10.07.05

You may want to come back later, this could be long.

I never know where to start. I mean, was it in college the first time I heard Motorhead? Maybe it was highschool. I bagged groceries and one of the VCU students said "hey, have you heard the Ramones?". The day at the skatepark over on southside when I first heard Van Halen doing "You Really Got Me"? Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Night"? The Sweet "Little Willy"?

See? Where do I start. One day I want to write a book, but who the hell would want to read a book about my life with music. It would be long, that's for sure.

So back to now. Today I got a DVD in the mail. It was taped at the 9:30 club two years ago. It was the last night of Bob Mould's "Body of Song" tour. I was there.

I'd seen Bob a fair amount. I regret that I never saw him in Husker Du or Sugar. Places, responsibilities. They get in the way. This night was different. This was the first time he played Sugar and Husker Du material with a full band. He's done them solo, acoustic and electric, but he would never play them with a touring band. It promised to be a special night.

I was not disappointed.

You could feel it in the air, everyone was excited. It was a great crowd. There were fans from every stage of his career. You could tell the ones who really only knew the new stuff. It didn't matter though. It was phenomenal. There really aren't words. Its that feeling that washes over you. Your spine tingles. You just can't stop moving. I heard Chartered Trips live.

I felt it all again tonight.

I'm not a big DVD guy, I only get a few things. This one was a must have, I just didn't expect it to be so great. At some point I'll end up looking at still frames to see if I see myself, but not soon. Its way too much fun to just watch. The mix is just awesome. The video is great, especially considering the circumstances. Looked like almost all of the cameras were handheld. The edit was great. Nice variety of shots, cameras worked great in the light.

I'm going to hold back the urge to try and put into words what music means to me. It would just take too long and wouldn't make much sense. Its easier to take it on a band by band basis. Lets just say that its the one time I'm free.

You'll read everywhere how influential Bob's work has been over the years. I can understand it. From Metal Circus to Body of Song, his work has been outstanding. He's able to communicate emotion like few other. Of course it just so happens that his noisy presentation trips the right triggers in my brain.

Whatever it is that floats your boat, I hope that you're able to feel like this.

Thanks, Bob. I'm looking forward to the new album and live performances in the new year.

You are the rock.