Flashback: '94
Picture it -- grade 12 in the mid-90s. Video games were 16-bit at best, cassettes (remember those?) were still available in your local record store (and those?), The Simpsons were still funny, and the world was an angsty place. Flannel became the new Polo (or, God forbid, Vuarnet). Jobs weren't easy to find. Kurt Cobain succumbed to the pressure of not sucking. Hockey was starting to get boring and trappish, but no one noticed because Lemieux, Gretzky, Hull, Lafontaine, Messier, Roy, Bourque, Coffey, Fuhr, Hawerchuk, Bure, Francis, Fleury, and other future Hall-of-Famers were still around.
Life was good, in a bad way. Or bad in a good way. It all depends on what angle you were going for.
Myself, I was starting to be a writer. I was just about to finish the lone writing class to be had in high school. Ended up getting 95%. I found out I wrote much better -- funnier, even -- when pissed off about something. So I'd go looking for stuff to annoy me. Not that it takes much when you're a moody 17 year old.
(A friend of mine reminded me that I said those words verbatim:
"What? You mean I have to cut the grass today? But it's Sunday, and I don't have anything else to do! This is so unfair!" I wrote a story after finishing the lawn that my parents still bring up when they talk about my writing. All description, all cliche, all of one page.)
I was a proud member of the exclusive Columbia House Music Club. On cassette. So I 'discovered' such obscure alternative acts as The Pixies, Matthew Sweet, Sonic Youth, Bjork, Smashing Pumpkins, The Tea Party, the gandharvas, Silverchair, I Mother Earth, Moist... and the list goes on. Music hit it's peak in '94-'95.
The reason I bring all this ancient history up is due to recent additions to iTunes -- namely, The Rose Chronicles. My favourite obscure Canadian band that everyone else had never heard of.
They weren't big.
Try Googling them -- you won't find anything relevant.
They were featured on The Wedge twice.
They released two albums then broke up.
They won a Juno.
Their lead singer is a frequent vocalist with Delerium.
And now, they're back with me.
Life is good, in a good way.
Life was good, in a bad way. Or bad in a good way. It all depends on what angle you were going for.
Myself, I was starting to be a writer. I was just about to finish the lone writing class to be had in high school. Ended up getting 95%. I found out I wrote much better -- funnier, even -- when pissed off about something. So I'd go looking for stuff to annoy me. Not that it takes much when you're a moody 17 year old.
(A friend of mine reminded me that I said those words verbatim:
"What? You mean I have to cut the grass today? But it's Sunday, and I don't have anything else to do! This is so unfair!" I wrote a story after finishing the lawn that my parents still bring up when they talk about my writing. All description, all cliche, all of one page.)
I was a proud member of the exclusive Columbia House Music Club. On cassette. So I 'discovered' such obscure alternative acts as The Pixies, Matthew Sweet, Sonic Youth, Bjork, Smashing Pumpkins, The Tea Party, the gandharvas, Silverchair, I Mother Earth, Moist... and the list goes on. Music hit it's peak in '94-'95.
The reason I bring all this ancient history up is due to recent additions to iTunes -- namely, The Rose Chronicles. My favourite obscure Canadian band that everyone else had never heard of.
They weren't big.
Try Googling them -- you won't find anything relevant.
They were featured on The Wedge twice.
They released two albums then broke up.
They won a Juno.
Their lead singer is a frequent vocalist with Delerium.
And now, they're back with me.
Life is good, in a good way.
posted by joelg at 9:34 AM
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