So, to start off, today´s post has a soundtrack. For the best experience, do not use headphones and turn the volume up. Youtube has the links to these albums, or otherwise pull them out of your own collection.
First off, Cheap Trick - Dream Police
Second up, The Old 97s - Fight Songs
Third, Funland - Funland Band
And then, back to Cheap Trick for a final song on the set list - Surrender
When "Dream Police" came out, I was starting to actively listen to music, but buying records was kind of out of my budget. My allowance was on the very low side, and I was still playing with matchbox and hot wheels cars; all my money went for them. This was a time when 5 dollars was a really big deal for me, a 9 year old. An album cost around 9 or 10 dollars back then. In my world, a double big deal.
The reason Cheap Trick is involved in the post today is because a friend of mine who I regularly trade music tips with sent me a link to their latest single, which came out this past January. I had no idea that the band were still active; I had not listened to them in probably 35 years, though I do enjoy the odd cover from time to time.
When T sent me the link to the latest single, I immediately thought about the Dream Police album, and remembered the price tag staring at me from the record sleeve. Way out of my price range at that time.
As I listened to the old album, I thought about how I calculate things and my ways of measuring, then and now. It all related to value, and to some extent, my values.
During those brief years when I was buying records, between the ages of 10 and 12 or 13, I was always reluctant to hand over 10 bucks for an album where I only liked one or two songs. I could not justify spending so much money. The average LP had 4, maybe 5 songs per side. If I only liked 2 songs and paid 10 bucks, the record cost me 5 bucks per song. In my world, that did not add up.
Let us not forget my age at the time. I was still measuring the days before Christmas, a birthday, or an upcoming vacation (from vacation) by counting the number of "sleeps" remaining. (On the 23rd of December, for example, there were 2 more sleeps before Christmas). Also at this time, I attended a silent auction at our church and managed to get a basketball, which I had been wanting. My father quietly came up to me and, with only a hint of disappointment in his voice, showed me that my winning bid was 3 dollars more than the retail value of the basketball itself. That was a valuable lesson.
Later on in the driveway as I shot baskets with my new ball, I realized that I still really wanted the ball, but struggled to compute the additional money I had given for it. That money might have gone for another matchbox car or something. I would just have to pay more attention in the future.
For the next years, money burned a hole in my pocket, and my parents regularly reminded me of this. Most of my money went for music, cassettes, then CDs, then, after I was out of college, for shows, more CDs, and beer.
It is no surprise that was I heavily in debt by my early 20s, and that took the rest of the decade before I got that under control. That being said, it was a time when I absolutely did what I wanted to do. A couple of things worked in my favor in those days. First, I was employed. I was not earning a lot, but I was earning, and my living expenses were not huge. Second, everyone else at the time was in the same boat. We were all struggling financially, but because everyone was trying to keep the costs down, the average show cost 5 or 6 bucks at the door, and bottles of beer at the show were maybe 2 or 3 bucks. I was drinking premium beers, already running 4 or 5 bucks, but well worth it.
If you did it right, a night at the rock club might cost 20-25 bucks. My issue was that I was at the rock club a few times a week, and on those days when I was not at the club, I was at the pub. Thus, my cash outflow was several hundred dollars per month.
And it was worth it.
Among others, I became a huge follower of Funland, which was the current band of a guy who I had first seen play when I started going to concerts back in high school. The music scene was pretty great, and the musicians were just as broke as we were. I regularly went out with friends and colleagues from work, and one coworker took me to see the Old 97s, her favorite. The Old 97s were just as active on the scene as Funland, sometimes sharing a double bill. They always played the local festivals, and just about every weekend, and sometimes even during the week. I tried to see all of the shows. If no else wanted to go (because of finances or some other obligation), I went on my own. The music was too important. Why let being in the red stand in my way?
Back then, I approached it as a cash flow issue. I did not bother to count the number of beers so much as counted how much money I would probably spend during the evening. Of course, I forgot about things like paying for parking (when we could not find a deserted alley or lot) or the late night runs to some breakfast place for a bit more hoopla after the show.
Time was all about waiting for the next show. (Only 3 more sleeps until they play again!) Or visiting the pub, which was not lost time, but time well spent.
1996 marked the first season of major league soccer, and Dallas had a team. Those of us who were playing, or were fans, or at least fans of going out to the ball game quickly decided to go to all the home games. We calculated the distance from the pub to the stadium, which amounted to about 15 minutes if you took the back streets. Because we knew the area so well, we had tricks for parking and speedy coming and going. In short, it was not out of the question for us to be sitting in the pub at 7.05 on an evening, then speed over and be in our seats for the 7.30 kickoff. In 25 minutes we got to the stadium, bought tickets (which were ridiculously inexpensive in comparison to professional basketball or American football), got beers at the concession stand, and got to our seats.
By now, you should have finished with DP, and are possibly half way through Fight Songs. Try and keep up.
As the MLS season was coming to an end, I moved to the Boston area, kind of abruptly. One of the shocks I had (besides simply up and leaving Dallas) was the cost of an apartment in Massachusetts. I have told this story countless times, but basically, what I paid for in rent from 1996-1998 for a studio apartment is almost identical to what I am paying today in Frankfurt. I will come back to that significant point in a minute.
I applied a similar approach to measuring my costs, but suddenly everything was more expensive, and further away. For the next two years, I needed 17 minutes from my apartment to get to Central Square (only breaking one or two speed limits), find parking, and get to the pub, only to have to pay a couple of extra bucks per pint.
Actually, the x factor was finding parking. I had no real issue driving further to get to club or a pub. Hell, going to the MLS game was a trip to Foxboro, which was about 45 minutes away from Boston (with traffic...days). But I loved it all. Regarding parking, having to actually pay for it in Boston was a bit irritating, but not as irritating as trying to find a vacant spot in the first place.
I learned to prepare and plan ahead, sometimes leaving 3 hours early before the start of a show, just so I could make sure I had a parking spot. This had a knock on effect, as I frequently found myself having beers at the bar while the staff were still arriving for the evening shift; the soundchecks had not even started yet.
This all took a little hit on my finances. The costs of a night out increased, as did the beer intake.
But the shows continued to be relatively inexpensive (thanks to Boston having a lot of students living on the edge), especially if it was a local show.
I can claim a small piece of trivia, as I was the one Texan (as far as I remember) in the club the night the Old 97s came to play. That was a wonderful night, and I got to share a beer or two with the band, who were grateful for an appreciative fan. They were not quite yet the stars that they would soon become.
This is where I explain that, in response to the Cheap Trick single my buddy shared with me, I responded with the Funland album, making a comparison that Funland played pretty lively shows. As he was checking them out, he came across the Old 97s (which happens when you do a search on YT...all the suggestions pop up) and asked me about them. Of course, I got to retell all the stories of driving to Denton late at night to see them play a headline show, or just think about "Big Brown Eyes."
Sadly, while I was in Boston, Funland came to the end of their run. I was so sorry to miss their final show in Dallas. That was an era for me that is defined by the name of the band. It was all fun, and totally worth the price of admission to the funpark, despite the amount of debt I was in.
That was not the perfect time to have to replace the brakes and the air conditioning on my Volkswagen. No one ever remembers how much repairs might cost when they purchase an automobile, or a computer, or a mobile, come to that. But I did what I had to do, and made note of what not to forget in the future.
Ultimately, after replacing the air conditioning on my car twice more in the next 7 years (Texas summers, eh?) I resolved the issue by moving out of the country. For computer and phone repair, I indirectly avoided those costs by going to work in the industry, but it does not escape me that for the last 25 years as I have been working in repair logistics, I have never experienced a computer or mobile failure, self induced or not. Though for the 25th time, I almost spilled a cappuccino on my laptop as I write this.
Here in the present, I do still count sleeps before some significant upcoming event, but perhaps not so much as before. Last week, I spent 20 euro watching one Arsenal match (only one match this month) and felt like I overpaid. I think I am still spending 20 euro a month on a gym membership that I have not used in probably two years. I remind myself that this is perfectly fine as I do my exercises in my living room; I know too many people that hold a membership but never work out, which is not my case.
In a minute, I am going to pay some bills. My living costs are not too terribly different from 25 years ago (give or take an internet connection), but thanks to a salary that is considerably higher, I never really think too much about it. I got myself out of debt 20 years ago, and do a fair job of keeping my expenses realistic. My annual Bahn card has just been renewed, but I only need four trips for it to pay for itself. Last year was a little "knapp," but my trips to Sömmerda at the start of the year more than covered those costs. It is certainly better than having to plan for gasoline and a brake job.
Besides the Bahn card, I need to pay the dentist, and the AMEX bill, which was a little higher this month due to some online purchases that I needed (but cannot exactly remember). And, in a few days, I will receive the cleaning products that I ordered after the party last week. I probably will have enough stuff to last me a year, so the outlay will be covered during the upcoming months.
My inventory and consumption management tends to be calculated in similar fashion, using hours, days and months. I am drinking a lot of water these days, with a targeted amount of maybe 4 liters consumed each day. I try not to count the trips down the hall, but sometimes use it as a gauge. In fact, I will just step away for a minute while you check progress on where you are with the Funland album; should be on the second half by now, unless you have rewound to listen to a couple of songs a second time. (I know, right? Really good stuff)
I am back, and will start wrapping things up. The water consumption is the right thing to do, and I am proud of the accomplishment. In contrast, my beer consumption amounts to about half a beer per month for the past 6 months. That is a far cry from 25 years ago, when I probably had 3 beers before the first set was completed at a show.
Times change, and sometimes our values change, too. My decisions and my economics are mine. I think of all the times I paid a small cover charge to see a show, and came away thinking, that was fantastic. Years later I paid 150 or so to see the Who play, and that was also an incredible experience, albeit a hell of a lot more expensive.
I once paid a premium to see an Arsenal match at Highbury, and while I was fortunate to be financially able to do it, I would probably have paid even more, had it been necessary. It was so worth it.
But in the same breath, I am always quick to stand up against selling out, which is precisely what happened with the poor decision makers who thought a super league would be such a good idea. Why establish an elite league only for financial gain? Without giving a thought or consideration to the people who actually value the sport.
The issue has already been resolved, though the fall out will linger. I won't comment any further on the matter; I am just glad that the fans were heard.
But it was certainly on my mind as I thought about the value of things, and how I calculate life.
If memory serves me correctly, Funland played a cover of the Cheap Trick song from time to time. Sadly, I cannot confirm this, and I do not even think I have a recording of it. But I can see it, and I can hear it.
"Surrender, but don't give yourself away...we're all all right."
We're all all right.
see you out there
bryan
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