Mixology: Dig Them Groovy Soundz

Mixology is a recurring feature in which I take a look at one of the many mix tapes I made over the years. Some are better than others, but all of them are fun to revisit.

Dig Them Groovy Soundz (4/23/94)

If you've followed this series, you may remember me writing about how '93 was a lousy year for me. Well, things turned around pretty much 180 degrees in '94. When this tape was made, I had just moved back to Beverly with cool roommates, switched back to a job with normal hours and just plain started having fun again. Life should not be a miserable experience for a 26-year-old. It shouldn't be miserable for anyone of any age, but when you're young and not tied down, you should not be moping around like I did most of the previous year. I ended up adopting one of the songs on this tape, "No Excuses" by Alice in Chains, as my personal mantra because I was sick of the pissy attitude I had been carrying around.

One guy who took the moping to an extreme was Kurt Cobain, who ended up blowing his brains out earlier in April '94 at the age of 27. It was a pretty stunning moment for the so-called Generation X, but not surprising. The guy was obviously depressed and had been struggling with a heroin addiction for some time. It was inevitable, really. My brother and I saw Nirvana on their last tour in Springfield, Mass. It was the only time I ever saw them, even though they came through Boston a zillion times during their club days; I even went to a WFNX Landsdowne Street event they played at, but was in a different club that night. After his death, I was bummed but I didn't burn incense or despair for mankind. It was sad, but he wasn't the first to commit suicide and certainly wasn't the last.

It was a great time for concertgoing, personally. My little brother and I caught a ton of shows that spring, including the Afghan Whigs, Redd Kross, the Rollins Band, Cracker and the Meat Puppets, Pearl Jam, Thurston Moore and Pavement. The period of '93-'94 was probably the most time we spent together as adults. He ended up moving down to Austin in August, so we've been a time zone apart for the last 16 years. But we saw a lot of good rock shows back in the day.

In addition to working at the newspaper, I was also working on the weekends at the Beverly Y as a Nautilus instructor. It was a pretty easy gig, except when I was hung over. But it paid for my gym membership and eventually led to me meeting my future wife a few years later, so I'd say the job was well worth it.

Side A:
Debonair - The Afghan Whigs
Let Me Drown - Soundgarden
Liar - Rollins Band
Verse Chorus Verse (aka Sappy) - Nirvana
Lolita - Paw
Rats - Pearl Jam
I am One - Smashing Pumpkins
Backwater - Meat Puppets
No Excuses - Alice in Chains
After School Special - Redd Kross
Hit the Plane Down - Pavement
Money - Backbeat Band

Side B:
Fell on Black Days - Soundgarden
Be Sweet - Afghan Whigs
Burn and Shine - Posies
Cut Your Hair - Pavement
My Science Fiction Twin - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Borracho - Mark Lanegan
Never to be Found - Meat Puppets
Human Behavior - King's X
In 'n Out of Grace - Mudhoney
Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun - Anthrax
Animal - Pearl Jam



No excuses:


Sappy: