Today, I took Alex to a doctor appointment.
While sitting in the waiting room, I talked to a mom. She had brought her child in and when he left the waiting room to go in, she started looking at his MP3 player. I had no idea that taking the chance on starting a conversation and saying, "Does he have good music?" would start a most wonderful conversation.
We talked about music and how music can take someone from a dark place to a brighter place. Shine Down sings that in these lyrics "The darkest part of the night / is just before the dawn." I believe music allows you to do that. There are so many stories about musicians who used music to get out of a dark place and find their way back. I talked to her about Shine Down's lead singer, who had done that. I wrote about that recently, how he was mistaken for Meat Loaf and then decided to give up his vices - booze, drugs - and to eat better and work out. Music, in my opinion, gives people the ability to do more than they thought was possible.
I talked about Jason Newsted at the Metallica convert in 1993 and how it was just after Iowa Hawkeye basketball player Chris Street had died in a car crash. Newsted started his bass solo by saying that he knew that "we" - the audience - had been going through a tough time but that sometimes "you" just needed to get it out. I remarked how the concert had gotten loud after that.
I also talked about my own history with music and playing drums, that listening to the Gene Simmons (KISS) solo album had made me want to play drums when I heard the song "Living in Sin" and "Tunnel of Love." Around this point in the conversation, she mentioned that I didn't look like I would like heavy metal music.
I get that a lot. I don't look like a Metallica fan or someone that likes heavy metal. I know that.
I also talked about playing drums in church and the Scary Robots gig on August 24. I mentioned there is a difference between playing drums in church and drums in a rock and roll setting.
Overall, the time waiting for Alex went so quickly. It was an awesome conversation, the kind I wish I had a recording of just so I wouldn't forget it.
Editor's Note: as of 7/1/2013, the working title of our band is Lou's Classic Ride.
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