Summer of '69

“And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
Think about you wonder what went wrong

Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me it would last forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life”

Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams

Summer is coming to an end. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth. It is the end of February and the rain is starting to pour down even more frequently than before. Most people back at work and weekly public holidays have all finished. Universities will soon start throwing assignments at students, who suddenly have late nights aided by jugs of coffee, mountains of text books and referencing guidelines, instead of jugs of beer, some lazy music and cute flowery dresses. When it all gets a bit much, we will sit back and think, how easy was it all a few months ago during summer, how much breezy was the first year of university, or how much simpler it was back at high school.

I’m all for reminiscing. I think it is important to look back and celebrate all the good times we have had. We have anniversaries in our lives for a reason. There are wedding anniversaries which remember one of the most important days in a couples lives, and Christmas and Easter every year help us to celebrate traditional Christian beliefs. We have family reunions where the old and young sit down and listen to tales about how our great, great grandfathers bought land and started the family farms. Even when a group of friends get together for a dinner, the talk turns to the old days. For me and my friends, it’s always about how school was; whether it was those athletics days where we got a whole day off school, or the scandal at the school after ball, where such and such couple finally hooked up. We sit and laugh about every late night party, or mufti day outfits, or about the long, hot summer days at the beach, or, more accurately, how the rain kept us inside the bach over New Years. Our conversations generally end with: those were the easy days.

But I wouldn’t go back, nor would I like my life to be as easy as a summer day. With work and study comes virtues I could never learn otherwise. I would rather pour over photos from the past once in a while and celebrate everything occasion which is special, but continue to move to the future. For, those were the best days of my life, but right now is the best time of my life.

Asteroids and Satellites

“Start up, countdown,
Blast off, leave ground
Baby,
We’re all spaced out on the stars
...
Like asteroids and satellites
We’re burning up
We’re burning bright”

Asteroids and Satellites – Luger Boa

I’m slightly embarrassed to tell this story, but I will risk looking like a fool to prove a point.

Last year one of my very good friends scored us SECOND ROW SEATS to MEATLOAF! I was so excited to see the legend himself, I proceeded to spend the weeks prior to the show listening to his music. When we got to the concert, we literally ran to our seats. Then we realised we had to sit through the opening act. From personal experience, opening acts are pretty dire. They are meant to get the crowd going before the main act, but only seem to make people frustrated and annoyed, and constantly checking their watches to see how long until they are over. Once, I went as far as walking out during an opening act. So you can see why my friend and I would be a bit sceptical of how good Luger Boa would be. We would of course give them a chance, but secretly hoped they would be over quickly so we could see Mr Bat Out Of Hell himself. Finally, a group of assorted guys came on stage and started to play.

One song into their performance, I was hooked. Half-way through, my friend and I were trying to sing along, forgetting we didn’t know the songs. When lead singer, Jimmy Christmas, announced the band was from Auckland, the bit of Kiwi pride in me flared and all I wanted to do was claim them as our own. When they said who they were, we have a huge cheer (and maybe an extra loud one for the nearly shirtless drummer).  After the show, I went out and bought both their CD’s and now wait with eager anticipation for their next live show. Luger Boa? Best opening act to date.

Sometimes, I doubt whether I would have been as into Boa if I hadn’t heard them live. I probably would have passed them off as some generic rock band. But they performed with such passion and enthusiasm, there was no other thing to do but fall in love with their music. I chose Asteroids and Satellites this week because, although I love all their songs, I feel this one can describe the feeling live music gives us. Live performances take music to another level. When you’re in that zone, watching music live, it is entrancing. The bass is ridiculously loud, the drum and guitar solos are a once in a lifetime experience, and the crowd unites as everyone screams along to the songs. The ringing in your ears continues for hours and your voice is hoarse but you can’t stop buzzing about the gig. I’ve raved on for the past few weeks about how listening to music can help us, can heal us and can take us somewhere else when we need to, and I feel live music is just as important. Hearing your favourite songs live gives them much more meaning, more power, and confirms why you love that band. I believe spending the money to see bands live is one of the best money investments in the world.

Oh, and if anyone was wondering, yes, Meatloaf was amazing live. Those who didn’t go, shame on you! He’s never coming back to New Zealand, you know. You probably should have gone to see him live.

In This Life

“Let the world stop turning
Let the sun stop burning
Let them tell me love's
Not worth going through
If it all falls apart
I will know
Deep in my heart
The only dream that
Mattered had come true
In this life, I was loved by you”

In this life – Ronan Keating

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, everyone’s attention is focused on what special thing they can do for their loved one which tops the roses / walks along the beach at sunset / foot massages / getting the band at the restaurant to dedicate a song to their partner spectacular event of last year. Yes, it’s the time of year to say, I love you, and this is how I show how much.

I thought the sweet, crooning voice of a sexy Irishman was appropriate for this time of year. Ronan Keating’s songs are full of messages of love and care, and give you a warm fuzzy feeling when listened to. This particular song puts everything on the line. It stands there and simply says; I love you, my dream has come true, and that is all I have ever needed in life. For all I have written in my blogs in the past five week, I think this one is the most important. Find love. And then celebrate it on the special day of love. I think we forget the meaning of love on Valentine’s Day, when we are bombarded with commercialism. I may not know much about love, but I believe Valentine’s Day should be less about spending obscene amounts of money on things they probably won’t like and more about celebrating something special. Forget getting three dozen roses and thirty heart shaped chocolates delivered to their work. Find out what your special someone wants and give it to them. Humans have so much pure, raw love to give, and this is the day to do it. And, finally, remember how lucky you are to be loved.

To those of you who have a special other half to love, I hope you have a great day with each other. To those of you who don’t think they don’t, remember your friends and family, and show them some love. Or take the risk and tell someone you love them. After all, what other day can you put everything on the line for love?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Judas

“I wanna love you,
But something’s pulling me away from you
Jesus is my virtue,
Judas is the demon I cling to”

Judas – Lady Gaga

When this song was first released, it caused major controversy with religious groups who took offense to the lyrics. Personally, I do not agree with these claims. I see this song as more of a metaphor for not being able to let go of something you had a strong emotional attachment to.

On the simplest level, I take this song to be about Lady Gaga not being able to let go of a bad boy. Nearly every girly gossip magazine has written articles about this. Bad boys are attractive because they are mysterious and moody. They are always good looking. They live life on the edge and can take you for a thrilling ride. Mostly, they are the kind of boys parents hate. It starts off as fun and games, but then the girl can fall in love. It gets too much for the bad boy, who never wanted to be tied down, and he ends things. The girl gets a broken heart. 

It is never easy letting our past go. There is always a small emotional attachment that clings to us, and, when we finally think it has gone away, it resurfaces to remind us why we loved so much. Throughout the song, Gaga talks about how she tries to let her Judas go and move forward, but admits, fool as she is, she just cannot cut that final string. It’s not just about some bad boy we were once in a relationship with. It can happen with our friends, family, work, hobbies or something else which broke the heart. When we walk away from them, it takes longer for our emotions to walk away.

So how do we move forward? I’ve read time heals everything, making yourself busy takes away the pain, finding something new makes you forget, remembering your virtues helps you move forward. In Judas, Gaga tells her story, leaves us with no illusion about what she went through, but mostly she lets us know we are not going through anything alone. So, if there is one thing I can advise you to use to try moving forward, and the one thing I recommend turning to when all else fails, it is music. When you lie in bed at night, alone in the dark, it’s not so easy to stop thinking. But it is easy to pop in your iPod and take yourself away to a place where you can heal yourself.