With Christmas fast approaching, I’ve decided to de-clutter my life. Recession be damned—there will be incoming gifts needing space in my three-bedroom brick ranch.
For all the tough macho talk, all the inner dialogue, “Do I commit or do I not commit?” I’m having problems letting go; it’s like erasing part of a tape, knowing you’ll never be able to retrieve what was once there.
Yeah, I have regrets, and yeah, right before the holidays.
My wife convinced me to sell my music albums, at least the ones I hadn’t framed and hung on our basement walls. I’ve mourned the loss of one record in particular: my Clinton River Road country album. What was I thinking?
Clinton River Road, a local band that never made it big, not even as a one-hit-wonder. Their manager, a long-lost friend, purchased a tour bus so they could perform at all those Farm Aid Concerts in the 1980’s. I rode in that bus to Harpo’s in Detroit—not a good venue for a country music shindig, not like the annual Detroit Hoedown at Hart Plaza.
I remember working in a manufacturing facility, demonstrating the art of silk-screening to CRR’s lead guitarist, Bob H., being told to “keep an eye on him” because he had a craving for coke. They figured if they kept him busy, kept his mind occupied, he’d stay clean. I don’t know if it worked, I have my doubts, but man, could that dude play!
I’m in my basement office. I’ve got a plastic garbage bag folded over a rusted metal frame, the kind used to snap a TV tray onto. I’m sifting through cassette tapes. That’s when I find it: A demo tape from Elephant Recording Studios of none other than Clinton River Road. Instead of tossing it into the abyss, I give it a listen. Instead of de-cluttering my life, I try to salvage a memory. I’ll wait for that one tera-byte external hard drive to appear under my Christmas tree. I’ll digitize as much as I can. Still, I’m wondering what happened to Tim, the lead vocalist; Vinnie, the drummer; and, of course, Bob. H, their talented lead guitarist. The last time I saw him, he was playing a small gig at the Romeo Peach Pit; I had finished bowling and stepped into the smoke-filled lounge. I can’t remember if my steady girlfriend was with me that night. I’ll ask her. I’m hoping she was. I’m sure a shared experience is worth saving. Isn’t it? I’m sure she’ll say, “Yes. Yes it is.”
12 comments:
I try to de-clutter but a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
In order for me to remember certain parts of my life, I need memorable objects to serve as triggers. Unfortunately, some triggers are like a gun to the head - my wife says, No, she did not accompany me on the night in question. Now, if I could only convert their music to digital ...
I know how hard it is to get rid of stuff. My bf is a pack rat and likes to hang on to old stuff from the past. He has this huge trophy he won from when he drove race cars and when we lived in SC he had it sitting on top of the entertainment center in the living room. It was a big old eyesore but I tried to keep my mouth shut about it cause I know it meant something to him. I just try to live all the junk he has but I'm one of those people who like things neat and clutter free. I don't even like nic-nac type stuff. There's got to be a balance somewhere huh?
What is it with wives and clutter? It's not clutter if it's some stupid decoration or a useless piece of furniture but it is clutter if it's from the man's past.
I keep all my old vinyl and a zillion books and magazines in big sealable plastic bins in the basement. Stacked neat and tidy. I tell her I purposely bought a house big enough to store my stuff and if she's not happy with the arrangement she can buy her own house.
I may not listen to many of the CD's in my vast collection, but I remember each one with a smile upon sight. For that reason alone I won't get rid of them, no matter how kitschy Iron Maiden, eighties Aerosmith or Van Halen or anything else I have might be.
Besides, the way things are going, my CD collection is pretty much irreplaceable for the time being. If I lose them, they are gone forever. Same with my guitars, if they ever get stolen, I'm SOL.
Ahhhhh.... Farm Aid. What great concerts. I have a video tape of the main event, the one where Neil Young brought Clapton, Page and Beck together on stage to play an unforgettable version of 'Stairway to Heaven'. What a glorious cacophony that was!
"Instead of de-cluttering my life, I try to salvage a memory" -- priceless.
Digitize away ;->
Harpo's, eh? Wild is the night . . .
Enjoyed the story. MW
Congrats on the find. Nice to get a memory back like that, eh? I'm more "Zen" about releasing possessions these days (or better yet, not accumulating them to begin with,) but decades ago I broke my own heart by throwing away a box of cards given to me by treasured friends & now-deceased family. I eventually forgave myself for that one, but it took a while.
Hey, shared experiences are the best, aren't they? Something to save and not toss away. BUT-I am promising myself to declutter the bunches and bunches of meaningless junk I accumulate throughout the year. Will do it in January right after I make my New Years resolution that I'll have to break! D
Everyone needs to declutter and reclutter. You get rid of things you really know you'll never use again but in the process find a treasure or two that you forgot you had. You keep the treasure, of course.
Most folks are lucky, but there comes a time when it all falls apart, record collection, private library and all.
Just your brain sitting atop a workroom with a broken last.
Everything now commited to the black box of your memories.
But, stragely, it does come back.
A call from a friend of thirty years back, who still has copies of your old stories, facsimilies of your old friends from the days of your almost unconscious succcesses...They were not lost? Your old friends still there, older but seemingly no wiser?...And the magazine you used to work for. He has all the copies.
Oh Lord,how it all comes back.
All right. Line up everybody. Say hello.
I jump back into the past. Or is it really the future?
Rip Van Winkle, now computer literate.
Cagey Christ now not so anxious for the cross.
One year later, and I have just stumbled across your post. I have a copy of "Travelin' On" by Clinton River Road (1984) that I found at a garage sale. The record's in near mint condition. The inner sleeve is autographed by several members to a man named 'Ted' during the '86 tour. The signatures I can decipher are Tim Boshaw, Vince Provenzano, Randy Richard, and Lee Simone. I was planning on selling it to one of the few remaining record stores, but I'd rather reunite this LP with someone who deeply appreciates it.
Post a Comment