Best Of's

I'm gonna kind of link some various thoughts I've alluded to on previous posts together. Bear with me.

I don't get a chance to listen to music much. When I'm driving in my own car, I tend to listen to talk radio or audiobooks (because I just can't stop thinking). My car also has a cassette player, so I've got nothing to play on it more recent than 1991, and what I do have to listen to has been listened to a lot in my day and even though it's been years since I've listened to it, it's still tiresome for the most part.

I also just haven't found any really good music lately. The radio stations around here (and any other place I've lived) suck. You have your classic rock, which is, basically, the same 100 songs-- no matter what station you're listening to. You have your modern rock, which is just a little too much; there's nothing there that really hooks me (or wasn't when I actually tried listening to it). And it's all about how depressed people are and how their daddies didn't love them. What happened to good old sex, drugs, and rock and roll?

But I've found that music is extremely powerful at evoking memories and feelings. I went through a bit of an emotional crisis in February. My company decided to relocate my department, and my three minute commute became a thirty-five minute commute (thirty, if I'm really running late). My favorite people to work with were all leaving in droves, and I felt this enormous loss. But I also pulled out some tapes to play during my long drive and found comfort in the music I listened to during my last big emotional crisis-- the dreaded high school and girls mix. It was comforting-- and it helped me cope with the upheaval in my life now just as it did for me half a lifetime ago.

Music is important. It's also one of the few things I try not to disparage. If a TV show sucks, I'll usually say it to anyone who asks my opinion (and even those who don't). Same with movies, comics, books, etc. But music is sacred. I guess I look at music being so personal, it's hard to say "that sucks" because it may mean as much to someone else as my favorite music does to me.

That attitude probably also stems from the fact that I was a big late-'80s Van Halen fan. That meant Sammy Hagar. I spent my high school and college lives hearing how Roth was better in the band, and I had to defend my favorite lineup whenever the subject came up.

Hmmmm. I'm not wrapping it up real well, am I?

Let's just get to the point:

I noted in a recent post that it's hard to come up with a Best Of list of any sort unless you're an expert on the subject. I'm not an "expert" at much, but I do know a lot about a few things (TV of the last ten years, comic books of the last twenty-five, Van Halen). So, when a friend asked me to make her a Sammy Hagar mix CD, I jumped at the chance. Here, I was able to actually put my knowledge to use-- and try to create another fan. Then I thought: what a great idea for a blog post.

And also: what an idea to actually get some communication going. I've gotten good feedback from people I know who read this, but I don't give much of an opportunity to open the gates.

So here it is. Time to earn your keep. Make a best of CD of your favorite band. Make an 80 minute mix for me (15-20 songs). If you were going to make a fan, what would you put on the CD? And, as a bonus, throw in a song that means something to you that may not get put on an "official" Best Of; a bonus track if you will.

I'm out of time, so I'll post my Hagar Best Of within the next day or two. In the meantime, get to work. I know one of my readers is a U2 fan and another is a Queensryche fan. Sell me on them.

Post a reply to the post or e-mail your best of to me at teameckblog@charter.net .

And sorry I didn't proofread this-- outta time....