It’s 1:51 a.m. on Friday night, and I’ve been chilling for a while, trying to relax. I watched Cardi B’s Bodak Yellow video on YouTube on my TV, and then I watched Bartender by T. Pain. But I was still stressing.
Because I’ve been working really hard on building my website, genxchronicle.com. We cover news, culture and lifestyle through a generation X lens. I’ve also just published two children’s books on Amazon Kindle about life with my shy yet warming up cat Copper.
But most importantly, on the positive side, I wrote about ten pages of a key chapter of the memoir I’ve been working on for the past six months. It’s about some of the cool places I’ve lived, such as Japan and Indonesia, and some of the interesting places I’ve worked, such as at the United Nations and for the South Korean government. The theme of Generation X is interwoven throughout the narrative. I have dreams of hitting it big with this memoir, but it’s a long shot, so I’ll just keep writing and let the chips fall where they may.
The cool thing is, some new stuff has happened since I was stressing out watching videos. I had a few whiskeys, I took a hit of herb, and I started to chill out a little. And most importantly, I decided to turn the TV off.
So I popped on “Rock You Like A Hurricane” by the Scorpions on my Google Home, and it really gave me both an adrenaline and confidence boost. Because these guys were a German band, singing in English, and they just let it freakin rip. Could there be a more American anthem than: “Here I am, rock you like a hurricane!”
It’s just 100% confidence. So I like this song a lot, and it buoys my mood.
The next song that came on the Google Home was Keep The Faith by Bon Jovi. Google Home works just like Pandora or Spotify. You tell it to play a song, and it follows that up with similar songs.
The thing is, I really wasn’t feeling Keep The Faith. I mean I love Bon Jovie, but this song is from 1992, which is several years past their heyday, and I just didn’t like some of their later stuff. On the other hand, Blaze of Glory, just two years earlier in 1990, is an incredibly dope song. So somewhere between 1990 and 1992 they had a big dropoff. But whatever, they’re still a great band, they’re New Jersey royalty, and they’re honorary New Yorkers.
The next song on the Google Home is Outbound Train by Ryan Adams. I’ve never heard it before, but I know Ryan Adams, and I like him. About ten years ago I dated a super hot chick from the South who liked Ryan Adams, and through her I came to dig him too. It’s a really good song, and I groove to the drums and guitar chords. His voice is strong but plain, like he’s a salt of the earth midwesterner. In point of fact, though, he’s from North Carolina, but that might as well be Ohio or Michigan.
There’s another thing I remember about Ryan Adams, from when I dated the hot Southern chick. Jessica was her name. What I remember is that he does an incredible cover version of “Run to You,” by Bryan Adams, from 1984. Except his version is from 2002.
So I pop the video on YouTube, and man, is it cool. Ryan is in a small concert venue. The video is from The Arlington Theater in California, from 2014. He does an incredible version of Bryan Adams’ classic “Run to You,” and the audacity of Ryan Adams covering Bryan Adams is just stupendous.
Another interesting thing is that he has a large American flag hanging behind him on the stage. But instead of the 50 stars in the top left corner, representing the 50 states, there’s a peace sign. Yup. Just like from the 60’s. And I find that incredibly inspiring and great.
I don’t know if he’s making a statement against US involvement in the Iraq War, which has wound down considerably in the past couple years, or US involvement in Afghanistan, which remains a thorny hotspot, or just a general protest against US imperialism and militarism.
Or maybe, more likely, he just wants peace in the world, and he’s using his celebrity and his platform at the Arlington Theater to let the world know the importance of peace. Which is pretty damn cool. So Ryan Adams is good in my book, and he has a lifetime pass to my temple of cool folks.
It’s now 2:33 a.m., and I decide to wind down for the night. I ordered a Cuban sandwich from 31st Avenue Stop Deli in Astoria a little while ago. They’re a Mexican-run deli, and they have both Mexican and American food. I haven’t tried the Mexican food yet, but they make good sandwiches, and that’s all I’ve wanted from them so far, because I have my go-to Mexican joints already.
I’m taking a bit of a risk ordering a Cuban sandwich though, because that’s really a Cuba and especially Miami thing. So what do Mexicans know about making a Cuban sandwich? But the formula is so simple, I figure how can they mess it up? I mean it’s just ham, pork, swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on a buttered hero roll. How hard can it be?
The sandwich is on the way, and Ryan Adams is coming in hard on my Google Home speakers with “If I Am A Stranger.”
I’ve finished my genxchronicle.com posts for the night, and it’s time to kick back and relax.
All in all, it was a good, productive night. And now, like all humans need to do, we unwind, we do as the Bible says, and we eat, drink, and be merry.
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