Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me… I’m not sleepy and there ain’t no place I’m going to

This life of debauchery and excess on the weekends is taking its toll on my aging quarter century old body. My weeks suck ass because, did I mention I’m not happy at my job? Yeah, that’s going to be a bit of a recurring theme for a while. But the weekends, oh boy, where do I begin. I left off at my birthday weekend and then two weeks and weekends have passed already? The weeks are a serious haze of recovery from Saturday nights.

So the weekend before, I decided I couldn’t spend money (because have I also mentioned that my new house and furniture have destroyed me financially… me,… who always had thousands of dollars so safely saved up and now only have $50 in liquid cash to last me till the end of Oct) and couldn’t buy a bottle of alcohol (cos no one else in this crowded world drinks Bacardi and I’ve really had it with trying to switch to whiskey… all I get for my efforts is a mild headache instead of a buzz)! So I took stock of leftover booze from my party and the only thing on offer was tequila. So I thought, why not… awesome plan… a few shots and then we hit the bar where the birthday party is and I’m set for the night… also shots, so no coke or anything fucking things up… won’t even need to buy drinks later.

Plan worked brilliantly… some might say too brilliantly. There was me and Mr. Moonlight and Sam and Guitarman and I got them into the shooting spirit too, so it was 4 really wasted individuals who made their way on foot across the river and into the crowded noisy city (was Grand Final Night – Grand Final refers to the finals showdown of Aussie rules football which is bigger than Christmas in Victoria). Smashed as I was, it was a really perfect high… felt on top of the world and in the bestest of spirits… even made a speech for the birthday girl about our school life together and a certain fancy pencil case she had that I was highly envious of in class two (this speech has now been spread far and wide… stupid fuckers). Now, don’t think I just stood on top of a table and said hear ye, hear ye and started reminiscing… far from it… I was “requested” to make a speech… and the tequila helped mightily with the public speaking aspect.

And then at the very early hour of 1 am or so, we chose to leave for our general health and well being… actually I didn’t want to leave but then, I never want to leave if I’m having a good time… and staggered home and had numerous adventures on the way… like, for real… Walking home drunk is awesome… and I love how much I’m saving on cab rides.

Sunday and the week that followed was too dreadful for words. Actually that weekend, on Friday night I stayed up late and practiced guitar scales and chords for many hours and believe I have made a breakthrough (of course, haven’t been near it since)… I can play Last Kiss and Tambourine Man albeit with 5 second pauses every time I need to change chords. Actually it started cos I was just browsing channels late at night and the only thing watchable was this movie A Lot Like Love… and towards the end (I missed the first half hour), Ashton Kutcher serenades this chick with the guitar and he plays I’ll Be There For You by Bon Jovi (and he played it exactly like I’m playing my Last Kiss and Tambourine Man, I might add… but of course, it’s a movie ahd he’s an actor) and suddenly I got all nostalgic for Bon Jovi and his power ballads… I’ll be there for you, these five words I’ll swear to you… and Jon Bon Jovi has always been about living and dying for you and what not and I’ve always known that’s incredibly cheesy but by god, there was something about his voice and the way he sang and his music videos and I guess the way he looked himself, that I just believed him. I believed true love could be suicide and that I’d already cried a thousand rivers (and I was what, 14 or 15?)… and if any boy had come to me and said or even better, sung… baby, you know my hands are dirty, but I wanted to be your valentine, I would’ve forgiven him anything and everything and considered that the single most romantic moment of my life. :-) And the truth is,... baby... you’re all that I need.

So I don’t know… I’d forgotten all about them and at one point I lived and breathed and sang only them. So, now I’m listening to the songs again and they’re sending little tingles down my spine… well this hotel bar hangovers whiskey’s gone dry… tonight I won’t be alone, but you know that don’t mean I’m not lonely… I’ve got nothing to prove for it’s you that I’d die to defend… I’ve made mistakes, I’m just a man… If you told me to die for you I would… What tragedy, what drama and then always hope… We’ll find a place where the sun still shines.

So I didn’t mean to talk about Bon Jovi so much… I guess some memories from another age of listening to Keep The Faith and Crossroads every night before falling asleep (and singing along really loudly too) and every morning while getting dressed, have resurfaced and just needed to be laid down on (electronic) paper. My own personal Bon Jovi teenage angsty anthem from this period was Runaway. Gee, there was no Google then either… all the lyrics had to be painstakingly learnt by heart with the CD on repeat or written down and memorised with pause and play being hit every 5 seconds… I’d like to have that much time on my hands again… :-) It was a great life, a perfect time…

So the desire to be able to play I’ll Be There For You and other such greats as Livin’ on a Prayer got me to pick up the ol’ six string and try my luck… I’ll get there… eventually…

I wanted to tell you about this weekend and the absolutely insane crazy wild Saturday night but I might save it for the next one… besides, I’m still waiting on a lot of pictures… lazy bitches!!!

But one other tiny thing about that weekend… on the Sunday I watched the first three episodes of Star Wars for the first time in my life… I haven’t even watched the original trilogy… I just automatically tuned out anytime anything remotely sci-fi came up in the past (although I did go through a Star Trek phase very briefly but that was only cos I probably needed a break from Bon Jovi and there weren’t all that many options on a Saturday night on our beloved Star Plus). But so, I somehow got into watching the first one and I was riveted… it was a marathon on tv and by the time I got to episode 3, I knew that Anakin was going to become the evil dark lord Darth Vader or whatever but it didn’t make it any less painful to watch his slow downfall. Why Ani, why? Haha… I kinda get it now… the obsession for some people… I don’t think I want to watch 4 to 6 though… the dodgy special effects would just piss me off and I know the story anyway… or maybe I will… who knows…

You know, my Bon Jovi companion was always Aerosmith… it’s amazing… with the blink of an eye you’re 25. At least, I let the right ones in…

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