Memory lane, oh the drama . . .

My brother recently sent me a two-cd "Anthology" that compiles all of the crap recordings I made of myself playing guitar and singing in the early days. By crap recordings I mean "insert blank tape into boom box and press record." Or sometimes, when being really innovative, I would record multiple tracks by putting the first tape into my parent's stereo, pressing play, and then pressing record on the boombox that was strategically placed next to the stereo speaker. That would be how I got to harmonize with myself on some of the songs.

Needless to say, the recordings are laughable, as are many of the songs I wrote, some of which I honestly have no memory of. But there they are, preserved for future generations now. Oh the memories. Reliving my teenage and early college years, I had to face some hard truths, such as:
1) I had NO IDEA how to use a microphone (and sadly I still am not that great). All my dynamic variation makes for some serious screeching from time to time (which I tell myself was not my actual voice but the recording of said voice because I was too darn loud!!!)
2) I was a terrible guitar player (though I thankfully got better as the recordings got later in time).
3) Dramatic much? There was so much feeling in some of the songs with so much simultaneous vagueness. I believe this is what I thought passed for poetry in those days.

Still, there was something about a few of those songs. That pure, raw emotion of a self conscious/self-centered 17 or 18-year-old is kind of beautiful. Also, once we got into "Freshman Year" territory with the songs I got to relive all the incredible fun and drama that year was for me in my life. Oh how I loved that year. I could listen to songs and pinpoint, "Oh this is the one about my 'friend' who was really trying to 'steal' the guy that wasn't quite mine"-- ha ha ha. Or "this song is the only thing I got out of Anatomy class" (and unfortunately it's not that good). Or "this is my love song for that one Canadian guy who later got kicked out of school." So, today, as I had all those old songs swirling in my brain I had this idea. This wonderful, awful idea. Those songs, while a bit over-the-top for my taste today, might fit perfectly into . . . wait for it . . . a musical.

Would anyone want to watch a musical loosely based on my first year of college? Ha ha ha. I'll give you a little taste first. These are the lyrics (inspired by this, actually) that would introduce (and be sung by) the character that would be loosely based on me:

When I call into the night
I don't expect an answer
But I shout out anyway
To calm my nerves and let myself be heard by the stillness

Lifting my arms to the heavens
I offer up a question
And I decide that there may be
Something better . . . than just courteous gestures

Chorus:
And I feel as though I knew something once
That could impact all the silence that is felt
And sometimes I come so near to it that I smile
Because we become better in the end

I think I would either axe or change later verses. Anyway, this musical would have to be more than just the puppy love/friend betrayal dramaz/road trips/staying up all night with hours of conversation/festival of crappy grades that was my freshman year. You know, like throw in a murder mystery or something. Ya think?