It's not easy for me to keep a positive outlook through the winter. With ten hours of daylight each day and the majority of those spent inside in front of a computer. Beside creating my own music, I search for ways to keep my mind entertained after I bike home in the dark with eyes seemingly fixed to the illuminated area of my headlight, hoping deer are not suddenly going to appear in it.
This time around I didn't have to search too hard, a book and DVD found their way to me. My girlfriend's sister gave me Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne, one of the members of the music group Talking Heads. Who knew Byrne is an avid cyclist? Not me, I just thought he wrote awesome songs like "Psycho Killer" and "Born Under Punches". But according to his book, he chose cycling as a way to get around NYC in the '80s and hasn't stopped pedaling since.
Byrne also discovered folding bikes and has taken one with him wherever his music or art show touring schedule has taken him. Bicycle Diaries chronicles his observations of the cities, the culture, infrastructure, and whatever else popped into his mind at that moment the pen was in his hand as he wrote in a journal.
It's an amazing read that really hits home, especially if you've been to any of the places he cycles through. His observations in Columbus Ohio, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans struck a chord with me because I have either lived in those cities or spent considerable time there myself and could visualize the location, infrastructure and the mentality of the people described.
From those locations he moves on to Berlin, one of my favorite cities, and more exotic locations like Istanbul, where a night of belly dancers, liquor and music precede pedaling through the streets. The chapter on Buenos Aires is my favorite and really puts the imagination to work. Byrne's words just make me want to travel, ride and engage diverse cultures, but nothing melts the winter blues like hot, white noise and straight forward lyrics.
For that I turned to "End of the Century" the story of the Ramones. This DVD will light a fire under anyone's ass with the raw power of crunchy guitars and simple lyrics song powerful in their own harmony. From Queens and CBGB to Death and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this documentary is crazy inspirational. It reaffirms in your mind what you thought about as a child and hopefully still consider to be true—anything is possible, regardless of looks, talent, or upbringing. And it does so in the most basic way. With stripped down music and basic chords. I just wish it had more and longer sections of live footage. Guess that's how the Ramones built their following, leave you wanting more.
