Thanks to the magic of iPod, the soundtrack of my life today seems to mainly consist of the classic prog-rock band Rush. With my resistance weakened by a tinge of seasonal depression on a grey New England winter day, Rush is having a completely bizarre effect on me. I swear I almost burst out into tears of joy during "Temple of Syrinx". And it's really not that kind of song...
I'm sure that a lot of it is nostalgia. When I was a young teenaged semi-metal head growing up in Milwaukee, I firmly believed that Rush was one of the greatest bands on earth. Laugh if you must... it was the Midwest and it was the early to mid-1980's. My friend's and I traded tape cassettes. At that time and in that moment, Rush touched some chord in me. They always seemed to be telling a story, definite narrative threads in both lyrics and music winding through their albums. And best of all, beneath all that metal hair they were HUGE GEEKS. Their music absolutely reeked of sci-fi and fantasy novels.
I have the rare fortune to have had a fairly happy childhood even through my teen years, thanks largely to having fantastic parents and a group of really good friends who stuck together in a sort of geeky cabal. that persists to this day. Of course there was the standard teen angst and troubles, but time has softened those memories considerably. I think that I associate Rush (and a few other bands) with that somewhat simpler time in my life. Hearing "Red Barchetta" just gives me warm fuzzies. Weird, but it's kinda like comfort food without the calories. Good for helping me through grey winter days.
The seasonal depression thing is a bit weird. I never used to get it, but over the last few years it's been kicking in during January and February. It's not severe or crippling... it's just sort of numbing. It makes me want to vegetate, spending too much time playing video games or watching TV. More hibernation than depression, I suppose. It's hard to get excited about anything this time of the year. I'm trying to make an effort to get out of the house and do things, just to keep my brain from atrophying. Maybe I need a trip to NYC sometime next month?
Trivia Note: My new cell phone ringer is "Spirit of the Radio".
Strangely enough, just before I drove down to Atlanta, I told Jill the story of all you guys waiting in the rain at Summerfest to see "Inky Fucking Melonhead." She thought it especially funny that I couldn't remember the guy's real name, or name a song of his to save my life, but I remember the story. And it had enough info for HER to say, "oh, you mean Yengvie Maelmstein?" (I obviously still have no idea how to spell it!)
Now I have "Closer to the Heart" in my head. But that's nice, cuz I get the same kind of warm fuzzies.
Posted by: Liza at January 14, 2005 11:47 AMWhen I think of (or hear) Rush, I think of Jon Albertson. He thought of Rush much in the same way you did. Still think of him from time to time, especially on opening day for the Brewers. The good times are always more fun to remember than the bad. Speaking as someone who has suffered from seasonal depression for years, just remember it's almost spring. January and February will go by in a flash and it will start to warm up. The days are already getting longer and spring is just around the corner. Happy Friday!
Posted by: Geneva (Ellingstad) Koleski at January 14, 2005 12:11 PM