rachmaninoff
many years ago i saw the movie shine. though the movie didn't achieve a popularity high, i was really moved by it. it is about the pain that genius brings with it, sometimes.
a few years ago i had borrowed this cd from a friend. the cd played in my car for many drives to and from school, in my undergraduate days. every time i heard the rachmaninoff piece from the movie, i'd be filled with pain, for the pain the movie depicted. i still loved listening to it, because it was a beautiful kind of pain. more importantly, it wasn't mine.
i still marvel at the effect it has on me. more, it brings back a lot of memories that would otherwise remain hidden in the back of my mind. memories of random conversations with the friend that would otherwise be forgotten, or of drives back home that would otherwise hold no significance. i am always fascinated by such levels of association.
it's raining outside, and i am not in the highest of spirits. of course, soon it will be time to retire (though bedtime seems to get more and more delayed these days) and i will have a torturous wednesday to look forward to. perhaps a torturous and rainy wednesday. torture != fun.
back to associations. it is interesting to observe how songs heard in the past (and not always for the first time then) have so many associations to them. when i think "fast car", i think tracy chapman singing it at the grammy awards. i also think of a drive i went on with a friend some years ago. when i think "leaving on a jet plane" i am always reminded of a friend playing this on the guitar. this and "jamaica farewell". "romeo and juliet" reminds me of bonn zentrum - the town-center of bonn, where i first heard it on my (then) new sony walkman. "wonderwall" brings to mind a friend who sang it - very, very badly :). of course, i could keep going. (sentimentality, after all, is not something i ever run out of.) neil halstead, david gray, shawn colvin... all have strong associations.
this blog hasn't seen much focused writing in a while. well, so much of the day is spent focusing, really, that it's a treat to not have to focus while i ramble here.
ok. i'm done.
a few years ago i had borrowed this cd from a friend. the cd played in my car for many drives to and from school, in my undergraduate days. every time i heard the rachmaninoff piece from the movie, i'd be filled with pain, for the pain the movie depicted. i still loved listening to it, because it was a beautiful kind of pain. more importantly, it wasn't mine.
i still marvel at the effect it has on me. more, it brings back a lot of memories that would otherwise remain hidden in the back of my mind. memories of random conversations with the friend that would otherwise be forgotten, or of drives back home that would otherwise hold no significance. i am always fascinated by such levels of association.
it's raining outside, and i am not in the highest of spirits. of course, soon it will be time to retire (though bedtime seems to get more and more delayed these days) and i will have a torturous wednesday to look forward to. perhaps a torturous and rainy wednesday. torture != fun.
back to associations. it is interesting to observe how songs heard in the past (and not always for the first time then) have so many associations to them. when i think "fast car", i think tracy chapman singing it at the grammy awards. i also think of a drive i went on with a friend some years ago. when i think "leaving on a jet plane" i am always reminded of a friend playing this on the guitar. this and "jamaica farewell". "romeo and juliet" reminds me of bonn zentrum - the town-center of bonn, where i first heard it on my (then) new sony walkman. "wonderwall" brings to mind a friend who sang it - very, very badly :). of course, i could keep going. (sentimentality, after all, is not something i ever run out of.) neil halstead, david gray, shawn colvin... all have strong associations.
this blog hasn't seen much focused writing in a while. well, so much of the day is spent focusing, really, that it's a treat to not have to focus while i ramble here.
ok. i'm done.
1 comment:
hey! was i at this wonderwall rendition? i vaguely remember such a thing?
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