Music: July 2008 Archives

Happy Fourth of July.  The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday not only because I am a patriot but also because I enjoy fireworks.  They appeal to my very gay sense of instant nostalgia.  Watching the fireworks inspires a simultaneous feeling of awe and regret: they're over practically before they start.  With fireworks (especially local fireworks versus impersonal big city extravaganzas) you get a visceral sense that your life is passing you by.  This is a feeling I love.  Yeah, I know it's childish of me to find this kind of angsty wallowing so delicious.  I can't help it, but I will try to be more grown-up by next year. 

The other thing about the 4th of July is that there are a lot of great songs about it.  Off the top of my head I can think of Galaxie 500's 4th OF JULY (above, featuring sparklers!), X's 4th OF JULY, Aimee Mann's 4th OF JULY, Bruce Springsteen's 4th OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY), and Elliot Smith's INDEPENDENCE DAY. I think there are a lot more that I'm forgetting right now too. (Oh! The Elliot Smith video on youtube just led me to this great-seeming song.  And who remembers a lady by the name of ANI?)

When I was little I was always concerned about what would happen if somehow the fireworks didn't extinguish themselves as they were falling for the ground-- if somehow you managed to catch a piece of one, what would happen?  Good or bad?  I thought about this for awhile and finally asked my mom and she told me your arm would fall off and you would probably die.  I guess she didn't understand the question or was worried that I wanted to go out and play with fireworks or something.  Whatever-- her scare tactics did not work.  I was generally a skittish and fearful child, but in this case, my mother's dire warning just increased the appeal to me.  It was at this moment that I first understood that it is worth risking life and limb for dumb things that are pretty and short-lived.