies” by today’s standards, but that does not detract from the fact that many are among the standards in my own musical tastes as well. Bands like Credence Clearwater Revival, John B. Sebastian and the Lovin’ Spoonful, The Hollies, Canned Heat, and Simon and Garfunkel, just to name a few.

My love of music goes back to my own father as well. My grandmother instilled a love of music that caught fire in each of her children and extended down to her grandchildren as well. My father played the trombone, the drums, and the guitar. I found that I didn’t have the patience for an instrument, but I had enough understanding to sing by ear (I still can’t read music to save my life). Most of my schooling in music came from participating in choir. I remember a visit to my Uncle Tom’s house where he played a recording of Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer. I was all of three years old at the time. Ironically enough, my grandmother and I shared a love of Mozart that I would not learn about until her death in 1997.

Yes, I believe we do mark time with music. It fills us with hope when we are down, it gives us strength when we feel weak, and it inspires us to push forward when we feel we haven’t got anything left to push with. I remember the day I finished the last assignment of the last day of my undergrad like it was yesterday. I went to my room and played Peter Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and drank a beer (with many beers to follow later on). I am the first person (on my mother’s side) in my generation to earn a college degree. I felt like there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do; just as the Russians must have felt when the dreaded Russian Winter drove Napoleon’s invasion army from their country after it had conquered most of Europe.

Through everything I have been through, there is a song, like a precious stone I have collected, that defines the moment. I can look back at where I was at any time and find a song that represents how I felt, what I was thinking, and where I was going. Some of them happened to be a hit at that time, others were “gems” I just happened to discover then. No matter what I might be doing, whether it is painful or fun, music has gotten me through it. I even have a song picked out for the day I die: the original Dobie Gray recording of Drift Away. I don’t think its macabre, just something that I have decided to be appropriate.

I love all kinds of music, from blues, to jazz, to rock and roll, to pop, and all forms of classical. I can get excited about a John Henry Bonham drum solo just as easily as a Frederic Chopin piano solo. A special on John Coletrane or Howlin’ Wolf can transfix me like a deer in headlights. I find myself keeping time with the music, thumping my hand against the couch in rhythm. I listen to the powerfully belted out poetry of Melissa Etheridge and I cannot imagine how one person can possibly contain so much passion and artistry. Melissa is battling breast cancer at the moment, if you would like to send her a message of support, or donate to her chosen charity on her behalf you may do so by clicking here.

I think about how we mark time with music as my life is about to take another unexpected turn, not for the better or worse, but just the kinds of things that happen every day, but we never imagine they will. I consider life to be an adventure and music is how we mark the time of that adventure. As I embark on yet a new aspect of my adventure, my music is with me. My personal “Song of Songs” plays out within me as if it were broadcast over all the FM stations. The essence of every living creature on this earth can be summed up by music of one sort or another. As I am marking time with my music, so are each of you with yours. Find your tune and let it resonate within you no matter where life takes you.

TANSTAAFL!



©2004, J.S.Brown




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