I’ll Show You Mine, if You Show Me Yours…

We all have at least one… that's another beautiful thing about MOGgers. In fact, I am sure in many cases - as in mine, we have more than one. But for me, my second was my most precious & the laundry list of what he gave me is the standard by which all others are compared.

Jeff Bevan.

He was the second music junkie I met & it was in college where that fateful meeting took place. This kid put everyone else I had ever known to shame & I am certain he could hold his own if he hung with us here in the Ville of MOG. Sadly, our ending was much more WAR than MOGwar, so I haven't talked to the kid in probably 10 years. (it really wasn't a warlike ending - but I think it would have been too difficult to remain friends after we shared so much… at least I think that was the case for us). Wasn't for a lack of trying - for a year we did our best to stay in each other's lives in some way. Just wasn't meant to be. One thing I am sure of though, he probably thinks about me as much as I do of him. Not pine mind you - just think about him, as in cursory thoughts… I can't help it. So much of what I listen to, he influenced in one way or another. My perfectionistic ways when compiling a mixtape I learned by watching him. When I hear something new, often he's one of the first people I think about & wish I could pick up the phone to talk to him about the artist/band & see what his thoughts are, if I one-upped him on it, or if he was already WELL aware of their existence & could point me further down the yellow brick road of theirs to the Holy Grail/Emerald City - as he often would.

13 years ago - if you had asked me, I would have told you we'd be married after a couple years outside of college… we made sense - best friends who finally took the plunge. & our favorite things to do all revolved around music (or literature). Finding out of the way record stores or flea markets & searching the stacks, heading to concerts… & sure there were other things we did where music was a main ingredient… talk about songs that bring back memories. We struck up a close friendship with a local record store owner who would allow us to go to his "behind the counter stacks" to see what new stuff he'd just gotten in, he'd give us discounts on his rarities, we LOVED going to this shop. I remember sitting outside my dorm room for hours talking about the all things music… the best shows we'd seen - who would be our ultimate show & why. Friends would walk by, join in the conversation for a spell & then realize the water was way too deep for them & swim safely to non-musicjunkie shores. He & I were perfectly happy out there with the sharks… those sharks loved music too ;) Sure we talked other things, but our conversations about music meant the world to me both then & now. It was our life's blood - so of course it was the penultimate discussion for us both.

And a list of just a few artists that Jeff brought to my music world… let's see… there was Jamiroquai - he just KNEW I'd love them (& as many of you know - he was absolutely correct in that assessment - picked up Space Cowboy at the little record shop in town), Prince - sure I owned Purple Rain (as do most of the collective in my age group), but he got me INTO Prince, Miranda Sex Garden, Dead Can Dance, King Crimson, Terrence Trent D'Arby, Beautiful South, Mike Oldfield, Francis Dunnery, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, KRS One… this list could go on - but hopefully you get the idea. I brought artists to him as well… but his collection astounded & he loved his albums so completely - they became friends and family for him. I'd never known anyone to feel the way I did about albums… not til Jeff. & this shared obsession brought me so much joy. It was good to not feel alone anymore. Until MOG - I really missed that kind of special bond that is shared over music appreciation.

Didn't work out for us - but I know we've both been forever changed from our friendship & relationship.

For years after our break up - I would date guys, stand them next to him & they never even came close on the music junkie scale. I'd sooner or later grow tired of being with someone who had little to no interest in sucking the musical marrow out of life & move on. I know there are a lot of you out there where it wasn't the deal breaker that it is for me, I wish I could say it didn't matter as much as it does - but in all my life - the shared times revolving around friendships, relationships & music are the moments that I treasure most. I don't think I can find a substitute for it… I need it… plain & simple.

So as much as this is a thank you to Jeff Bevan for sharing his knowledge & obsessions with me, it's a love letter to all of you who've made my experiences here at MOG second to none.

::BIGSQUOOSHYHUGS::

Now it's your turn - tell me about one of your first music junkie friends or lovers… inquiring greeneyedgirls want to know !!!