Freaks and drunks – Halloween in Seattle

Last night was an interesting evening, being Halloween the freaks and drunks were out in force in Seattle. Lots of first class people watching. A group of us ended up at the Comet Tavern for some good live music, it’s the first time I’ve been there and it’s a perfect music/dive bar and hearing Bob Dylan played by a cover band dressed as Kiss is quite the way to spend the evening.

Before the club we went to dinner, conversation turned to where parts of our personality come from. I know exactly the two moments where my love of loud, metal and hard rock comes from. First was Status Quo Live at the NEC on the BBC (I’ve talked about this before, click here if you are interested). Second was school friend of mine, Angus (real name Keith, but lets face it not nearly as cool), lending me a cassette of Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast Album” in 1983. I listened to it, said “that’s fucking awesome”, Angus said “yes I know” and 27 years later a significant part of my taste in music is still rooted in that moment.

It’s quite a moment to look back on, that someone knows you well enough to sit you down, say “you are going to like this” and not only be right, but be an influence for decades to come.

The music I listen to, the art I buy for the wall, movies I love and so on, they are all rooted in a moment when someone shares something they were passionate about. Add all these moments together and you define a lot about whom we are, how we evolve as we grow up and whom we get on with, it was a fun evening.

I’m coming to get a couple of things about this final bit, the “who we get on with” part. How many of those first conversations when you meet someone new revolve around music, football teams, movies, museums or one of those pieces of culture that move us in some way?

You take the content of these brief discussions, sometimes it’s just a moment or two, put them together and decide whether you want to continue getting to know this person.

Last night over dinner there was a talk about favourite movies. Someone answered “Ghostbusters”… WTF… OK, it’s Halloween, but really Ghostbusters?

She could have said The Godfather, perhaps Star Wars, Fight Club, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, or even something like The Matrix or Forest Gump and it would still be acceptable. The conversation could carry on and perhaps we’d discover we both like the art of Lichtenstein, the guitar work of Gary Moore or maybe the way the Bloody Mary’s in T4 at Heathrow are mixed.

There are so many movies to choose from as a personal favourite, but Ghostbusters… Really, it’s a medium with a rich history and out of the thousands upon thousands of movies made that’s the one you like the most?