Radiohead, “Fake Plastic Trees”

Posted on March 7, 2007 by Jon Martin

And if I could be who you wanted…
If I could be who you wanted…
all the time.
All the time…

The first time I ever heard this song was when Andy performed it for me in my basement room in the Fall of 1997. I know it seems like a late date, but I had been avoiding Radiohead since “that creep song” became so overwhelmingly popular in 1993. I suppose that the impulse to avoid popular things is a product of the nineties, or perhaps the alternative scene that predated it. In either case, it’s hard to avoid. (I suspect that there was also a bit of pride, being in possession of a great many recordings, thanks to friends like Mike, that very few of my friends had really spent much time with. What can I say? I was young.) Indeed, to this very day, I often have to be dragged into things that are generally considered clever. I have some weaknesses, these mostly manifesting through television, but there we are. So, it was no surprise that I would have paid little attention to Radiohead’s first three albums until Andy hit me over the head with “Fake Plastic Trees.” Now, of course, this wasn’t the original, but Andy’s stamp of approval really meant a lot in those days. He had been a member of my ill-fated band, and I’d gotten to see his quirky genius at work on a regular basis. To this day, I remain full of a mix of admiration, affection, and trepidation when I approach Andy. I suppose I’ll always carry that around when I listen to this song. Continue reading →

The Econo Mix

Posted on February 27, 2007 by Jon Martin

Side 1 – What Makes a man Start Fires?	Side 2 – The Politics of Time

The Smiths – Bigmouth Strikes Again	Violent Femmes – American Music
NIN – Terrible Lie	Social Distortion – Story of My Life
Descendants – Suburban Home	R.E.M. – Texarkana
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Happy	Pavement – Here
Bad Religion – Entropy	Minutemen – Do you want new wave…
Lemonheads – It’s A Shame About Ray	Pixies – Planet of Sound
Sex Pistols – EMI	Fugazi – KYEO
Firehose – Caroms	Jane’s Addiction – Ocean Size
Dead Kennedys – Trust Your Mechanic	The Cure – Inbetween Days
Replacements – Unsatisfied	Smashing Pumpkins – Siva
Nirvana – In Bloom	Teenage Fanclub – December
Joy Division – Disorder	New Order – Perfect Kiss
The Clash – (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais
Throwing Muses – Him Dancing	Made: August 13th, 1992

Continue reading →

R.E.M., “Sweetness Follows”

Posted on February 19, 2007 by Jon Martin

It’s these little things, they can pull you under
Live your life filled with joy and thunder
Yeah, yeah we were… altogether…
Lost in our little lives.

I bought my very first copy of “Automatic for the People” at Faneuil Hall in Boston, on the day it came out. My uncle Troy decided to take me into Boston for the day, and I was very pleased to be going to Faneuil Hall. I had made one previous trip there that resulted in a positively delicious hamburger from Frog Lane – a below-ground restaurant that charmed me with its novelty. (I was thirteen. Leave me be, thank you.) Come to think of it, I believe that I had gone there with my uncle Michael who, if memory serves, was likely trying to impress his new girlfriend with his child-handling skills. (He’ll return later, in another entry.) Either way, the burger was pretty tasty. This is, of course, neither here nor there. The best trip, by far, was this one with Troy. Continue reading →

Muppets, “Rainbow Connection”

Posted on February 16, 2007 by Jon Martin

Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?
I’ve heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that called the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it.
It’s something that I’m supposed to be.
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

It’s not the first song I can remember. I’d like to say it’s “Puff the Magic Dragon,” but, sadly, it’s probably Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” (We had MTV from the outset, and so, as you might guess, I actually got to see a video or two before they switched over to the “All Real World, All the Time” format.) And, while this isn’t about Dee Snider and company, I do have an odd anecdote about that song. Until I was five years old, we lived in an apartment building near Fort Hill in Lowell. For reasons too ancient to be remembered, I found myself four years old and mad as Hell. I believe this had something to do with the landlord and his policy of keeping pets from entering the building. Or, it may have been the loss of my favorite Looney Tunes plate to a cruel microwave. In any event, having studied my television well, I decided that the only sensible thing to do was to take my cassette single of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” outside, along with my mother’s tape deck, and to play it at full volume from on top of a nearby hill. I was so sure that the Man would crumble, and that pets would be let in. (Or, perhaps, the plate would be magically restored.) This was, actually, the first day that I got a bee sting, as I chose a poor hill, and I ended up with a sore forehead and still no cats or plates. I think that might be as close as I’ll ever get to a “down on his luck rocker” story. Ah well. Continue reading →

Songs That Saved Your Life

Posted on February 16, 2007 by Jon Martin

“But don’t forget the songs that made you cry,
Or the songs that saved your life.
Yes, you’re older now. And you’re a clever swine.
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you…”

-The Smiths, “Rubber Ring”

So, I’ve been working on this play. It’s called “The Years I’m Missing,” and, among other things, it’s about nostalgia, music, internal language, and “coming of age.” I’m stuck. I have been for a long time. Given that so many of the narrative components are about the principle character’s (me, mostly) experience with music, I thought it might be interesting to start working through my writer’s block by working on little essays about particular songs of importance to me. What’s that? Why, yes, I have read Nick Hornby’s excellent “31 Songs.” Why do you ask?

Ok, so I stole the idea.

It’s still worth doing, isn’t it? I can’t promise these things will happen all the time, but I am planning at least a dozen, and I hope to have one a week. You’ll be able to follow the progress by simply selecting this category from the list. Oh, and I’d really love to talk about any of them with anyone who might want to comment. Music’s best when you can share it. So, there we go. I won’t be listing them in order of importance, as that would be both insane and impossible, but I will likely start with those that are easiest to talk about.

Be brave, kind reader.