Tuesday, September 14, 2010

I'm On Fire

You ever read a book or watched a movie or listened to a song that you wish would just keep going? Not keep going forever, but just last a little longer. Two more chapters, one more scene, thirty more seconds. Anything to keep it from being over right then.

For me it happens most often in music and it takes one of two forms. Either the song is slow and understated and you never understand how so much was conveyed in so short a time frame. You expect some epic ballad of Led Zepplin/Journey length that is five minutes minimum, but instead you have a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers sort of thing. Short and sweet and leaving you wanting another verse or two.
On the other hand, and more common, is an explosion of big sound that goes for the throat from the first beat and ends just as quick. Often with guitars being smashed and someone bleeding. Think the Ramones or Fight Like Apes; masters of delivering a severe musical beatdown in two and a half minutes that leaves you jonesing worse than a meth-head the day after rehab.

Maybe that's what makes those sort of things so great; they leave you wanting more. They never drag on or overstay their welcome. They show up, say what needs to be said and head for the door.
But maybe not. Maybe in a perfect world we get to keep the things we love and they never grow old. We never have to move away or break up or lose touch. We never come back to find that everything we knew is different and while we weren't looking the world went and spun around a few times on us.

Either way though the best thing about books and films and music is you can always rewind your favorite part, re-read your favorite book and set your iTunes to repeat.

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