In My Room

November 12, 2021

Lately I’ve been thinking back on the years when I would sit downstairs in my room in Evansville (roughly ages 14-18) and absorb everything I could get my hands on in non-fiction, literature, magazines, etc.

The house I grew up in was a 1960s split-level with three bedrooms upstairs and one down. That downstairs bedroom—which I inherited when my siblings left home between 1978-1986—was literally and figuratively cooler than the rest of the house, a bookshelf-lined subterranean fort separated from the routines happening above it.

From its groovy color scheme to the twin beds festooned with bolsters (making them couches, you see) to the Seventies wood paneling, the cave-like dwelling produced optimal sleeping conditions. It was downright cold during peak months of Midwestern winter but perfect for late-night media explorations.

I would fire up my beloved Pioneer SX-580 with HPM-60s (an audio Win if there ever was one) and sit for hours. Among the books I found myself returning to were The People’s Almanac (vols. 1 and 2) The Beatles Forever, Helter Skelter, The Once and Future King, Stephen King, and more. [I extended this discovery habit in college by including in my reading stuff like Jack Kerouac (The Dharma Bums), Siddhartha, Tom Wolfe, Zen and the Art, in addition to the Sunday NYT or Chicago Tribune. And I always had a paperback going on the side.]

From 8th grade on, I spent many nights doing homework with albums spinning. A couple random musical remembrances:

Early on, I listened mostly to the Beatles (all albums), Simon and Garfunkel, Steely Dan and James Taylor. Albums like JT, Gorilla, and Greatest Hits take me right back to vivid memories of homework and idle time. Perhaps the one album I associate most closely with this time is Supertramp’s Breakfast in America—a desert-island inclusion for sure.

Carole King, Tapestry – My older sister got this record when I was 6 or 7. Whenever any track comes on the radio or comes up in my iTunes mix, I know every word, every note. “Will You Still Love Me” on headphones – so great. “Beautiful” has a certain ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ quality to it that I never heard before today’s listen. Recorded when she was 28. Six stars out of five…An album every young person should know about, but I bet that very few people under the age of 45 are even aware of.

Photos: Pre-digital “media center”… Much to love here with books, records, magazines; Trivial Pursuit and Backgammon in the bottom right; turntable and receiver visible at far left; and, note the album holder atop it all (Hot Rocks is the LP) that I made in shop class. Got an “A.”

My desk, Christmas, 1983. On any random night, I might be doing homework here with a Coke and Doritos, listening to Steely Dan, while an NFL or college football game or HBO movie plays muted on the basement family room TV.

The very cool Chris Coudret, seated facing the desk, in likely his one and only visit to the bitchin’ downstairs man fort.

Chicago –  I already had at my fingertips all of my brother’s albums as well as my ever-growing collection. My brother’s local friend also lent him some LPs, and when he went off to a year overseas I ended up with a lot of the records in the downstairs lair. Chicagos II and III also were among them but I rarely played them (I played “Color My World” and “Make Me Smile,” but that was about it). Had forgotten that insanely great horns solo on “(I just Wanna Be) “Free.”  That entire song has a righteous Godspell fury to it. Makes me wanna run real fast barefoot, Daltrey-in-Tommy style. I have always been a big fan of CTA, one of the first LPs of my Ute. Here is the Early LPs Wade family list (albums on hand when I was about 7 or 8):

• Abbey Road
• Deja Vu
• Harvest
• The Monkees, More of The Monkees, Headquarters
• Mamas and Papas, If You Can Believes Eyes and Ears
• White Album
• Tapestry
• Chicago Transit Authority

Love Reign O’er Me – One of the greatest songs ever.  I still remember hearing it played very often, listening to the college FM station, WUEV. 

Hey Jude – I have missed this “album,” which was a favorite in the downstairs bedroom prior to bike-riding to the pool back in The Salad Days. A bit odd that it disappeared with the 2009 reissue… Wish the Beatles’ current legal team including attorneys Johan, Paolo, Yortak and David Boies, would put it out again on disk as it was — but what’s the point. Here’s a solid fan perspective of an LP I spun in the downstairs HQ approximately 258 times.

Blonde on Blonde – I read about it first in The People’s Almanac in this room; none of my friends had it so I had to pony up the cash and assume the risk. A wonderful record and it’s the only Dylan album I would actually want to put on and play from start to finish now. I am including this one because it really ties the room together.

Get The Knack – (This one was later.) How many times in the course of your life does a record stop you in your tracks like this halted me in mine? It came out roughly the first of August, 1979, the dog days prior to high school sophomore year. I bought and played it non-stop that first couple of days. “That’s What the Little Girls Do.” “Frustrated.” High energy, superb solos and hooks, amazing percussion, great lyrics. About a week later, I reported to preseason cross-country workouts at the school and several of my teammates were enthusiastic about the album. Rock critics ripped this record, and they had their reasons. They don’t get paid extra for being right — and they weren’t.

The Cars — The vastly underrated Eliot Easton on lead guitar would be enough. But then you have Greg Hawkes on keyboards. And Ric Ocasek. And Ben Orr. Wow. (Nothing against drummer David Robinson… but what a lineup!)

Back to the Man Fort: The crew would usually convene down here and the bedroom’s windows, situated conveniently mere inches above ground, would later aid in sneaking beer (and sometimes, friends) in and out.

Our basement also featured an expansive family room where, just ten steps from my bedroom, the TV played college and pro games often, when it wasn’t otherwise locked on to the all-new and amazing cable+HBO setup (I’ll eventually post about this life-altering arrival).

One summer during high school, my grandfather was visiting from Michigan. Guests always got the downstairs bedroom because it had twin beds. That weekend my friend Mark came by late night, and as was custom, knocked on the window. Grandad woke up with a start and yelled for him to, “Get the fuck out of here!”

Formative LPs: Using highly scientific processes, (guesstimated “elapsed time/number of plays” with a given record) I’d single out these as The Biggies from the basement HQ:

Abbey Road, Deja Vu, Harvest, White Album, Tapestry, CTA… and also:
Some Girls
Boston
A Night at the Opera
Rumours
Breakfast in America
The Cars – “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”… Eliot Easton’s solo, good god!!
Damn the Torpedos
Out of the Blue
Rubber Soul / Revolver
Blonde on Blonde
Marshall Crenshaw
Who’s Next