How often does this happen?
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Artist:
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Album:Reinventing Axl
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On Thursday I had another sweltering day of summer school. I say sweltering because the temperatures here in Minnesota are nearing the mid 90's and the school I am teaching at has no air conditioning what so ever. By the time the kids arrive at 8:30 in the morning I usually have a good sweat going, and the sun has not even really come up yet. Every teacher knows as well that once the heat goes up outside, it stays that way in the classroom until the fall. The school buildings I teach in can double as bomb shelters, and no matter how many fans you set up it just is not going to do anything to bring the temperature down. Usually when I teach I wear a nice pair of khaki's along with a sharp button down shirt. With the weather the way it has been that attire has been tossed out the window and in turn tee shirts and shorts are the uniform I wear to work.
On this day I wore an Against Me! shirt to school, one of my favorite concert shirts and one that would put me in a good mood for the weekend. In turn I listened to their music on the way into work, and arrived feeling like today was going to be a pretty damn good day. Of course my students asked who was this Against Me! from Gainesville, Florida and what kind of music did they play. I knew this question would be asked so I brought in a cd in to play for them so they could get an earful before school started. As I guessed, they were unimpressed, and about 15 seconds into Cliché Guevara I was asked to stop the music. I really did not expect anything more from my class, fourth grade inner city kids would be the last ones I would think might find this brand of music somewhat entertaining. With a switch of the cd player the music was turned off, and the rest of the day flew by uneventfully.
At lunch I brought my class down to the lunchroom and sat down to eat with them like I always do. That is when a fellow teacher came up and asked me about my shirt. The teacher in question has come to my room many times before during the regular school year, and always seemed to like what was playing on the radio in my room. I went in with my usual sales pitch of the band, "Oh, they are this group, kind of punkish, really like them a lot.........blah, blah, blah" Then came the words that every music junkie hopes to hear, "Could you make me a cd with a bunch of their music on it?" Immediately the wheels began to turn, and I wondered just what songs from their catalog would I be choosing to put on this cd.
I have been asked to make cd's before, and they always end up being of the mix variety. When is the last time someone asked you to compile a cd of music from one of the bands you consider to be your favorite. At first I thought this was going to be an easy task, a no brainer if you will. Now it has become something more, it has caused me to listen to each of their albums once again, and try and imagine what it was like the first time I heard those songs.
There were songs that I fell in love with right away, those were the easy picks for the mix I am making. Then there are those that grew on me, which led me to think, "Do I put those on the mix as well?" Even the songs that became a part of me because I got to see them live, will they be the same for someone listening to them for the first time via a cd player at home?
Think of it this way, go into your music collection and pick out three artists that you do not feel you could live with out. Artists that have been around a while, ones you have seen in concert or would give your left nut in order to do so just once. (Women, replace nut with ovary if you will) Now pick one of those artist's and try and break down their collection to just 20 or so songs. Twenty songs that you hope will cause someone who has never heard "your" band to fall in love with them the way you did when you first started listening to them. It is not that easy of a task, and its one that I have been working on over the course of the long weekend.
I will go in tomorrow, and I feel I have the perfect Against Me! record to hand off to my co-worker. I can only hope he likes the music I have given him, and maybe spend some of his hard earned money on a few of their records in the process. I never knew just how hard it was to put together a greatest hits of one of your favorite bands, but I found out this long Fourth of July weekend. Funny thing is that I know if I were to make this cd again in three months, I am sure it would contain a slew of different songs. It really doesn't matter because over the last three days I listened to a band that I consider to be great, and it has left me knowing why I started listening to them in the first place. Oh, and what was the first song I put on the mix? I am so glad you asked...........
Comments (13)
Darn kids and that Elmo lol! Hope you have a better day tomorrow. Mid 90's in Minnesota, wow talk about your global warming. Isn't it usually pretty cold?
We get our hot days, but man when you are teaching in a cement building with no air it is not very fun
That sucks, I'm originally from L.A., so I feel ya'. Your right not fun at all.
Against Me! was on that My Space comp from a few years ago - perhaps they've heard of MySpace?
perhaps, but when I threw out some of the songs he might have known I drew a blank stare
Ugh, that just sounds nasty, being stuck in a schoolroom in that heat. Good thing you have Against Me! to save you. Like that song/vid, so funny how all the rabid fans know the songs word for word. I love how some of us have our own very fave artist we write about regularly. Making a hits cd would be difficult to do, that's for sure!
some day, some great day, I will be asked to make a mix cd. I look forward to it.
thanks for the video, amazing...if a cd doesnt win the person over, just take them to a show, theyre always impressive. whats the complete tracklisting - was it more recent or older songs? good luck with the heat!
I've been asked to do it for both The Roots and Xavier Naidoo. Both times it came out two cd's. Just couldn't get down to 20 songs. I always start out with the first song I heard by the artist. The song that made me fall in love., and hope it has the same effect. Oh, and I did a Redman CD for Chucky which ended up consisting mostly of songs from the Blackout album somehow.
You tried to EMCD the children, fo'shame!
I smell a new movement....A/C in classrooms! Or ACIC :)
The making of such a mix CD would be the end of me, yikes :(
come on Anna like you and Dale wouldnt do the same......who do you think I learned it from
You raise a valid point.
On an irrelevant note, I hope I'll get you as my victim at MOG wars.
bring it on........I am not afraid (that much)
Despite the kids' reaction, I just loved the anecdote. Spreading the word, heedless of the reaction - and you got a taker. Huzzah!