Tuesday
Jan022007
The Prophetic Mix Tape of 1998
Tuesday, January 2, 2007 at 02:23AM
Happy New Year everyone! I'm back to the blog-world as of tonigh. It's been nice to have a little respite and let the dam fill back up a bit.
Our Christmas season has been nice, though we're still wrestling with the adjustment to two kids. Sleep may come like a drug in God's country, but around here it's been coming like the drips from a faucet and leaving us in the semi-zombie state. We've had both of our parents, and my grandparents, coming in and out of town and that's been really helpful.
For New Years Eve last night we went to our friends Matthew and Alice Smith's place for a party. It was a good time. There were babies everywhere. Procreation seems to be the faux-hawk of our community this year. Four out of five of the Normals were there as well, but that will be another post. It was good to get out of the house and catch up with some folks. And discuss my theory that every other album by U2 is great. (i.e. Boy, October, War, etc...)
We were party poopers and got back home around 10:45, whereupon I decided it was the perfect time to rearrange the living room and reorganize the TV/DVD/Internet death trap. So at 2:45 am in the New Year I was sitting cross-legged on my floor, listening to EmmyLou and alphabetizing DVDs (within genre) when I stumbled across a mix tape. The spine read "Getting back to Normal - 1998".
I turned it over and read down the list of songs. Waterdeep. Caedmon's Call. Derek Webb. Vigilantes of Love. Bebo Norman. This was familiar. It was hazy, but it started coming back bit by bit. Some guy from my dorm floor made me this tape because I always ragged on the music he liked. Especially Caedmon's. Though I'd never really heard them I had decided I didn't like them. Probably because I had an ex-girlfriend who really did. And they played folk music and I liked atmospheric rock. So this guy made me the tape to try and convert me.
"Who would have done that?" I had taken zombie tired to a Dawn of the Dead level at this point, so the synapses weren't firing too fast. I read through the song titles again and noticed that some songs were attributed to Caedmon's, but that other Caedmon's songs were labelled "Derek Webb". Interesting. This was 1998, remember. Derek's first solo record came out in 2003.
Then it hit me. This tape was the handiwork of Matthew Smith. The very Matthew Smith whose house I had just come from. When he made that tape for me we were single guys living across the hall from each other in a freshman dorm. Last night our wives were holding our newborn babies. I've heard all those Caedmon's songs now. Just about every night for the past four years. So crazy how things change and how unexpected and wonderful some of those changes can be.
And so here's to the new year. Who knows what surprises await?
Our Christmas season has been nice, though we're still wrestling with the adjustment to two kids. Sleep may come like a drug in God's country, but around here it's been coming like the drips from a faucet and leaving us in the semi-zombie state. We've had both of our parents, and my grandparents, coming in and out of town and that's been really helpful.
For New Years Eve last night we went to our friends Matthew and Alice Smith's place for a party. It was a good time. There were babies everywhere. Procreation seems to be the faux-hawk of our community this year. Four out of five of the Normals were there as well, but that will be another post. It was good to get out of the house and catch up with some folks. And discuss my theory that every other album by U2 is great. (i.e. Boy, October, War, etc...)
We were party poopers and got back home around 10:45, whereupon I decided it was the perfect time to rearrange the living room and reorganize the TV/DVD/Internet death trap. So at 2:45 am in the New Year I was sitting cross-legged on my floor, listening to EmmyLou and alphabetizing DVDs (within genre) when I stumbled across a mix tape. The spine read "Getting back to Normal - 1998".
I turned it over and read down the list of songs. Waterdeep. Caedmon's Call. Derek Webb. Vigilantes of Love. Bebo Norman. This was familiar. It was hazy, but it started coming back bit by bit. Some guy from my dorm floor made me this tape because I always ragged on the music he liked. Especially Caedmon's. Though I'd never really heard them I had decided I didn't like them. Probably because I had an ex-girlfriend who really did. And they played folk music and I liked atmospheric rock. So this guy made me the tape to try and convert me.
"Who would have done that?" I had taken zombie tired to a Dawn of the Dead level at this point, so the synapses weren't firing too fast. I read through the song titles again and noticed that some songs were attributed to Caedmon's, but that other Caedmon's songs were labelled "Derek Webb". Interesting. This was 1998, remember. Derek's first solo record came out in 2003.
Then it hit me. This tape was the handiwork of Matthew Smith. The very Matthew Smith whose house I had just come from. When he made that tape for me we were single guys living across the hall from each other in a freshman dorm. Last night our wives were holding our newborn babies. I've heard all those Caedmon's songs now. Just about every night for the past four years. So crazy how things change and how unexpected and wonderful some of those changes can be.
And so here's to the new year. Who knows what surprises await?
Reader Comments (9)
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe. That Smith is sneaky! [And awesome. Let us not forget awesome.]
Andy, I must say that I think your U2 theory is flawed...severely...
It may be just a matter of opinion, but with your theory, The Unforgetable Fire and All That You Can't Leave Behind would be left off that list...now I like Pop, but that certainly isn't one of their greatest...I think I need some further clarification to fully understand your theory.
Zach, I think by 'other' Andy meant all albums that are not The Joshua Tree.
Hmmm, maybe I should try listening to a couple of old Caedmon's Call CDs I have that didn't do much for me at the time. I decided to try CC again when I discovered you contributed to the last couple of CDs, and picked up In The Company of Angels II, which I like very much. I've never spent money on U2. I like them when I happen to hear them, but don't go out of my way to do so. Am I missing something?
That mix tape story is almost M Night Shyamalan-like (you know, a big twist ending!). Also, I'm so glad that someone besides me organizes dvd's alphabetically by genre. Nice.
I just started the club (in honor of Mr. Osenga):
Alphabetizing-Genre-Nerds-Of-The-World
(notice the nifty alphabetizing action in the title!)
Peace. - Caleb
Love it... I would never alphabetize anything, despite being a journalism major, but mix tapes are absolutely brilliant. I have been trying to convert some of my friends to square peg fans using the genre of the mix tape and a combination of free songs off your website and other and myspace. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I am looking forward for what you have in store.
We can all be thankful that your initial impressions of Caedmon's didn't affect your future decisions, because the world is a much better place thanks to Share the Well.
An awesome story, Andy. Small world, huh? God is at work.