The Album: Hunky Dory David Bowie
The Story: I don't remember how we picked up Brian. He was in some English classes with Hopcus and me, but I can't remember which ones. It just seems like one day he was talking to us, which is kind of amazing because I think we were convinced he couldn't talk at all.
Brian is a visual artist and a truly gifted one. He works in a lot of mediums and possesses a deep appreciation for and understanding of his field. Any good mentor will tell you to know the history of your field. Brian did.
I liked Brian because he was a study in contrasts. Very clean and quiet, with everything meticulously in place, but also subversive, crazy, and willing to go along with anything. I think he liked me because I was a living embodiment of a John Waters character and I said all the seditious things he was thinking. After a brief conversation in the UC, we decided we'd all move into Hopcus's little college rent house together. There were usually four of us, sometimes five.
Brian brought movies on VHS and tons of albums. The albums were organized according to the artist. The movies were organized according to the director. Afternoons were an immersion into obscure cinema, foreign films, and music.
And of course, like everyone else, I knew who David Bowie was. I'd heard his songs for years. But this was the first time I heard all of Hunky Dory and it was a marvel. "Oh! You Pretty Things" was just fun to sing around the house. "Andy Warhol" was sort of the topic of the day because we watched a lot of Warhol stuff around this time. And "Queen Bitch," well, how could I not love that?
"The Bewlay Brothers" was my favorite. It captured me because it had this sense of the kind of connected companionship I love to find. People often talk about how the song really connects to nothing and Bowie himself said at different times it was either about his half-brother or maybe just whatever people wanted. I think there is something to be said for just letting a song exist so that people can find what they need to in it.
You know how you have these perfect moments in life? One of mine was this autumn evening when the album was coming to a close. We were listening to "The Bewlay Brothers" with the windows were open, blowing a slightly cold breeze in. All the lights were off except for some random candles and the light of Brian's cigarette. We were quiet, lost in our own thoughts.
Then the Outro began and all of us, at once, started singing it in the loudest, most godawful accents we could. We kept this up until the end, then laughed until we were breathless. We were dorks, but it was perfect.
As I've gotten older, my favorite song on the album is "Quicksand." The guitar is beautiful and powerful. All other instruments arrive at just the perfect point. The lyrics are masterful. There have been many nights when this song got me through dark moments. It's to be on the soundtrack for my funeral.
Thank you to: Brian and the Endless Autumn
The Lesson Learned: When Brian first showed up with all that music and movies, I was emotionally hostile about it. Here was this guy who was only a few years older than me and he had ALL of this. I was intimidated and felt outclassed. Lilly don't like to feel no outclassed.
Once I got over my ego, I realized he didn't bring this stuff to intimidate or be pretentious. He brought it because he wanted to share what he loved. When you bring new art to someone, you're communicating about who you are and what you see in them. So while it was a lot all at once, and while I did not like everything, I am certainly thankful for the experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment