Nick and Taylor Talk Music
by Nicholas and Taylor
[Editor's Note: We were going to do another "PINM Goes to..." thing, but only one other person wrote anything. I wasn't going to post anything, but we're doing it. Read something, write something. Or don't. We were going to do the "favorite", "worst" and "underrated" bit again, but when no one else submitted, I just left mine at greatest.
The Greatest Album Ever
by Taylor Hruby
On March 3rd, 1986, the greatest album of all time was released. I don't even know why I need to spell this out, you should already know, but of course, we're talking about Metallica's “Master Of Puppets”.
I remember I was on a traveling team basketball trip and we were staying in a hotel somewhere. We walked into the room, I turned on the TV and either MTV was on or I went out of my way to turn it on. “King Nothing” was just starting up, I know that for sure. That song was released when I was 10, so I would assume I was around that age. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I grew up in a town of 700 people, barely knew anything about music, had no idea who Metallica was and was just in awe of the fact that MTV even existed. (Insert some hack crap about 'MTV used to show videos... blah, blah, blah). I'm relatively sure that whatever was on that day, that second, I would have clung to for life. As it was, I lucked into Metallica.
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An aside: This would end up being a huge trip for me. I may have even told this story before, but bear with me.
I don't know how to swim. Never learned, never cared to. Once, I was tricked into hanging out in a pool. I clung to the edge and questioned the existence of my own survival instincts. I literally stood there, not moving, staring out in the seating area, practically begging someone to notice how uncomfortable I was and rescue me from this hell. Turning my back on the pool was my first mistake. One of my “friends” came up behind me and dunked my ass into a watery grave. I popped up and was absolutely terrified. I was (and still am) prone to tearing up when really angry, so I'm sure I cried.
On our basketball trip, we stayed at a hotel with a pool. As all of my friends and team mates went down to the pool to hang out and live their lives, I reluctantly turned off MTV and joined them in the pool area. I didn't even change clothes. I just went down because I felt I should. As I sat, feeling slightly left out, I looked up to the TV. MTV! Someone else had turned it on! I reached up and turned up the volume just enough to not alert everyone to my total lack of participation. The only video I remember? “Tonight, Tonight” by The Smashing Pumpkins. Again, I was just dumbfounded by the visuals, the music, the vibe, everything. I couldn't believe how great it was. I'm sure there were more videos that night, but who knows? I had Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins.
We all went to a Pizza Hut for dinner that night. All my teammates, the cheerleaders, everyone's folks, whatever. But we were the only people in there. Like the rest of the town knew we would be there, so they didn't show up. There was a pinball machine and maybe another game or two, but they had a jukebox. I stood there as my teammates pumped music into this machine. Music “we” all “liked”. But something stuck with me this whole time. Dave Clausen turned to me and asked if I wanted to pick a song. I got along with all those dudes just fine, but I was myself, they were themselves, and I wasn't one of them, you know?
I stepped up, looked for Metallica, saw Smashing Pumpkins and picked “Tonight, Tonight”. Everyone was running around, partying like little bastards, then “Tonight, Tonight” hit. Everyone stood silent, probably wondering what the hell was going on. That moment meant more to me than most in my life. I had a chance to be myself in front of people I knew and liked. They didn't shun me, they didn't crucify me, they weren't overly stoked either, but that moment meant the world to me. Still does. I was myself at an age where being yourself is really hard.
Anyway...
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I have no idea what month that would have been, but I asked my father for Metallica CDs for Christmas that year. He bought me Load, Master of Puppets and Kiss's Unplugged. I remember putting in Load and frantically searching for “King Nothing”. The problem with that of course, was that song was on ReLoad, not Load, so I came away disappointed. I threw on Master of Puppets and “Battery” started up. I don't think the disk left my CD player for a week or two after that.
From “Battery”, to “The Thing That Should Not Be” I just had no idea how to process what was happening in my room. I quite literally sat at the edge of my bed, reading the lyrics, always looking up at the CD player in awe. I don't think I got past “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” for the first week. I loved those 4 songs so much that I couldn't go past them. My CD player had a remote. I wore that skip back button down into a nub. Then, one day, I accidentally let “Disposable Heroes” play.
For whatever Master Of Puppets, the album, was to me then, “Disposable Heroes” turned it up to 11. As it was, I loved the slow part of “Master of Puppets”, the song. I loved “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” because it was slow. It was familiar. “Disposable Heroes” kicked in my fucking door and thrashed my balls off, if you'll excuse the language. “Battery” was fast and I loved it, but “Heroes” was nuts! I couldn't believe my ears. I let it play the next song (after 10 “Disposable Heroes” or so). It was then that I heard the heaviest song ever written: “Leper Messiah”.
We can talk day in, day out about the heaviest song ever written, but the conversation starts with “Leper Messiah” and ends with me screaming “Leper Messiah” right in your face. There is real venom on this record, but “Leper Messiah” always stung the hardest. That song was written in 1986. NINETEEN EIGHTY SIX, FOLKS! That needed all caps! I almost dropped an f-word in there! That song is peak heaviness, peak metal, maybe peak Metallica. It doesn't get much better than that.
“Orion” is a masterpiece that can't be topped. I don't even know what to say about it. Just listen to it. Like actually listen to it and you'll know why I have nothing to say. Cliff Burton was one of the best of us. He truly shines on this track. “Damage Inc.” is solid as hell, but never grabbed me like the other jams. The album clocks in at 54:46 and I defy you to find a better hour of music out there. Revolutionary, unbelievably heavy, faster than hell, louder than anything, Master Of Puppets is the greatest album of all time.
For the rest of my youth, probably until I was about 17, I listened to Metallica. I mean I almost exclusively had Metallica albums playing whenever music was involved. I have kind of kept that going later in my life where I only listen to, say, 10 bands, but back then, there was one and it all started with a basketball tournament and a track off of the worst Metallica record.
Nicholas Schlitt
I used to be obsessed with albums as a whole when I was a world-weary kidd-o. If I heard one song from a musician/band I liked, I wanted to instantly hear the next song in the album. I hated the idea of “singles”. It was like watching a random episode of a TV show out of order. Granted a well put together greatest hits could work wonders and were often my go-to albums of certain bands. But nowadays that just ain't me no mo'. Blame YouTube or what have you, but I just listen to the “hits” and jump around from Otis Redding to Super Mario soundtracks in one sitting now. I actually rarely listen to music, period. Plus, add in how far removed I am from what I used to listen to and I dunno, rough waters ahead trying to make picks. The magic is gone for me. My soul is dead. I still enjoy everything I used to like and more. But I've never been comfortable with music, or taste in music, defining me in any way. At all. People put way too much stock in that. So I'll be fairly brief:
Favorite: I Get Wet – Andrew W.K. (2001)
I repeat, music does not define me in any way. But I have probably listened to this entire album from start to finish more than any other album in my life. And for the longest period of time. I had my bands and styles I was into more back in High School when it came out and plenty of others since. But it's always there giving me unexplained happy vibes. It's pretty amazing actually.
Honorable Mentions that may have meant something to me at one time or another: Meet the Raisins! Soundtrack – The California Raisins, Greatest Hits – Bob Seger, We Are... The League – Anti-Nowhere League, Obsolete – Fear Factory, Far Beyond Driven – Pantera, Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A., Happy Drunx – Drain Bramaged, Let Go – Avril Lavigne, A Charlie Brown Christmas – Vince Guaraldi Trio, Graduation – Kanye, whichever Miley Cyrus album had 'See You Again'. Speaking of St-st-stuttering...
Underrated: Scatman's World – Scatman John (1995)
Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop! The soundtrack to movie BASEketballs is probably where most people have heard Scatman John and the should listen to more! This album is full of positivity and good. Dude overcame a stuttering problem to do scat music about everybody lovin' everybody. I can dig it to this day. I want to be a human being not a human doing.
Worst: I Get Wet – Andrew W.K. (2001)
I understand the social and cultural spot AWK belongs in, in reference to back then when this album came out. The gimmick or whatever you want to call it. The message or lack thereof. The style. I hear you loud and clear. I don't care, but I hear you.