Will It Take Strength To Be Gentle & Kind? – The Smiths Project – Day XVII
Day XVII
As the increased gaps between these randomly interspaced pseudo interviews would indicate, my fervor for approaching each day as a unique part of an overall project has decreased. The possibilities for this lack of enthusiasm can be neatly divided into three broad categories: distaste, complacency and acceptance. Although I can admit that there have been distinct moments during the past week that file neatly under the first category, I can earnestly admit that I have settled into acceptance in order to ward off any desire to give up. My mettle is up against its most impressive foe this coming week, an anticipated toiling task that wears on my mind. Explanation to follow.
Is there anything you’d like to begin with to help isolate your particular mindset today?:
I have accepted normalcy in regard to my personal soundtrack in the midst of great upheaval in many other aspects of my life. In a way, The Smiths have become an island of solidarity amidst this annual tide of change that washes across the cluttered beaches of my daily routine. Are they also responsible for overly dramatic marine metaphors? Perhaps.
My resolve has not wavered as it appears I have skipped through any stages of frustration and settled upon having only one choice of artist as a way of being as undebatable as my reliance on caffeine and chewing gum.
Today however, I sit perched on the edge of this beach, staring out into an eddy brewing mere yards away from my relative safety. Although I have certainly become fully enveloped in The Smiths, my next week will force me to dive headfirst into this whirlpool that will begin to spin with more viciousness. My daily time spent with Morriessey and Marr will at least treble, if not quadruple due to my requirements to spend 80% of my work day alone with stacks of paper to assess and fret over. I have faith in my ability to remain functional but as I am booted from the sand, I will certainly need strength to tackle the hardly gentle or kind waves that will envelope me.
At this point in the month, what aspect of this project irks you the most:
By far the most challenging aspect of the project hasn’t been The Smiths. By agreeing (with myself) to embark on this journey I left both the vast variety of my musical catalog as well as numerous, greatly anticipated new releases on the shores behind me. At many points during the past two and half weeks I have yearned to hear a certain voice, to sing along with a particularly infectious chorus or to tap in rhythm to a well known beat. However, by far the worst experience I have voided myself capable of is new music. Have I heard the new Vampire Weekend? No. Have I heard the new Spoon? No. Have I heard the new Owen Pallett? No. Have I heard my old Superchunk records calling out to me? Yes. Have I heard Morrissey’s voice begin to replace my own thoughts? Yes. Please stop.
Obviously you are now relatively well versed in The Smiths’ catalog. Have there been any surprises?:
Previously, as only a very, very casual fan (think less than t-shirt and jeans, more like moth-bitten sweatpants and a XXXL hoodie with paint stains), what I knew of The Smiths‘ style was limited to singles like Cemetery Gates and How Soon is Now?, which although different in tone and mood, certainly fit within a similar genre. After gleaning some knowledge from the entire catalog, I am impressed by the diversity. In particular, the rockabilly has surprised me. I absolutely adore Vicar in a Tutu for it’s melding of a backbeat and song structure so typically raunchy with guitar work and vocals so completely Smiths. I would have never previously related The Smiths to toe-tappin’ knee slappers.
What Smiths have you found yourself listening to most often?
My torrid affair with The Queen is Dead appears to have puttered out. As they possess a limited number of tracks in total yet an absurdly large amount of compilations, I’ve learned that if I want to find standouts like There Is a Light That Never Goes Out or The Boy With a Thorn in His Side without the drudgery of I Know It’s Over and Never Had No One Ever, I can play The World Won’t Listen. I’ve also really come to love Hatful of Hollow as a collection, though the later half is a little weak.
Despite the strength of the self titled record and The Queen is Dead and unlike most artists I listen to, I see The Smiths as a singles band. It’s different for me to crave a few songs here and there rather than an entire record. Chiding those with iPods comprised of only a few tracks per album use to be a landmark of my cynical snobbery. This may change.
Do you feel the Smiths affected your general mood today?
No. At this point of the project, listening to The Smiths is like breathing, breathing heavy, chesty breaths while contemplating my own happiness and looking down into my increasingly empty glass. Acceptance of an unvarying soundtrack is more bleak than The Smiths could ever be. In all earnestness, I imagine this feeling would set in around the half way mark of listening to any band, even Cub.
On a scale of 1 to 10 Morrissey in Peaceful Ecstasy faces, with 1 being catatonically bed ridden and 10 being elated, how did your Smiths listening experience make you feel today?
Using what we have been blessed with, use Google Images to find a seemingly unrelated random picture to describe your over all mood after listening to the Smiths all day:
The Smiths Project – The Explanation
