Grapes of Wrath ~ You May Be Right
(written: 29 February 2004)
Every so often you are going through a mouldy box in your mind, and some spiritual arm pulls out an old toy that you had forgotten, or an old shirt you thought your brother's wife stole after nursing your nephew and leaking all over her own. And when this thing you thought was lost, if found once again, you wrap it around your self, and hope it never leaves once more... or at least bury it in the yard for future chewing.
Canadian music critics like to say that x-band is Canada's version of y-American band. For instance, I Mother Earth, was to be Canada's P**rl J*m. I feel that the Grapes Of Wrath are Canada's REM. At least 80s-era REM. They have the right hooks, and the right mix of jangle, folk, pop, rock, and oncoming pill popping.
This is a band that I doubt either me or my brothers have a CD of. It's totally cassette material, and save for this one glitchy mp3, The GRapes Of Wrath are lost to me, unless Alan Cross is feeling adventurous.
Polaroid: 1992. Three of us going to see 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', on the night of the groovy Catholic school dance, my first date with estranged best friend Mike. Antoni's mom's car piled with the usual rubbish, us all mildly self-conscious about what we may be missing, but quietly proud that we're being different, and this song comes on the radio. We may be right.
And another: A blurry video on Muchmusic, a band member that looks like Pauly Shore at the time. A song pleasing to my ears, and certainly pleasing to my eyes, because Kyle liked it too, and it was hence, cool.
That's about all I have. But then one day, maybe a week ago, I was sitting here, likely having a tiresome MSN convo, when I typed to someone 'you may be right', and like some key to a secret door in my memory banks, bars of music and spotty lyrics flooded that area of my head where songs get stuck. You know the place; Pink and Collective Soul have a timeshare there.
"so don't ask what's wrong, i'll tell you all the same things again..."
I guess I am at that age where a song I thought I left behind a decade ago reminds me of a simpler time. Whereas I can throw on Use Your Illusion II, and not feel like a total nostalgic retard, because people still talk about Guns N' Roses, and Damon still plays them on the drive home.
No one talks about The Grapes Of Wrath anymore, and that is why this song feels so special right now. Because it's as if I'm the only one who remembers it... it is mine.
photo by kam