Post #21 — Dispatch from Queens: Music to Our Ears
Sal Nunziato reports from Astoria:I remember the first time I attempted to listen to music after 9/11. It had been 72 hours of non-stop television and heartbreak and I told myself, I had had enough. I turned on the stereo and I put on a Black Crowes CD. I had tickets to see them at the Beacon Theatre in NYC on 9/21 and so I decided to get in the mood. About two minutes into the first song, my body changed, like the first drop on the Cyclone. It wasn't time. I wasn't ready.
I don't recall how many days passed before I felt "ready," but I do know the concert was not cancelled. We attended and it was euphoric. After the third or fourth song, singer Chris Robinson addressed the crowd. "This finally feels like a Friday night!" The crowd exploded and remained on their feet, dancing for the entire two hours.
We needed it. Boy, how we needed it.
I see people on social media offering up ways of coping through this pandemic, everything from baking to meditating, to jogging and running and board games. For me, it's music. And this time, I have been ready from Day One. Why? Maybe it's because I still recall that concert on 9/21/01, and how it made me less afraid. And I don't want to be afraid. So, I create a day's worth of listening while I have my morning coffee.
I am not looking for soothing music. Or background music. I don't want wordless music or music that makes me feel at peace. I want all music. I have quite a large music library and so with my coffee, I'll walk around the living room, eyeballing the spines of the albums and pulling out whatever calls my name. This is what I've pulled out so far, before I decided to write this up for Jeff:
* Introducing Johnny Griffin, a mid-50's blowing session for Blue Note.
* Peter Gabriel's third self-titled solo album, the one with no cymbals. The one with "Games Without Frontiers." I don't think I've listened to this album in thirty years.
*Eddie Harris's Mean Greens, this is a mid-60's bit of groovy jazz on Atlantic.
* Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," because this one works wonders at any occasion, good or bad.
* Nine Inch Nails- With Teeth, because something loud, throbbing, aggressive and occasionally dark never hurt anyone.
I am not through picking. There will be more. Actually, one of life's greatest pleasures and my single favorite activity is digging through records, even if they are my own. This is how I cope, not just during a pandemic, but through everything. Snowstorms? Play music. The Knicks season? Play music. I know what's going on outside will still be there when the last song on "Sticky Fingers" is over. I don't have to watch it in real time.
I don't recall how many days passed before I felt "ready," but I do know the concert was not cancelled. We attended and it was euphoric. After the third or fourth song, singer Chris Robinson addressed the crowd. "This finally feels like a Friday night!" The crowd exploded and remained on their feet, dancing for the entire two hours.
We needed it. Boy, how we needed it.
I see people on social media offering up ways of coping through this pandemic, everything from baking to meditating, to jogging and running and board games. For me, it's music. And this time, I have been ready from Day One. Why? Maybe it's because I still recall that concert on 9/21/01, and how it made me less afraid. And I don't want to be afraid. So, I create a day's worth of listening while I have my morning coffee.
I am not looking for soothing music. Or background music. I don't want wordless music or music that makes me feel at peace. I want all music. I have quite a large music library and so with my coffee, I'll walk around the living room, eyeballing the spines of the albums and pulling out whatever calls my name. This is what I've pulled out so far, before I decided to write this up for Jeff:
* Introducing Johnny Griffin, a mid-50's blowing session for Blue Note.
* Peter Gabriel's third self-titled solo album, the one with no cymbals. The one with "Games Without Frontiers." I don't think I've listened to this album in thirty years.
*Eddie Harris's Mean Greens, this is a mid-60's bit of groovy jazz on Atlantic.
* Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," because this one works wonders at any occasion, good or bad.
* Nine Inch Nails- With Teeth, because something loud, throbbing, aggressive and occasionally dark never hurt anyone.
I am not through picking. There will be more. Actually, one of life's greatest pleasures and my single favorite activity is digging through records, even if they are my own. This is how I cope, not just during a pandemic, but through everything. Snowstorms? Play music. The Knicks season? Play music. I know what's going on outside will still be there when the last song on "Sticky Fingers" is over. I don't have to watch it in real time.
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