Final Thoughts

Lesson: Everything Changes (including my rock journal).

It has been three years since the publication of "I Save My Soul Through Rock-n-Roll." Since then, I have been asked by family and close friends about certain aspects of my love for rock-n-roll music that I didn’t directly address in the original publication.

Although there was a lot that I failed to mention in my "rock journal" (aka/ "I Saved Myself Through Rock-n-roll"), the only real reason to dig further is because of the music that was omitted. I hate to leave out groups that were pivotal to my well-being and personal development at different points in time and in different ways. Since my answer to almost any question I get about my rock journal is "You know what, I should probably make a new playlist about that," then it was only fitting that this addendum, itself, would be a compilation of additional playlists.

You can glean a lot from the things someone chooses to include in a story. I will note that, as I explained various times in my rock journal, most of the themes and chapters of the book were not planned. Trying to mimic a true artist, I just "went with the flow."

The content revealed itself to me, and then I just sort of got out of the way of it. I didn’t want to force any particular song or artist into the story just for the heck of it or because I didn’t want them to feel left out (like they would really care). About half of this addendum was the exact opposite of that. I specifically set out to include a Heavy Metal playlist, a playlist about "being miserable" (that would draw from The Cure, The Smiths and Depeche Mode) and a playlist of Austin artists that I had failed to mention in my original manuscript.

In the same way that you can gain insights about what someone chooses to share (or include), you can also glean a lot from the things someone chooses to omit, consciously or subconsciously. While there is a bit of "filling in the gaps" that I’m doing here, I am also trying to present a more complete picture of myself even if these additions might be obscure or embarrassing to the author. I am glad that these artists and themes have found their way into the story even if it is as an addendum.

One section and group of playlist in this collection of “afterthoughts” is called “rock fusion.” A common question I would get after publishing the book is “so, what are you listening to now?” As a classic rock aficionado, I would think to myself, “I listen to those groups that I mentioned in the book.” Why would I be listening to something other than that?” 50% of the time. I listen to the bands I mention in my book (via CD or Spotify), and the other 30% of the time I listen to radio stations that play those bands. However, there is that last 20% that may be worth discussing.

The one band that I listen to that has left a huge impact (that was only tangentially mentioned in the first part of my rock journal) is King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (KGLW). I am such a huge fan. It’s “prog rock” on steroids which is right up my alley. Listening to KGLW on Spotify has led me to discover many other artists that also agree with my rock sensibilities. KGLW’s influence inspired me to create the first “rock fusion” playlist of international rock artists from the last 10 to 15 years. One rock fusion playlist led to another playlist, and that led to another playlist. For the sake of this addendum, I stopped at four “rock fusion” playlists. I’m sure more playlists will follow, but this was a heck of a good sample of “new” rock.

The music that I uncovered was just incredible! The breadth of rhythms and styles mixed with cultural and linguistic elements is mind blowing. It suggests that while rock music does not get the airplay and attention that it once did in the U.S., its power and influence are still monumental across the globe.

Slipping Through the Cracks

In the main body of my rock journal, I picked the themes of a chapter first and built the playlist second. Thus, it was the song themes that were most important in building a playlist and not the artists per se. In this addendum, I did still lead with a theme, but the themes were created with the specific intention of including certain artists. The themes that emerged are insightful in terms of the states of mind that may have led to my appreciation of those particular bands and genres at that point in my life. Only the first two playlists listed below have linkages to the original manuscript. The rest of the new playlists fill in musical gaps.


This playlist is a list of songs mentioned in my rock journal (Chapter 2). Not sure why I didn’t make a playlist out of this material while I was writing this chapter. “Fun” is the word that comes to mind when I think about this playlist. The odd man out (in terms of mood) is “The End” by The Doors, but there seems to always be an outlier that messes up the flow. However, “Apocalypse Now” is such a superb flick (and The Doors such a great band) that you can’t really be mad that it ended this way. It almost had to end this way.

Trainspotting ("Lust for Life")
Wayne’s World ("Foxey Lady," "Bohemian Rhapsody")
Stripes ("I Want to Take You Higher")
American Werewolf in London "Bad Moon Rising")
Terminator 2 ("Bad to the Bone")
Risky Business ("Old Time Rock-n-Roll")
Fast Times at Ridgemont High ("Kashmir" & "Somebody’s Baby")
The Warriors ("In the City")
Apocalypse Now ("The End")

Memorable Movie Moments (That Rock) – A Spotify Playlist

"Lust for Life" (Iggy Pop)
"Foxey Lady" (Jimi Hendrix)
"I Want to Take You Higher" (Sly & the Family Stone)
"Rock and Roll, Pt. 2" (Gary Glitter)
"Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
"Bad to the Bone" (George Thorogood)
"Old Time Rock & Roll" (Bob Seger)
"Somebody’s Baby" (Jackson Browne)
"Kashmir" (Led Zeppelin)
"In the City" (Joe Walsh)
"Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen)
"The End" (The Doors)


 

Let’s Get Together

This playlist is also a list of songs mentioned in my rock journal (Chapter 3), but yet it too was not translated into the form of a playlist. I think that is because the performances are imagined. They involve a “classic rock” vocalist singing the song of a more contemporary band or artist. Absent the context, it’s a strange combination of artists, but I like it. It will forever remain a work in progress. As more “cool collaboration” ideas hit my brain, they might hit Spotify as well as this playlist.

The newest addition to the playlist is KGLW’s "If Not Now, Then What?" It is a song from one of the numerous releases of KLGW that occurred during the pandemic. I got some serious "Stevie Wonder vibes" when listening to it. That is why it is on the playlist but not actually mentioned in the body of the text that deals with "cool collaboration."

Cool Collaborations (Imagined) – A Spotify Playlist

"Gold on the Ceiling" (The Black Keys)
"Lampshades on Fire" (Modest Mouse)
"Shake Me Down" (Cake the Elephant)
"Sail" (AWOL Nation)
"I AM" (AWOL Nation)
"Mercy" (Muse)
"I Sat By The Ocean" (Queens of the Stone Age)
"If Not Now, Then When" (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard)
"El Scorcho" (Weezer)
"You Don’t Know How It Feels" (Tom Petty)
"Brain Stew" (Green Day)



Austin State of Mind

I could not get to mentioning everything I wanted to about Austin music in my rock journal, so I created this playlist of what defines "Austin music" for me. Most of the artists/bands that are featured have contributed to the music scene in Austin for many, many years. Willie Nelson gets his own playlist later in "Afterthoughts 2" which is why he is not on this playlist. There will likely be other "Austin Exploration" playlists, but I am very happy with the way this first exploration of Austin music turned out!

Might stumble along the way
Knocked down, that's OK
Might have to crawl, but I save
Follow the promise of a brand new day

- Brand New Day (Ruthie Foster)

Austin Exploration #1 – A Spotify Playlist

"La Banda" (The Brew)
"Si, Mi Amor" (Del Castillo)
"Hot Thoughts" (Spoon)
"The Life" (Gary Clark Jr.)
"Brand New Day" (Ruthie Foster)
"God’s Hands" (Patricia Vonne)
"Lost Umbrella" (David Garza)
"The Shelling Rain" (Alejandro Escovedo)
"Gold in the Sunset" (Bob Schneider)
"Touch the Sky" (Black Pumas)
"Cumbia de los Pajaritos" (Grupo Fantasma)
"Reggae Cumbia" (El Tule)
"Canción del Mariachi" (Tequila Rock Revolution)
"Charro Medley" (Ruben & Alfonso Ramos)
"Carolina" (Johnny Degollado)
"La Calle Siete" (Johnny Degollado)
"Cachito de Mi Corazón" (Los Pinkys)
"El Gorrioncillo Pecho Amarillo" (Los Pinkys)



That’s Heavy, Man!

While I say in my rock journal that I was a "headbanger," an analysis of the playlists from my rock journal reveals it is admittedly NOT heavy on the heavy metal. I struggled to come up with criteria for picking certain heavy metal bands over others. After immersing myself in speed metal and death metal from the mid-80's and mid-90's for a month, two possibilities emerged: songs about the apocalypse (or different kinds of apocalypses); and songs that conveyed the sentiment "Let's F@ck some Sh#t Up!" I had originally selected the latter topic for the playlist so that the first song would be Metallica’s "Seek & Destroy." When I pondered the fact that the biblical apocalypse would be heralded by the four horsemen, then I knew that I had to pick "the apocalypse" as the theme and that the first song would have to be "The Four Horsemen," a different song from Metallica that also happens to be from the album, Kill 'em All.


Heavy Hitters (Apocalyptical Edition) - A Spotify Playlist

"The Four Horsemen" (Metallica)
"This is Not an Exercise" (Voivod)
"Chemical Warfare" (Slayer) (live 1985)
"Set the World Afire" (Megadeth)
"Karma’s Messenger" (Exodus)
"End of the Line" (Overkill)
"Arise" (Sepultura)
"The New Order" (Testament)
"Reduced to Ash" (Annihilator)
"One World" (Anthrax)
"Darkness Descends" (Dark Angel)
"Black Legions" (Venom)
"As the World Burns" (Kreator)
"Evil Invaders" (Razor)
"Memories of Tomorrow" (Suicidal Tendencies)
"Black Death" (Attomica)
"Another Violent End" (Nuclear Assault)
"Bombs of Death" (Hirax)
"Feeding Frenzy" (Whiplash)
"Mayhemic Destruction" (Mortal Sin)


All I Want is to Be Miserable, Is That So Wrong?

When dealing with life's difficulties, you shouldn't allow yourself only to be "miserably miserable." You can also be: "hopefully miserable" (#1-5); "playfully miserable" (#6-10); and "dance-ably miserable" (#11-15). I found that during the grad school years of my life, I was immersed in the music of these three bands (The Cure, The Smiths and Depeche Mode) as much as I was immersed into Heavy Metal. So, just as I wanted to convey the mood I was in when listening to "Heavy Hitters," I also wanted to note that the "misery" of being a graduate student was not just fed by these groups, but also tempered by them. I put "misery" in quotes because it’s the kind of misery that many other people would call a luxury.

Tolerably Miserable??? – A Spotify Playlist

"Reel Around the Fountain" (The Smiths)
"Still Ill" (The Smiths)
"Paint a Vulgar Picture" (The Smiths)
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (The Smiths)
"I Won’t Share You" (The Smiths)
"The Caterpillar" (The Cure)
"Six Different Ways" (The Cure)
"Wendy Time" (The Cure)
"The Perfect Girl" (The Cure)
"The Walk" (The Cure)
"Stripped" (Depeche Mode)
"See You" (Depeche Mode)
"Everything Counts" (Depeche Mode)
"Never Let Me Down Again" (Depeche Mode)
"I Feel You" (Depeche Mode)



Rock in Peace (RIP) - Chris C. & Taylor H.

I included this playlist to pay tribute to Chris Cornel who passed on to the next life while I was writing my rock journal. I’m not sure why I paired the Chris Cornel songs with the Foo Fighters. It seemed like a natural pairing at the time. I’m sure that the powerful messages that these bands often conveyed in their songs had something to do with it. Never thought that a tribute to a band member of Foo Fighters would also be necessary. Although it was not the original intention, I now offer this playlist up as tribute to both Chris Cornell and Taylor Hawkins! RIP Rowdy Rockers!

Songs of Healing 2 – A Spotify Playlist

"My Hero" (Foo Fighters)
"The Pretender" ( Foo Fighters)
"I Should Have Known" (Foo Fighters)
"Best of You" (Foo Fighters)
"Times Like These" (Foo Fighters)
"Something from Nothing" (Foo Fighters)
"Ugly Truth" (Soundgarden)
"Head Down" (Soundgarden)
"Four Walled World" (Soundgarden)
"Rusty Cage" (Soundgarden)
"Out of Exile" (Audioslave)
"Show Me How to Live" (Audioslave)



The Kims Have It

This is my playlist of favorite songs featuring Kim Gordon and Kim Deal. Women are not referenced sufficiently in rock music (or in my book) so this playlist is a nod to the finer sex’s love of and contribution to rock music. This playlist is longer than most. The material is that good! For Kim Gordon, we feature songs from Sonic Youth and Free Kitten and for Kim Deal, we feature songs from The Pixies, The Breeders and The Amps. It’s a pretty rockin’ playlist except for track 10 by Free Kitten that actually features both Kim Gordon and Kim Deal on the same track! Both Kims on one track….quite fitting!

Two Rockin’ Kims – A Spotify Playlist

"Pattern Recognition" (Sonic Youth)
"Jams Runs Free" (Sonic Youth)
"Anti-Orgasm" (Sonic Youth)
"Becuz" (Sonic Youth)
"Never Gonna Sleep"(Free Kitten)
"Strawberry Milk" (Free Kitten)
"Royal Flush" (Free Kitten)
"Feelin'" (Free Kitten)
"Little Trouble Girl" (Sonic Youth)
"No Aloha" (The Breeders)
"Safari" (The Breeders)
"The She" (The Breeders)
"Hoverin" (The Amps)
"Dedicated" (The Amps)
"Just Like a Briar" (The Amps)
"Here Comes Your Man" (The Pixies)
"Bone Machine" (The Pixies)
"Isla de Encanta" (The Pixies)
"I’ve Been Waiting for You" (The Pixies)



Take Me Higher

This is follow-up playlist to my rock journal that I think of as my "virtually perfect songs" playlist. Most of the songs on this list (but not all) are referenced in the book in some way. These are songs that I can listen to on repeat almost indefinitely, because they are powerful in so many different ways (i.e., mood, music, lyrics, etc.). They could have definitely fit in with the themes of Ch. 5, "Like a Ton of Bricks."

It is called my "trampoline workout" because I found that it worked well with a workout that I had created to make use of the hardly used trampoline in our backyard. At the beginning of the pandemic, we bought a trampoline to keep our kids entertained in the backyard. The kids just never really used it much. All I could think of was how much we paid (and what a b@tch it was to assemble). By golly, that thing was going to get used one way or another. If it wasn't going to be used by them, then it was going to get used by me. Who knew that process would have led to the development of such an incredible playlist?

Trampoline Workout – A Spotify Playlist

"The Grudge" (Tool)
"Out of Exile" (Audioslave)
"Jesus of Suburbia" (Green Day)
"Who Are You" (The Who) (promo video)
"Anthem" (Rush)
"All Along the Watchtower" (Jimi Hendrix)
"Ziggy Stardust" (David Bowie)
"Victim of Changes" (Judas Priest)
"Hallowed Be Thy Name" (Iron Maiden)
"War Pigs" (Black Sabbath)


 

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