The found cassette
-
Artist:
-
Album:
-
Track:
Since many of you found this part of my previous post of interest, I'll delve further:
I was a lazy kid; I didn't bother getting his driver's license until very late my senior year of high school. It's not for lack of a car either, as I managed to wrap a Ford Pinto around a light pole at the school by doing donuts in the parking lot during a wrestling meet. OK, clearly I wasn't always the brightest kid either. ;)
So I rode the bus to school my whole four years. I felt like a dork for doing so, but clearly not enough to do anything about it.
I wasn't the only one, though. There was this girl that rode the bus all four years as well. Her name was Lisa Martin. I first met her in my freshman French class; she sat next to me and constantly peppered me with questions to help her with the work. We were never friends, just acquaintances, mostly because I always thought that she could beat the heck outta me. I found out that she rode the same bus I did, and didn't live far from me.
She was one of those kids, the ones who were way ahead of the curve music-wise. You know, the ones that came to school in their PiL T-shirts. I was still shaking off the arena-rock thing, and one of the first things she noticed was the sleeve for the 7-inch of REM's "Radio Free Europe" I had shoved into the liner of my Trapper Keeper. She asked me what music I listened to, and I'm sure I stammered out something lame, so she didn't press the matter.
Anyway, one day my junior year, we were heading home on the bus as normal, just another blah end to the school day. It wasn't wrestling season, so I left school with all the other kids. Lisa sat in the far back seat as usual, and I sat in front of her. I had my Walkman on, and was listening to The Cure, because that's just about all I listened to at the time. She got off at her stop, a few minutes before I did. As I got off the bus at my stop, I noticed something white on her seat, and picked up ... THE CASSETTE.
It was a well-worn copy of The Sky's Gone Out by Bauhaus. Now I had heard the name Bauhaus before, seeing some of those kids with their logos etched onto notebooks, or wearing T-shirts. It intrigued me, because all the music those kids listened to intrigued me. So I immediately replaced the Cure cassette to which I had been listening with the Bauhaus cassette.
First song "Third Uncle" passed by in such a rush that it didn't make an impression. It sounded like a regular song done way too fast.
But "Silent Hedges" ... oh yeah, I liked that one.
(Sorry about the vid, it's all I have here.)
The next day, Lisa found me and asked if I had found her cassette. I lied through my teeth and said I didn't have it. Truth was, I didn't want to give it up, I really liked it. So I wasn't the nicest person back then either, sorry to disappoint. :$
As soon as I could, I begged my mom for some money, ran to the local record store (Condor Records, oh how I loved them so), and bought every Bauhaus cassette they had, including the import of 1979-1983.
by the time I had graduated from high school, I had all their albums and had replaced and lost The Sky's Gone Out again.
That taste for the dark that started that day carries on. But Lisa, if you read this, I'll make it up to you. I'll burn you a copy on CD if you like. :D
Comments (7)
Great story. My greatest challenge related to an old cassette is that it is slightly damaged (just a twist on the part I can see on the outside), thus I fear it can't be repaired, and it's the only recording I have of my grandfather's voice along with my mother's (they are both dead now) --- and my daughter, who is eighteen but was two at the time. So precious, and I need to get this repaired if possible.
What do you think?
I don't know Tamara, I bet I could have fixed that in a jiffy at age 18 but now I'm too uncomfortable with the medium. Sorry.
Oh man, the infamous white or dubbed cassette! Man how many groups I discovered from those. I stole a bunch from my brother, and discovered things like King Missle and (I think The Rollins Band). But the mystery of older kids music was always a thrill. My cousin and sister were 10 and 8 years older than me. they could talk The Cure, or whatever else I didn't have access too. Just by age I considered their judgement "better" than mine. I actually didn't get to check out The Cure, or Echo and The Bunnymen until later, but I liked it when I did. I was stuck in the 80's/90's "Metal doesn't have keyboards" mindset, so I probably would have had to hide any interest I had in that music had I been exposed earlier.
well, i knew this story would not disappoint. just awesome. stuff shoved into a Trapper Keeper brings back a flood of school memories.
high schoolers who drove their own cars was too "liberal" in my city back then. you were cool if the family driver picked you up, you rode with friends, or commuted. i was the dork (one of the very few) who got picked up by my own father 'til sophomore year. eek!
"I managed to wrap a Ford Pinto around a light pole at the school by doing donuts in the parking lot during a wrestling meet." aw you wild child. ;d
Terrific, surprisingly dark-toned tale. Car crashes, theft, lies, Bauhaus. If not for the Bauhaus, I'd wonder what you did with Dale...
The family driver; man, now that sounds like the way to get to school.
My car crash though was pretty mild compared to one of my best friends, who flipped a BMW going 90-something along Pacific Coast Highway in San Clemente. A BEEMER!!! His punishment: being forced to drive the old Dodge hatchback that was still way nicer than most cars people had. Oh, he had it rough ... :P
I know, I know, it's all so unexpected from me. I got all of my wildness out by age 17. Except for the musical tastes, of course. ;)
Poor Lisa. :( A true CIA man steeped in subterfuge and deceit. For shame!