Music and travel – Backstreet Boys, Joni Mitchell, REM…
For Paul Chai, music and travel are inseparable. A photo might trigger a memory, he writes, but the right song will trigger a feeling.
Hurts So Good by John Mellencamp
SJ Rowland Sandwich factory, Auckland, 1995We had headaches from the overhead lighting, sore backs from leaning over the tables, and we were bored, bad tempered and depressed. There was one compensation, though: we could listen to the radio.
The Suburbs by Arcade Fire. Story by Nick Gadd.
Nick Gadd Sunday afternoon, Altona, September 2015We tape the L-plates to the windscreen and back window. Gen eases her way into the driver’s seat . I give instructions, trying to invest my voice with the gravitas of an airline pilot, more to calm my own nerves than hers.
WATERLOO SUNSET by THE KINKS Story by Rick Kane
Rick Kane Northcote, Australia July 2015 London July 2010Vicki and I scan the north side of the river, trying to imagine what window of what flat Ray Davies peered out to look at people swarming like flies down below. Is he looking at us now?
Space Oddity performed by Chris Hadfield. Story by David Oke.
David Oke Classroom, Footscray, 2014Of course my class didn’t know about David Bowie. They were more interested in One Direction and Five Seconds of Summer. One student claimed that his dad liked Bowie.
TEAM by LORDE Story by Jesse Maskell
Jesse Maskell Kansas on the I-70, June 2015Lorde curls sentimental melodies for forlorn city kids everywhere. I’m high on the sight-binge of famous boring Kansas.
Radio Ga Ga by Queen. Story by Kath Presdee
Kath Presdee St John Bosco High School, Engadine; Terms 1 and 2, 1985For kids who were tentatively discovering their musical pathways it was a revelation. We can sing songs on the radio in choir?
Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley/Spinal Tap
David Oke Graceland, Memphis, December 2013Before entering the Graceland tour I explained to my sons that we were about to enter holy ground, that there are people here who worship Elvis. “In other words,” I said, “Show some respect.”
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Story by David Oke
David Oke Geelong, and Point Lonsdale Caravan Park, 1974Mum thought that Funeral For A Friend sounded a bit like a Bach chorale. I was careful to not play Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting too loudly.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me by The Mamas and The Papas
When I sang, it was if he flipped the switch of his purring motor to a low level so he could listen to the words properly.