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[personal profile] acroyear
A big Happy Birthday to...

Star Wars (29)!

Tubular Bells (33)!

Ian McKellen! Mike Meyers! Frank Oz!

Ralph Waldo Emerson! (ok, so he's dead. so what?)


and a personal note...

20 years ago today, in my 10th grade English class, a chap came up to read his term paper.  We were allowed to write on any subject at all.  He wrote about Pink Floyd.  I knew the name (hard to escape it) and knew my dad had stuff, but during the bulk of the 80s while the band was on its hiatus, the only thing pop radio ever played was Brick in the Wall II.  At that time, I was a rather straight-laced kid, and uber-geek.  I listened to 80s pop music 'cause it rocked at the time, though the beginning of the end was near (Whitney Houston had just hit #1).  Musically, I was finally ready for something more.  I was also something of a depressive neurotic mess, but name a teenager that wasn't.  I had an infatuation with a classmate that had run rather extensively into my emotional state of mind over the past 7 months and I *really* needed to get off of that.

His boombox died that morning so he couldn't actually play the samples he wanted to.

But being ready for something more, I went looking.  I dug up my dad's 8-track of Dark Side of the Moon (he taped it off of the USS Saratoga's on-board closed-circuit radio system on the trip back from 'Nam).

And my life was changed permanently.  I became a hippy!  no haircuts, jeans and flannel only, occasional sixties-revival stuff stolen from my mom, my dad's flack-jackets, the works.  Started to change who I hung out with (*far* more interesting people).  Classic rock radio started up within the month and I progressed my way through Clapton/Doors rock-blues into the Progressive Rock realm I never really left.

In many ways, my "eyes were opened" on that day, listening to that album.  And in many ways the depressions and neurotic-like feelings left me - I took control over my music and control over my life rather than letting the whims of fancy of teenage obsessions overwhelm me as its so easy to do.

I probably would have (re)discovered the Floyd eventually, but regardless, that was the day that I did.  20 years ago today, I made the first steps to growing up.  Oh, and the infatuation ended pretty much overnight.  'bout time, too.

As simple as it sounds, it really was.  One day, one music album, one changed life for the better.  I outgrew the "hippy" but incorporated the aspects of that life that were worth keeping into my own (hence, the haircut, the jeans, and the continued dependency on flannel in winter).

You think 13 years from now, any of the crap in the "hot-100" charts today is going to change someone's life?


oh, and appearantly, today is Towel Day, but I didn't bother...too many other things already worth celebrating. I'd rather remember DNA on his birthday.

at any rate, that means musically, today's going to be an odd cross-section of Wayne's World quality classic rock, Pink Floyd, Star Wars, Muppets songs, and a little civil disobedience!

Date: 2006-05-25 03:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com
I"m glad you found Pink Floyd.

Dark Side of the Moon is one of my least favorite albums, all because my father played his 8-track ad nauseum when I was 5/6 and I would have rather listened to my Sesame Street tape. When you're 5, "Rubber Ducky" is far cooler that "Money".

I know someone else who is rather dependent on flannel. ;-)

Date: 2006-05-25 03:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] acroyear70.livejournal.com
well, i got my 3 hours of sesame street a day already (7-8am, followed by CBS's 1-hour Captain Kangaroo from 8-9; then 3-4 and 4-5, followed by Mr Rogers and Electric Company) so i was pretty satiated with that.

At age 5, I was actively putting on Yes's Close to the Edge and Relayer, and knew all the words to "Welcome to the Machine".

And again, there was the disconnect - after being entranced in "Rock" (no need to call it "Classic Rock" during the 70s), I had 8 years to get it all completely out of my head as my dad wasn't there for 2 of those to play it and then I discovered 80s pop music (which was, of course, cool at the time).

To my ears, it was mostly new in 1986, though oddly familiar in a very addictive way.

to clarify

Date: 2006-05-25 03:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] acroyear70.livejournal.com
Jacksonville, FL, at the time didn't have any independent channels offering cartoons, so PBS was it for kids tv at the time.

the death of saturday morning cartoons came when you could get them every day of the week. back in the 70s, our "worship" was the 90 minutes of bugs bunny on CBS, 9 to 10-30.

Re: to clarify

Date: 2006-05-26 01:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com
Richmond, Va., in the 70s, was the same way. We didn't get an independent station until the early 80s.

Those three hours weren't quite enough for me. I wanted all Sesame St., all the time! ;-)

I lived for the 90 min. of Bugs Bunny as well as the original Scooby Doo.

My dad was a bit more partial to the singer/songwriters of the 70s (Jim Croce, James Taylor, Logins/Messina) and Bands like the Eagles and the Doobie Bro. I could probably sing all the words to songs like "Operator", "Bad, Bad, Leory Brown" and "Leader of the Band".

Wrapping my head around....

Date: 2006-05-25 03:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] celtink.livejournal.com
30 years ago was 1976. You were in 10th grade?!!

I always thought you were my age.

Wow.

Re: Wrapping my head around....

Date: 2006-05-25 04:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] acroyear70.livejournal.com
bleh. typo.

20 years, and its corrected now.

Oh thank heavens...

Date: 2006-05-25 07:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] celtink.livejournal.com
although I'd say you looked awesome for 45!!! lol

Re: Wrapping my head around....

Date: 2006-05-25 04:00 pm (UTC)
ext_298353: (Default)
From: [identity profile] thatliardiego.livejournal.com
Smoking stunted his growth. ;)

Date: 2006-05-25 06:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] blueeowyn.livejournal.com
You think 13 years from now, any of the crap in the "hot-100" charts today is going to change someone's life?

It depends on the definition. Will any of the crap in the "hot-100" from ANY chart era change someone's life? Maybe so, maybe no. However, if you merely limit it on any of the "hot-100" charts, I think there are some good ones. Granted, I am lousy at remembering titles or artists but one that I think has a profound ability to change someone's life is "Sky Diving" (or whatever it is called) ... 'I went sky-diving, I went Rocky Mountain Climbing, I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu-Manchu; I loved deeper and spoke sweeter, and I gave the forgiveness I'd been denying' etc. That song's lyrics are VERY powerful.

Date: 2006-06-01 12:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] piraterogue.livejournal.com
The song is "Live like you were dying" by Tim McGraw

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