I watched "Perks of Being a Wallflower" last night for the first time. Hadn't ever read it either. Besides making me cry like a baby at several points, the movie invoked a variety of emotions in me (several of which are absurdly relevant to this blog).
The first was nostalgia, something that I've been experiencing quite a bit lately. The word "nostalgia" comes from the Greek words for "homecoming" and "ache" (credit to Dr. Heth's third-semester Greek class). The etymology of this word is pretty powerful because it describes the elusive feeling accurately, allowing you to both experience the emotion more fully and use the word more pointedly (that was my blatant endorsement of studying language/reading/vocabulary/spelling/etc.). Watching Perks definitely gave me that feeling of returning to something familiar; the author wrote the story in such a way that it resonates with a wide variety of people, regardless of their high school experiences. However, along with that joyous feeling of return - of homecoming - there was a feeling of sadness. The books we read, the music we listen to, the hometowns we revisit...none of them quite live up to our memories of them, and that is a bittersweet realization that often feels painful.
The second emotion was gratitude for the music I was exposed to in high-school. A major theme in Perks is of Charlie being brought in to the world of Sam and Patrick. This "bringing in" echoes in many spheres of Charlies life, but the main metaphor that the author uses to symbolize it is the music that his new friends share with him. One of the first questions that Sam asks Charlie is about his favorite band. Charlie of course responds with "The Smiths," and later says his favorite song is Asleep. That's really the first time that Charlie and Sam really connect with one another, and it's a beautiful moment because music does have the amazing power to draw people together.
There's also something awesome about finding music on your own, something that has become much easier and far less rewarding with the rise of the smartphone. I remember hearing a song on the radio and having to wait weeks to hear it again so I could write down some of the lyrics and hunt it down (Today, by The Smashing Pumpkins), or hearing something awesome and singing a few bars for my dad so he could tell me what it was (Ziggy Stardust, by the one and only Bowie). Sam and Patrick and Charlie have a similar experience in the movie with "Heroes;" it's frustrating to hear a song once and lose it, but the moment that you find it again brings a burst of joy that Shazam is incapable of producing. There's my rant.
So, this list is mostly nineties shoegaze (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoegazing) because most of the music in Perks is nineties rock. I just went through my I-pod and found the songs that a) fit the genre and b) are most strongly tied to that time period for me. There are a few more recent songs and songs that aren't shoegaze (e.g. The Smiths).
Nineties "Homecoming Ache" Playlist
(1985) The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - The Smiths ("Asleep" is actually the B-side of this track which I learned after I made this list. I'm so cool.)
(1994) It's A Kid's World - Disco Inferno
(1995) 1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins
(2009) Stay Alive - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
(1989) Here Comes Your Man - The Pixies
(2001) Spoon - Boris
(1992) Twisterella - Ride
(1999) Spit On A Stranger - Pavement
(1992) Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine
(2007) Lazy Eye - Silversun Pickups
(1997) Everything Beautiful Is Far Away - Grandaddy
(1999) Take A Picture - Filter
(1991) Alcholiday - Teenage Fanclub
(1997) Lucky Man - The Verve
(1995) The Bends - Radiohead
(2004) Can't Exist - Joseph Arthur
(2013) Afraid of Heights - Wavves
(1977) Heroes - David Bowie
No comments:
Post a Comment