My buddy Tim Greiving wrote a nostalgic blog post last week over on his blog, The Greiving Process, about a tradition that I’ve never experienced—just hanging out with a friend and listening to film music. Tim has told me this story before and I’ll admit that it always makes me wince a bit with jealousy each time hear (and now read) it.
Hopefully, I won’t sound completely pathetic, but until last year, I had never actually sat down and talked about film music with a fellow fan. I’d had my share of online discussions here and there, and occasional phone conversations, but never in person. Sure, I’ve gabbed about film scores with friends for years, but 99% of that fall on deaf ears. (A situation that has probably happened to most of us.)
Through this site, Facebook and Twitter, I’ve met some great people and broken through that barrier a bit. Every couple of weeks, my buddy Justin and I grab a drink (or five) and geek out, our opinions getting more and more pointed (and entertaining) the more alcohol we consume. (Don’t worry, we have fun, sober conversations too.)
But I have yet to actually sit down with someone, outside of a concert hall or multiplex, and actually listen to film music. Perhaps it stems from my upbringing. Being a relatively shy, introverted person growing up, I retreated into the worlds of books and music. I had no problems entertaining myself or being alone. (I still don’t.) Park me in front of the TV with a bag of chips and a PB&J and I’m all set. (Hmm, the more life changes, the more it remains the same.)
So for years and years, listening to music has been a solitary endeavor. No two people experience art in the same way and I guess I never felt compelled to share that special experience with others, especially when the appeal of film music escapes most people. It was simpler to just give them a mixed tape (wow, that dates me) for them to ignore, I mean listen to, on their own rather than have them stare blankly at me in stupefaction in person.
So I’ll admit, I’m jealous that Tim had that experience. And I’m sure he treasures it even more, now that he’s moved and it is no longer a regular part of his life. But I’m excited to hang out with my fellow film music geeks this Friday as we descend to Middle-earth for the LORD OF THE RINGS concert at Radio City. Tim will be there, Justin too, and some other great people I’ve gotten to know through the wonders of cyberspace but have yet to meet in person. It’s still a group endeavor, and still in public, but I’m grateful for the bonds that film music and this site have brought me, and in no way will I take this for granted.
Maybe one of these days I’ll enjoy that special experience that Tim so eloquently describes. For me that picture includes me and another film music fan chilling mano a mano (I’ll start out slow for the moment and work my way up to multiple fans), our feet comfortably draped on my tacky coffee table, sipping our beverage of choice with one hand as the other perpetually grabs for some artery-hardening munchies, while the sweet, thrilling sounds of Williams, Newman, Goldsmith et al burst from the Bose and bounce off the walls of my overpriced cave. When it comes to film music, “Mi cueva es su cueva.”
