So here's the thing. I find myself constantly listening to music. I figure that 90% of my waking life is spent in the presence of someone's songwriting, and if I don't have an album on, I'm physically playing music; either by myself on the acoustic guitar or jamming with friends. I was always aware of this, but have recently acknowledged it. I have tried a few times to spend short driving trips without the car stereo on, but have always ended up at my destination with the speakers pumping. As I'm writing this, I have John Prine's debut album on in the background. I fall asleep to music, much to the chagrin of my girlfriend, and the first thing I put on in the morning isn't a T-shirt or my glasses, but an album. Sometimes I'll have a record spinning in my music room upstairs and a CD going on the lower level of my apartment, just so that if I have to run upstairs for a minute...well, you get the idea.
So is it a problem? Is it an addiction? Can I function without it?
There was the time in university where I opted to purchase the Grateful Dead's Live/Dead album instead of groceries, which resulted in my living off of wheat toast, Heinz beans, tea and the No-Name brand equivalent of Mountain Dew for a couple of weeks. Yes, I chose to feed the soul instead of the body! There's a certain feeling I get from hearing "Death Don't Have No Mercy" that even the tangy zip of Miracle Whip can't compete with. And in hindsight, the choice of aural nourishment over oral nourishment was the right decision. The bottle of pop only lasted a week and I just threw on the Grateful Dead CD the other day! I think that sometimes I'd quit my current job if I couldn't put on my music. The most time-consuming part of getting ready for work is selecting a fresh handful of CDs to bring to work, so as not to bore myself or my co-workers by playing the same old discs every day.
I have close to 1,000 compact discs and something like 500 albums on vinyl, and I honestly have listened to all of them (oh...all except for the second record in a double Rod McEuen compilation and Joe Zawinul's eponymously-titled album, but I'll be getting to those in a week or so.) In spite of this sizeable collection, I am always craving more and more music! I have sold three Blur CDs that I haven't thrown on since high school so that I can purchase a brand new Kris Kristofferson CD that I listen to several times a week. I have borrowed money to buy an album. Will this insatiable desire for more music ever end? Can I see myself spending a day in silence?
My name is Jordan Faye and I have a problem.
 | Currently listening:
John Prine
By John Prine
Release date: 1990-07-10 |
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