I watched two of my favourite music soundtracked scenes on TV and film the last two nights. Tonight it was The Royal Tenenbaums, and the scene with Nico’s ‘These Days’. It’s the ache of longing in the scene that I love so much. The pause, and then the drawn out slow motion shot of Margot coming off the Green Line bus and approaching Richie is heartbreaking, and the Nico song never sounded so perfect.
And then last night it was the last episode in Freaks and Geeks, and the scene where Lindsay listens to The Grateful Dead’s ‘Box Of Rain’ in her bedroom. I swear to god, every time I watch that scene I want to cry my eyes out. It’s so damn perfect. For me, it captures the purity of the Pop experience: the personal discovery of a sound that can take you to places you almost did not dare to hope existed. It’s all about the sheer euphoria of discovery, of finding something that speaks to you and to you alone, yet simultaneously binds you to something bigger. A sound that says ‘you are not alone’. Oh, and the closing scene of the show, to the sound of ‘Ripple’ is very nearly as fine.
Somehow too it is the fact it’s The Grateful Dead that makes it even more perfect. For someone like me that was a revelation. Before that point I had not fully realised that American Beauty was indeed such a great album. Sure, it is flawed, but I swear, there has seldom been such a memorable opening to an album as ‘Box Of Rain’. I remember, I had not heard it for some time and it came on my iPod one morning a few months ago as I walked through the new Princesshay Development in Exeter. It sounded magnificent, and I felt a smile creep over my lips for the first time in what felt like forever. And I never thought I’d say this in the context of The Grateful Dead, but that’s the magic of Pop. And I believe in it.
Progress indeed Alistair...a good-if flawed album. Check out Mars Hotel - also flawed but a couple of classic (and un 'Dead')tracks. The singing is also in tune ...mostly!
Posted by: rob | August 30, 2007 at 10:30