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Day Two Hundred Eighty

Today was an interesting day, music-wise. It started early, with me continuing to go through some of the stuff I had been sorting from the night before. Very quickly, however, it turned into a day for discussions on the emotional meaning of music. I had a conversation, if, that is, you can call something a conversation that happens via text message and e-mail, with R. regarding a song ("Goodbye Horses") that was originally rumored to be on the new Airborne Toxic Event record... I know, I've mentioned it practically every day this week. Anyway, she found some info on the song (which didn't make the record), and proceeded to e-mail me the link. It prompted an e-mail response from me that felt like a big moment for me as I was writing it. Here's the original link:

http://www.theairbornetoxicevent.com/news/goodbye-william.html

and here is my reply:

Wow... He's right, you know, regardless of what we all feel we know (or don't know) about each other, we all use music as a touchstone, a connecting point for sharing our lives with others. The songs we inhabit, the lines we live (and love), attach themselves to our souls. So, by sharing those songs, we are trying to share our souls with those we deem worthy enough to let in. It's why we obsess over words and liner notes and interviews. It's why a mixtape will always have a greater emotional punch for me than a burned CD filled with songs. The cassette brings with it a part of the person, and it keeps that part with it forever. In the end, the music we choose to share with those that we cherish, we share because it represents a part of our life, because whoever wrote those words, or played that solo, has reached out through the air and through the world and through our speakers, grabbed us by the throat, and refused to let go. We all want to be able to take someone else's breath away, the way someone else has done for us. It's the one thing that really lets us know we're alive.



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