Well, How Did I Get Here?

The way my mind segues between topics can be amusing, annoying, or just plain perplexing, depending upon your point of view. One friend has stopped conversations and asked me to recount the path between two thoughts.

How I arrived at the previous post is a little funny.

I was thinking about Ruthie’s post(s) on hip-hop. It struck me that there are some similarities between the rise of hip-hop to the rise of punk in the 70s and 80s. Not that I was or am about to expound on that. Others can do that far better than I can. And punk itself has been analyzed and deconstructed enough and by people far more informed and eloquent than me. See, for example, the documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization” about the punk scene in LA. At any rate, punk and punk-dervied music is now quite mainstream and accepted (see Green Day, et al.)

This got me thinking about the foundations of punk in the UK, with bands like the Sex Pistols and the Clash.

Then I just started thinking about the Clash. I love the Clash, and I have for more than 20 years. Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon. “London Calling” was revelation for me. Over the years I’ve that recording on vinyl, cassette and CD.

I thought a little about late 80s when the Clash had long since parted ways but Mick Jones was doing some interesting things with Big Audio Dynamite. In 1987 I was working in a windsurfing shop for the summer and Mick Jones came in. I was too shy to say anything, but my (weird) coworker milked the situation and got free tickets to a show that night. Mick Jones bought a flame printed jacket (yup, I still remember the brand).

Then I was reminded of when Joe Strummer died. A friend emailed me about it – said she instantly thought of me when she saw the news. There had been rumors of a Clash reunion, but they were dashed when Joe died.

Next up I was thinking about Joe Strummer. About how he went from the son of a diplomat to trailblazing punk to a respectable musician working on music soundtracks, among other things.

Then I thought, didn’t he work on the Grosse Pointe Blank soundtrack? Yeah, he did.

So when it was time to exercise yesterday, I put on Grosse Pointe Blank. While I watched this movie – one I can watch over and over again – I thought about the different kinds of movies people love and become attached to. And I enjoyed the music and thought about punk music again. And I realized I like this movie because it’s a time and place movie for me.

There you go.

* The title is a quote from a song and that last line is also a movie quote/reference in a way. Think heavy Greek accent, 2002, and an actor from "Sex and the City". J

* The previous post's title is from Grosse Pointe Blank. It's said once by the main character's mother when visited in the nursing home by her long lost son, and twice by the main character, Martin Blank - looking in the mirror on his way to this high school reunion, and when he is about the learn the identify of his next hit (girlfriend's father).