Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town is the kind of music I like to listen to late at night when I'm in one of those restless, empty moods. Some times, I'll drive down to Little River, park beneath the old dam, and listen to Bruce while I try to size up where my life is heading. Very adolescent and self-consciously cinematic, but what can I say? "Racing in the Streets" is one of my favorites from the album, possibly the most heartbreaking song about car-racing imaginable.
3 comments:
Why did you choose the phrase "very adolescent and self-consciously cinematic" to describe your late night wanderings? Individually, I know what all of those words mean, but I'm having trouble applying them as a group to your actions. The idea of driving down to the water to think about life seems so perfectly normal. If it's in the movies, then the only explanation is the old "art imitates life" cliche.
I like the third picture in the set; it calls to mind the feeling of giddy anticipation that I associate with being a small child about to embark on an exciting adventure.
The fact that it's in movies and songs (Springsteen's "Darkness at the Edge of Town") probably is art imitating life, but when I do it, I always feel self-conscious, like I'm imitating a Springsteen song (particularly if I'm listening to him) or imitating Smog's "Drinking at the Dam." I suppose ultimately I enjoy acting out my own little drama, and it's hard to seperate my thoughts and emotions from the thoughts and emotions in songs, movies, and so on. It's a metanarrative. It's been done before, so it feels like a cliche, something like sitting on the window sill and staring out the horizon while I philosophically rub my chin. I suppose I think it's "adolescent" because it's self-conscious, melodramatic, and adolescents are all about melodrama. If I could avoid dramatizing it to myself, it would be normal.
Thanks for the comment about the third picture. I hadn't thought about it like that. One of the things I like about photography, though, is that photos have a life of their own. Once they're out there, what I think they mean really isn't important. I'm glad it gives you a giddy feeling; that's a nice feeling to have.
Mark
Thanks for the clarification. I think my initial confusion arose at the somewhat negative description for an action that I view as positive.
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