Find the time…

*Find the time*

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

“Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain.

You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today.

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.

No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun...”

Lyrics from “Time” by Pink Floyd

As 1994 slid into 1995, I was 21, young, and life was definitely “long” (mostly, in a good way).

Days were spent at various job sites and warehouses. Nights (and most of my money) were spent at bars, clubs, and parties. Any spare time was spent with my guitars. Again, work hard, play hard...

Like a long-lost, wild-eyed uncle, Country music also returned home late that year, just in time for Thanksgiving dinner, along with stories of good lovin’ and hard livin’, stories that would make a grandma blush and a grandpa smile. Spurred along by nights spent at some of our area’s honky tonks, as well as hearing the familiar Country-infused melodies of the newly-reunited Eagles, I quickly became reacquainted with Country music, especially the Outlaw variety.

For me, there was a familial bond with Country music; it faithfully served as life’s soundtrack for most of my relatives and extended family. And, like the well-aged family photos adorning the walls of my grandparents’ rural home, Country music was seemingly always in the background for those holidays spent with loved-ones, not-so-loved-ones, and all those in between; Great times spent emptying a few magazines, drinking a few beers, and strumming a few sing-a-longs, all while enjoying lots of good country cookin’.

Not long thereafter, I decided to take some more lessons from my guitar teacher, who would soon be performing with his bandmates at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival. I had taken an interest in fingerpicking, especially that of Flamenco and the Classical-style. My interest grew deeper after he taught me the first sections of “Bourrée in E minor” and then “Malagueña”. I also remember sitting in complete wonder when I discovered the music of the legendary, late Andrés Segovia. [There are no words to describe his virtuosity; his talent should be heard (and seen) by all].

My aural palette had remained as diverse as it was ten years prior. In addition to Country and Blues, Jazz and Classical, the percussive and experimental guitar work of Tom Morello and the syncopated sounds of RATM, also piqued my interest, as it united Metal, Punk, and Hip-Hop, much like The Clash had done around a dozen years earlier with “This is Radio Clash”.

“Hands of law have sorted through

My identity.

But now this sound is brave

And wants to be free - anyway to be free...

...This is Radio Clash using aural ammunition.

This is Radio Clash can we get that world to listen?”

Lyrics from “This Is Radio Clash” by The Clash

[Lyrics that are still rather “timely” and relevant, don’t you think?]

Ultimately, the musical and lyrical output of Morello and RATM would in-turn influence Nu metal bands and help guitar players everywhere discover new ways to play their instruments.

Today, I regularly take from a broad aural palette when tasked with crafting setlists for Toxic A$$ets, also affectionately known as “the People’s Band” [very apropos, as our band strives to showcase four to six different genres, and as many decades, during our longer performances]. Music and song have the power to bring people together. Thus, we should use this power, whenever possible…

Over the next couple of years, I attended even more memorable concerts and festivals, especially those of the No Quarter Tour, Lollapalooza, and the Kiss Alive reunion tour, which would include the final concert performance of Alice In Chains with the late Layne Staley (July 3, 1996); surreal and bittersweet, in retrospect. I also was fortunate to experience Soundgarden live and in-person, as well as the Ramones, as they tore through 21 songs in around 45 minutes. No break, no rest; 1, 2, 3, 4 and on to the next one, all under the hot afternoon sun... Along the way, I also met (albeit briefly) some legendary artists and performers including, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, the iconic Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath-bassist Geezer Butler, and yes, Shania Twain.

*My “Ozzmosis” CD booklet signed by Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler circa 1995*

Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard

However, as the mid-‘90s became the late-‘90s, I decided it was time to punch my ticket and board the “crazy train” to the next phase of my life. My first stop would be a return to college to pursue a degree in Business Administration. In between work and school, music once again became tangential. I was not able to spend as much time with my family of guitars, some of which became angry and aloof, while others became withdrawn, gently weeping as they coped with their newfound separation. Life had taken hold; I could never seem to find the time... Fortunately, college electives offered me the opportunity to learn more about the history of modern music and its social impact (musicology). Seemingly overnight, my time at college was over, as I graduated with Distinction and once again boarded life’s train for my next stop.

My relationship with my guitars remained estranged as I walked across the station platform to enter the workforce, first in the IT field, then in the financial services industry, where I still am today. Not surprisingly, pursuing a career, starting (and raising) a family, all initially leave little time for much else [we never seem to find the time…]. But, given the passage of more time, and the additions of more commitments, deadlines, and stress, we find that some of our hobbies, endeavors, and dreams, whether old or new, are sources of strength, which can help us re-center and re-connect with ourselves and our loved-ones. Thus, whether it is through music, writing, cooking, painting, or other endeavors, when such an opportunity for emotional release, growth, or happiness presents itself, seize upon it. Find the time.

Tony’s Takeaways

The lyrics of the Pink Floyd song “Time” are about the passage of time. In writing the lyrics, Roger Waters had realized that he was no longer preparing for anything in life, but instead was right in the middle of it. Life had taken hold. He purportedly came to this realization when he was in his late-20s, according to various interviews.

Throughout my Blog you will see the words: “Like a ballad, each of our lives tells a story, many of which share a common thread.” As such, many of us at some point will come to understand what Roger was saying in the various lyrics shown above and here below:

“Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time.

Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines.”

As 1994 slid into 1995, I was 21, young, and life was definitely “long” (mostly, in a good way).

Find the time !

It was 40 years ago today!

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Eliminator!