Thirty years ago this evening, I drove from Georgetown to nearby Versailles, to the apartment of a woman I'd met less than three weeks earlier. We'd hit it off immediately and were about to embark on our first date. Dinner at a Thai place in Lexington that came recommended by one of my math colleagues, followed by a movie (I.Q., starring Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan, with Walter Matthau as--I kid you not--Albert Einstein). We had an enjoyable time, though Martha likes to point out these days that I did a great job of talking to the tablecloth throughout our meal (eye contact has never been one of my specialties). It was our second date a couple weeks later, an ice skating foray, when we came to realize there was a very real possibility that This. Might. Be. It. As it has indeed turned out to be.
Whenever it was that we began thinking back on that first time out, we both could recall what Martha wore: a light brown knit sweater with a large floral pattern on the front, paired with a mustard skirt (the suspicion is I had on something like an nondescript light blue Oxford shirt and khakis). While we think there's a better picture out there somewhere of "the first date sweater," this is the best we could easily find.
From Thanksgiving 1995, at my sister-in-law's house in suburban Atlanta. Looks like Martha is going to get her wish--perhaps it was me?
There are plans in the works to note the occasion by going out for Thai this evening. Alas, it won't be at the place we went thirty years ago, which didn't last all that long--the building has hosted a number of restaurants since, and it's now a tasteful Southern cuisine joint.
On to the music. A number of fun tunes are hanging out on the MRT scene this go-round; let's investigate.
36. Sponge, "Plowed"
Band from the Motor City that's still a going concern today. This sounds familiar, listening to it again now, but it's definitely not an "right up my alley" kinda tune.
30. Throwing Muses, "Bright Yellow Gun"
A comeback tune off University after failing to hit with their previous release Red Heaven, their first following Tanya Donelly's departure. Kristin Hersh still has it, and I've long been impressed with drummer David Narcizo's work.
22. Bad Religion, "21st Century (Digital Boy)"
I think we'd be alright with fewer digital boys these days, this nod of sorts to King Crimson notwithstanding.
20. Letters to Cleo, "Here and Now"
I have a goal is nailing "Thecomfortofaknowledgeofariseabovethesky/ butcouldneverparallelthechallengeofanacquisitioninthe here and now" someday at karaoke. This one is in my collection on a Melrose Place soundtrack, not the coolly-titled Aurora Gory Alice.
17. Sheryl Crow, "Strong Enough"
Momentum was on Crow's side, as "Strong Enough" was already steaming toward a #5 peak on the Hot 100.
12. Flaming Lips, "She Don't Use Jelly"
Wikipedia sez that getting featured on Beavis and Butthead was responsible for the surge in interest that came well after this song's initial release--I know I'd heard it on Lexington's college station WRFL well before this point.
11. The Cranberries, "Ode to My Family"
Beautiful and heartfelt--right now it's my favorite song in this post. Capable of bringing a tear to the eye, I can say from recent experience.
We all care, Dolores.
10. Simple Minds, "She's a River"
This past fall, an online German-speaking community to which Martha belongs had a reading group that met weekly for a while to discuss Hermann Hesse's short novel Siddhartha, which apparently was the inspiration for this song. I'd meant to read the English version at the time; now I've really got to do it.
8. Weezer, "Buddy Holly"
Outstanding video, channeling nostalgia for a TV show centered entirely around nostalgia. The song ain't too bad, either.
6. Portishead, "Sour Times"
Despite my enjoyment of "Sour Times" in real time, it never occurred to me to check out Dummy. Seeing the praise heaped upon it in recent months, as it passed the 30th anniversary of its release, reminds me I probably made a mistake back then. Never too late, I realize...
5. Bush, "Everything Zen"
If you ask me if I'm a fan of these guys, my response is always, "I don't think so." I will say this is one of their less objectionable songs, though it felt like everything from Sixteen Stone got way too much play on the stations I was tuning in.
4. The Stone Roses, "Love Spreads"
Takes plenty of chutzpah to name your five-years-in-the-making album Second Coming. This is no "Fool's Gold," but it's alright.
1. Green Day, "When I Come Around"
The fourth and easily most accessible single from Dookie. This is its fifth week atop the MRT chart; there were a couple more weeks in that run still to come.
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