Tuesday 26 February 2008

Road Songs (Largo)


Speed. It kills, doesn't it? That's pretty clear to me. So, why is it that when you are driving your car you can accelerate up to 100 - 120 miles per hour, if you so wish, even if the speed limit is 70mph on a motorway? That question has always baffled me, so if any of you has the answer, please, send it to me in a nice envelope with the Royal seal on it.

I sometimes go over the speed limit, but overall tend to drive slowly and defensively. The fact is that I love driving, I love going round bends as slowly as I can and soak up the perfection of a smooth turning.

Same with music. In my teens when I started to listen to rock'n'roll I realised little by little that as the 60s became the 70s and the 70s mutated into the 80s the music had at the same time turned faster. I stopped at Metallica. Slayer and the others who followed were too fast for me and my ears.

There is nothing more enjoyable than a song where the bass guitar kicks in nicely and rhythmically setting the mood for the entire piece, or where the lead singer will ease the whole band into a groove with a wave of his or her hand, in the same way a conductor does it with an orchestra. Music and driving are two pleasures that should be enjoyed without rushing the outcome. Could you imagine someone in a theatre belting out bang in the middle of a stage version of Hamlet: 'C'mon, mate, hurry up, when are you going to say the 'to be or not to be' soliloquy'? Me neither.

The songs that follow are unique in the sense that I am able to appreciate their full richness and beauty by means of the patience and focus shown by their performers. None of which is achieved by running around like a headless chicken.
Copyright 2008

6 comments:

  1. No puedo dejar de pensar en este tema grunchy de BushHHH , me cuelgo detrás del delay y del distortion y asi me escapo, me piro pa’ el carajo....igual que antes cuando soñaba con ‘algo MAS que soñar’ caminando por las calles de la habana con la vista puesta en mis tenis rotos y la mente a bolina en otra parte, decidida-mente lejos.....exiliado en un lugar que aun no encuentro, ni encontrare jamás.
    Yo creo que el que aprende a escaparse, no termina de hacerlo nunca y por eso: SPEED KILLS! You know what I mean...
    Bush - The People That We Love



    pilladera, t.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ekelekwá, bro, coño, por supuesto que te capice. Gracias por el temita de la Bush, no lo había oído nunca.

    Saludos desde Londres.

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  3. Aquí le están dando vueltas desde hace rato a la idea de poner un límite de velocidad en todas las autopistas pero no lo consiguen. Por si no lo sabían, hay tramos donde no hay límite y una vez fui copiloto en uno de ellos, a 290km/h. Creo que dejé mis dedos marcados en el asiento por los lados...

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  4. Te compadezco, aguaya. La primera vez que me tiré a la carretera mi esposa estaba asustá'... y yo estaba caga'o.

    Saludos desde Londres.

    ReplyDelete
  5. jajaja
    cono agua, yo me hubiera parado con el asiento en las manos. ;)

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  6. Lo lindo es que yo lo sabía porque tenía la vista clavada en el cuentamillas, porque si es por las calles o el carro, ni me daba cuenta de lo livianito que iba, y mientras más rápido, mejor cogía carretera. Pero yo iba ca.., y mi esposo ni hablabó durante el viaje, jajaja, él iba sentado detrás...

    ReplyDelete

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