Thursday, February 22, 2007

(untitled 136)

It's Lent again, and unlike last year, I'm not making any sort of lexical vow. (You'll find two commas in that last sentence; two more than I wrote during the whole season of Lent last year.) This year, I've decided to give up something substantial - an actual vice. I'm abstaining from listening to my music until Easter, and I think it's going to be really good for me. I've worried for a long time that I'm unable to focus on anything that actually matters in life, and this seems like the perfect time to start.

The last two days haven't been without problems, though. I've had various songs stuck in my head, which makes me feel more than a little guilty. The Shins are a frequent visitor to my mind, as well as Radiohead and Andrew Bird. I do my best to kick them out when they come, but it's really, really difficult. I knew the first few days would be the hardest. The strangest thing, though, came when I woke up from my second nap at work today. (You know life is good when you have a job that allows you to take two naps.) As I opened my bleary eyes and stood up to return to work, I heard a tune playing in my mind. Almost instinctively, I tried to brush it away so I could remain true to my Lenten vow, but before I did, I realized that I didn't recognize the song. I let it play a little longer, trying to figure out what it was. It turned out to be a song that I'm pretty sure doesn't actually exist. It had some driving, feedback-heavy guitars holding down the bass line, with a warbling male voice mumbling the melody. It sounds like something that could have been out of a Radiohead song, but the overall feel was different enough that I was sure it wasn't them. Maybe I'm writing new music in my head.

Anyhow, it's going to be an exciting 47 days. I'm looking forward to it.

5 comments:

LJ said...

Wow. Will you give me a signed t-shirt when you become a rock star?

Unknown said...

couldn't do it...but then, i'm not sure i'll be able to follow through with my own lenten vow. i have no willpower whatsoever.

Allie said...

Interesting experience you had! Have you ever had any weird experiences like that before--remembering a song so clearly you could swear you're actually hearing it with your ears? You probably already know this, in which case discount my comment, but what it might be is a manifestation of extensive tonal memory. I know I have pretty decent tonal memory, and it's been really weird sometimes the things I've heard in my head. Heh. If tonal memory is something you've experienced before, it's likely that the song is something you've heard some time ago that your mind was just recreating for you randomly.

Way to go giving up your music, by the way. That's gotta be really hard.... O.o;

Ben said...

Rad.

Unknown said...

i'll have you know i lasted about a week. better than last year, i guess. how're you holding up?