This is a story in song. It is the music that explains how I got though such hard times. Not all of these songs are period specific, meaning they were not released at the time that the story indicates. But they all mean something to me proper to that time and place now. For copyright reasons, I’m publishing this anonymously, with links to the songs on Spotify.
First, I met this woman. She seemed so friendly, and I explored dating her, before she disappeared. I could not contact her, and had nowhere to go with my love. Then I met another woman, whom I fell for fully. She seemed the perfect complement to my love of friendly exuberance and fast friendship.
‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Beck off of the Resistance Radio soundtrack from The Man in the High Castle soundtrack.
‘Rock Music’ by the PIxies, off of the album Bossanova.
‘Rock’n Roll’ by Daft Punk off of the album Homework.
Then I moved to a different city, with my new girlfriend. Life was awesome, until we ran upon some financial hardships and moved closer to my family. We were constant companions through thick and thin, and life was great.
‘No Sense’ by Cat Power off of the Moon Pix album.
There were some tremors and undertow from this time. I remembered having some hallucinations, severe ones, but thought it was nothing.
‘Damn Son’ by Trace and Nico off of the Torque album off the No U-Turn record label.
‘Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 / Act 1: Dance of the Knights' by Sergei Prokofiev
Then we moved back to west coast city where we had been living before. I had a few temp jobs and promise of employment, but was using too much marijuana and tried acid for the second time. My life really cycled out of control.
‘Into the Shadows’ by Christoph De Babalon off of the ‘A Bond with Sorrow’ album.
‘Just like Arcadia’ by Psychic TV off of the Allegory & Self album.
Then after a lengthy period of a nervous breakdown and psychotic break from reality, I was taken into care at a psychiatric hospital. This was a hard period for me, because I felt very alienated from my previous life.
‘Symphony no 83. In G Minor, Hob. 1/83 “The Hen”: I. Allegro Spiritoso’ by Franz Joseph Haydn.
‘Night Fight’ by Tan Dun off of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack.
‘Sail’ by AWOLNATION off of the Megalithic Symphony album.
I then left my former life behind. I split up with my girlfriend. I was looking at a long road ahead of me, full of psychiatric medication. I didn’t know what to do except move back closer to family. But I had a lot of free time, and spent it sketching and making music. I spent a lot of time at the nightspots in town, looking for a place to draw and hang out with people.
‘Nervous Breakdown’ by DJ Metal X, off of X.S. NRG on the Djax Up-Beats record label.
‘The Pajama Game: Hernando’s Hideaway' by Richard Adler, Jerry Ross, and Carol Haney
‘Argument’ by Fugazi off of The Argument album.
I have lots more music to be discovered in future installments, with more background to why I like these songs.