Circa: 1996-1997ish
Age: 11-13ish
my great-aunt (i don't really like that phrase, so moving forward i'll refer to her as my 'grand-aunt' as it follows the same logic as grandparent and is shorter than saying 'my grandmother's sister) recently bequeathed to me her old technics stereo setup. comprised of a tape deck, a (currently non-operational) turntable, a receiver, and 2 swank-particle board+wood grain paneled speakers, the dusty rig stands out in our ultra-modern (we steal wireless internet), chic (we have driven past several furniture stores) flat (apartment) as a monument to nostalgia.
since i can't seem to get the turntable to work just yet, i've been digging around in boxes, old backpacks, and even (my) old tapedecks to see how reel i kept it back in the day. this little doozie worked as a bittersweet 2 for 1. at first, i thought i had stumbled upon a 6th grade/Junior High landmine, filled with alternative music shrapnel. the highly inefficient ALL CAPS handwriting that i spent years perfecting whet my whistle for the punk/pop/angst sensibility of Green Day and the grungy rebellion of Nirvana. The Cranberries, STP, Pearl Jam, and The Flaming Lips sealed the deal.
In case you can't read the print, the list reads:
BASKETCASE (Green Day)
SHE (Green Day)
WHEN I COME AROUND (Green Day)
HEART SHAPED BOX (Nirvana)
TOURETTES (Nirvana)
DEAD SOULS (Nine Inch Nails - The Crow Soundtrack)
BIG EMPTY (Stone Temple Pilots)
ZOMBIE (The Cranberries)
BETTERMAN (Pearl Jam)
BUDDY HOLLY (Weezer)
SHE DON'T USE JELLY (The Flaming Lips)
my whistle was whet, and i was ready for an angsty collective anthem from my youth, but i opened the Memorex case only to find what i believe to be the first tape i ever bought. a slightly scratched and partially unwound copy of Tag Team's Whoomp! (There It Is) stared back at me as i audibly muttered, "Jesus."
thoughts of mc hammer pants, buzz cuts with lightning bolts, neon green, and generally the color magenta flashed before my eyes. "i'm pretty sure i'm dying right now, am i going to hip-hop hell?" i thought to myself. i mean, much respect to the fellows from the legendary, grammy winning group, "Tag Team" for the always tricky onomatopoeic hook, but i just wouldn't want to spend eternity wondering (1) What objects, mostly, probably human, could make the sound "Whoomp!" and (2) There what is?!?!?
seeking an answer to question 2, i flipped the tape over, hoping that there would be a key, only to find, what? you might ask. the exact same material that was on side A, of course. i shit you not. "Side 1: 1. Whoomp! (There it Is) - 2. Instrumental Version" "Side 2: 1. Whoomp! (There it Is) - 2. Instrumental Version" it's almost some passive-aggressive insult to print the same material on sides 1&2. i would have preferred side 2 to have said "It's a single, dumbass! We're Garbage Musicians! What do you expect from us?" that would have at least been honest.
alas, i didn't get my grunge fix from my grand aunt's tapedeck, but she certainly gave me an important apparatus for nostalgia navigation.
thanks aunt tomie.
In case you can't read the print, the list reads:
BASKETCASE (Green Day)
SHE (Green Day)
WHEN I COME AROUND (Green Day)
HEART SHAPED BOX (Nirvana)
TOURETTES (Nirvana)
DEAD SOULS (Nine Inch Nails - The Crow Soundtrack)
BIG EMPTY (Stone Temple Pilots)
ZOMBIE (The Cranberries)
BETTERMAN (Pearl Jam)
BUDDY HOLLY (Weezer)
SHE DON'T USE JELLY (The Flaming Lips)
my whistle was whet, and i was ready for an angsty collective anthem from my youth, but i opened the Memorex case only to find what i believe to be the first tape i ever bought. a slightly scratched and partially unwound copy of Tag Team's Whoomp! (There It Is) stared back at me as i audibly muttered, "Jesus."
thoughts of mc hammer pants, buzz cuts with lightning bolts, neon green, and generally the color magenta flashed before my eyes. "i'm pretty sure i'm dying right now, am i going to hip-hop hell?" i thought to myself. i mean, much respect to the fellows from the legendary, grammy winning group, "Tag Team" for the always tricky onomatopoeic hook, but i just wouldn't want to spend eternity wondering (1) What objects, mostly, probably human, could make the sound "Whoomp!" and (2) There what is?!?!?
seeking an answer to question 2, i flipped the tape over, hoping that there would be a key, only to find, what? you might ask. the exact same material that was on side A, of course. i shit you not. "Side 1: 1. Whoomp! (There it Is) - 2. Instrumental Version" "Side 2: 1. Whoomp! (There it Is) - 2. Instrumental Version" it's almost some passive-aggressive insult to print the same material on sides 1&2. i would have preferred side 2 to have said "It's a single, dumbass! We're Garbage Musicians! What do you expect from us?" that would have at least been honest.
alas, i didn't get my grunge fix from my grand aunt's tapedeck, but she certainly gave me an important apparatus for nostalgia navigation.
thanks aunt tomie.
