Songs for Driving

Photo by UHGO on Pexels.com

Three typhoons in two weeks is no laughing matter. Five, if we include the tropical storms. And despite being constantly on Facebook for the latest weather bulletins and updates I found myself wondering the other day: “How come the last Typhoon was called Ulysses when the ones before them were Quinta and Rolly? What happened to S and T?” Our relatives in Bicol, they’re fine. Although we waited for three days after the storm before we heard from them. Nine out of ten houses were damaged. Crops most probably were, too. Food, shelter—some people needed to be evacuated. And the number of people needed to be rescued from the floods and those who couldn’t be saved, during and after the typhoon? Dispiriting to the say the least. And the criminal neglect? The lack of disaster preparedness? The slow response on the ground? And the gall to rant on someone who’s actually doing something? If that isn’t Evil, then I don’t know what is.

I put on Interpol’s Antics on the way to work today. The second track from which, is the song on the video above, with a cute/creepy marionette being attended to by medical workers. The song was said to be about serial killers Fred West and Rosemary West. In short, Evil. Oust the Evil, shall we? Three or four songs in, I had to skip the rest of the album. Not that I don’t like it. It’s just that songs that are gloomy and bleak isn’t really groovy while speeding at 100kph in the freeway. Maybe it has something to do with the mood the music conveys. So, I put on something else.

“While Frank Sinatra sings Stormy Weather / The flies and spiders get along together,” John McCrea sings on “Frank Sinatra”, opening song on Cake’s 1996 album Fashion Nugget. Well, driving while it’s raining is my second least favorite driving thing to do, escpecially on the expressway where most drivers always seems to be in a hurry. My least favorite driving thing to do? Driving while it’s raining. At night. Maybe I should put my glasses on. Or maybe I should get rid of the mask first. To avoid fogging.

On the lighter side, there’s Ely Buendia’s “Lutang”. I like the kind of imagery Buendia used in the lines “Ang mundo’y wala ng hila / At ako’y mananatiling lutang.” Which also reminds me of those funny ‘Lutang Moments’ compilation on Facebook. This is also the closest you can get to a new Eraserheads song. After the “1995”/”Sabado” CD that is. Because there aren’t any band these days that can be tagged with ‘sounds like’ Eraserheads. (Unlike in the early 00s when we had Sugarfree, OnL and Ciudad.) Even those bands included in that Pop Machine tribute, none of them sounds like ‘them’. Even Oh, Flamingo!, who covered “Julie Tearjerky”. And no, I still don’t think “Inconsistencies” sounds anything like Eheads. I don’t know what those kids were on. They were most probably high. High from smelling the debris from under somebody else’s toenails.

On an even lighter note, there’s Destroyer’s “Kaputt” with its “Wasting your days / Chasing some girls / Alright, chasing cocaine” opening lines. It’s from the album Kaputt, which I only started listening to the other day. It’s very relaxing, which is very important when you’re driving. I wouldn’t have discovered this song on YouTube if it wasn’t for the thumbnail. I’m not even sure I liked the song the first time I heard it. But I’m sure I liked the video the first time I saw it.

“She doesn’t care whether or not he’s an island / They laugh they make money / He’s got a gold watch / She’s got a silk dress and healthy breasts / That bounce on his Italian leather sofa.” Well, I don’t have an Italian leather sofa at home. But this song by Cake, is a constant reminder for the things I need to aspire to. Drives me to get up in the morning and get to the office on time. That I need to work hard. I need to get rich. And get a nice, comfy, Italian leather sofa. And get home early. Because, who wouldn’t wanna come home to that?