Gary's Writing Pad

Music is central in my life. I need good music to reflect my mood, or maybe influence it. Last week, I spent a week away from work and music played a huge role… maybe more than typical.

I must have music on long drives and the eight hour trip to and from Wisconsin is a perfect example of a day’s worth of good music. But it was on the return trip that I felt especially nostalgic and affected. I started out with some 70s and 80s tunes that triggered a lot of memories. By mid journey, the music had shifted to the rock of the 90s and 2000s. Late in the trip, I was feeling a bit fatigued and had some hard rock and modern metal playing.

However it was songs and bands that triggered memories that made this trip unique.

1970s pop/rock brought me back to memories of middle school and recording tapes on my portable cassette recorder from the radio (Fleetwood Mac, Kansas, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Steely Dan, and the Eagles).

1980s triggered the most memories. Rush (Tom Sawyer) and Van Halen (Running with the Devil) was dominant at parties and good times with friends. They were among many bands vital in that teenage time! My first concert was Men at Work and it was really fun! Journey reminded me of my first love and very special times in high school with her (Open Arms), but also of deceit and loss as she dumped me for another guy (Faithfully). In fact we were supposed to see the Police in a concert on the night she told me it was off and I cannot listen to many songs by the Police to this day (Every Breath You Take).

Strangely enough, we ended up together and married, at least until we saw The Eagles in concert in Hawaii. My biggest memory was the guy about 5 seats down vomiting profusely for much of the concert (was it a sign?). It’s a memory I would rather not relive (Lyin’ Eyes). It was also the last music memory I have of my ex-wife since we divorced shortly after that.

A few years later, I met a fun and exciting woman I married even though I swore I would never marry again. Hootie and the Blowfish were big between us (I Only Wanna Be With You) and many of the bands you would hear on episodes of Friends or other TV shows of the time (Rembrandts, U2, Oasis, Vertical Horizon, Blessed Union of Souls, Collective Soul, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Third Eye Blind).

We shared an enjoyment of Creed that led me in to the world of Mark Tremonti and eventually Alter Bridge. My music tastes evolved into the 2000s a lot more than it had in the past and went through Rock (Disturbed, Three Doors Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers), and by the 2010s I was into a bit harder rock (System of a Down, Queens of the Stone Age, Deftones, Tool) and finally into some Metal around 2020 (Gojira, Spiritbox).

I guess what inspired this line of thought is that every genre of music, band, and even many songs, seem to trigger a place in my memory of the past. The soundtrack of my life is played out through my musical experiences and preferences. I can place so many events to bands or songs and if I was to write an autobiography, it would be sectioned by songs and bands.