Don't let it drag you down

The snow covered roads tonight--and the resulting, extremely precarious driving conditions (seriously, despite only a few inches, it was far, far worse than the 24" of last month)--reminded me very specifically of a drive I made over fourteen years ago. I was going from my place in CT to a coworker's Christmas party in neighboring MA, and about half the drive was on back roads that under the best of weather conditions would not have been fun to drive, they were so dark and twisting and disorienting. Covered by the packed remains of the previous night's and that day's snowfall, they were decidedly an unfun experience on a very cold winter's night.

I knew that a lot of people were going, though, and I'd heard that R's parties were great, great fun--both his father and his father-in-law were in the restaurant business, so the food and the drinks flowed merrily and mightily--and he boasted (and rightfully) that he had something entertaining for everyone. Besides, the utter boredom that was the weekends I'd failed to make plans and had to spend in CT made it that just going for a ride and following directions to a new place sounded entertaining enough by itself.

Despite some wrong turns and a few minutes of being completely convinced that I would end up frozen in some godforsaken Massachusetts' side road ditch, I made it there and, as promised, had great fun. I especially had an enjoyable hour kicking everyone's butt, playing You Don't Know Jack (which had just come out and was a huge hit with my department and our nerdy inclinations) elimination style. My final opponent did try to give me a run for my money, but in the end he was no match for my speed, my trivial knowledge, and my trash-talking mouth, although he really committed to giving as good as he got on that last part. "If I didn't know for a fact that you two probably meant all that given how much you actually dislike each other," R said, I'd almost think there was some sort of foreplay going on there."

It shouldn't take a genius to figure out who I was playing against. Although, we obviously weren't as clever as we thought we were, because it took us another six months to actually make good on what we'd been already indulging in subconsciously.

***

I've been paraphrasing a particular section from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (the book, although the movie references it, as well) several times since I read it. Norah is explaining to Nick why, despite being the daughter of a well-known music producer, and loving music so much herself, she is loathe to get into the business. It's especially because of her dad knowing so many musicians personally that she actually is turning away from working with them and her reason is simple: she wants to still enjoy their music. Getting to know the real person behind the music, she tells Nick, often times completely changes your perspective of their music and your reaction to it, and not for the better. It's hard not to think about the awful things they do and say in real life and keep the music separate, from that point on.

This song was playing on my mix-tape during the worst part of the ride up to R's house. Somehow, singing along very loudly to it was quite reassuring, as if in doing so my voice and Peter Townshend's would some create sort of Moses magic out of the words and open a clear path to my destination. I couldn't ever hear the song again without thinking of that night and how I worked it like a talisman against getting lost.

Unfortunately when, several years afterward, the news broke about Operation Ore and the eventual caution he received from the British police, I couldn't listen to the lyrics for a while without thinking immediately of an interpretation relevant to the whole event. The previous memory felt a little sullied in light of these new developments (and my over imaginative mind).

***

I really liked the use of the synthesizer in the original, but this acoustic version sounds wonderful just as it is, and maybe because it is different enough I feel like I am listening to a cover of it.

Let My Love Open The Door (acoustic) - Peter Townshend




Talking of covers, I still think the other is my favorite of his covers, but damn if this isn't great as well.

Let My Love Open The Door (cover) - Pearl Jam