Summer '93

The summer of 1993 was a summer of trips: I took, like, a two week long trip with my girlfriend, Michelle, and her family to visit their relatives in Oklahoma (but I also got to see some of my relatives who lived there, too) which was followed up by a week-long trip with my family to some of the beautiful landscapes and parks of northern Arizona and southern Utah. My music-loving friend Jeff loaned me several cassette tapes for the trip as I had very little music of my own and because he didn't need them since he had just gotten a CD player for his car. Included in the mix were the likes of Erasure, Depeche Mode, New Order, Morrissey, and of particular note for this blog- R.E.M.

Just the previous year 'Automatic for the People' had been released, once again showing my impeccable timing in discovering a musical group- but I'll save that for the next blog because for this trip I also had to catch up on some of their older material- beginning with 'Document.' They rose to considerable fame with this album due to 'The One I Love' and 'It's the End of the World as We Know It"- and those are fine songs- but nothing grabbed be so much as the opening track "Finest Worksong." I seem to have a slight predilection for going against the grain so it is often the case that I latch onto songs that maybe aren't the most popular or the hit singles from an album- so perhaps I'm subconsciously reinforcing this when I'm choosing this song over the other, more popular tracks. It's good to be aware when you are supporting a mental construct- it may be helpful when you need to dump that construct in the face of a new reality.



Going back in time further to 'Green' I'm following the same course of action by choosing "Hairshirt" and "You are the Everything" over the more popular "Stand" "Orange Crush" but I think there is also the concept of the 'song choosing me.' Can we really help what strikes us? I'm drawn to things that are a little 'off'- and these songs contain some awkward passages- but that sets the really harmonious elements into greater relief, and to me, that contrast, is a beautiful thing.





"Inside Out" just rocks.



The summer ended on a down note, though. After the trip with Michelle and her family, after four years of dating (yes- 4!) we broke up. Somewhat 'incidentally' though- at the beginning of the summer, during the Pepperdine Bible Lectures, I met this girl named Melinda Sibley. (She becomes a major player in the 'soundtrack'- but not until track 52 or so....)