Loser Music

One guy looked like John Candy. Another looked like Jon Lovitz. A third looked like John Lennon, and a bit like one of the Marianist Brothers than ran my high school. The last was a cross between Nimoy, Lovett, and an illustrator I used to work with. If you guessed that I was referring to the Day Trippers, a Beatles tribute band, I'd be surprised at first, then assume you were in the same crowded bar where I spent my Friday evening.

Old coworkers had gathered for a happy hour reunion which even included people from out of state. One guy came all the way from Pennsylvania, and while it wasn't Rey, he did phone in during the shindig to rave about the latest Ultimates graphic novel. Our conversation went something like:

”I wanted to talk to you about it, but I didn't realize you were at that thing. I'll let you go man.”

“Yeah, yeah. So how AWESOME was that? How are they gonna make freaking Hawkeye so badass? His mainstream counterpart's been running around in a purple skirt since the ‘60s, and this guy is like Jack Bauer or Wolverine...and what about when...wait, I'm standing in a bar gushing about a comic book. Yeah, I'll talk to you later.”

So, it was good catching up with people, finding out how things were at the old company from survivors, and finding out where other people had landed after being let go. I met one dude who apparently freelanced at my old company, and who apparently freelanced at my current company about 20 years ago. As he rattled off names, it was interesting to learn that the majority of people were still there. It sounds like I landed in a solid environment.

Around 9:30, we started noticing the aforementioned band setting up. The bar didn't have the best layout, narrow with the band facing the bar and a camera, so you could also see them on a television at the end of the bar. All jokes aside about their appearance, I have to say they were a solid, albeit deafening, group of musicians, true to the band they were emulating. During their cover of I'm a Loser, one of my buddies observed how rock songs rarely sing about winners, at least not the popular ones. Rap is all about bragging. How many cars do you own? How many women? How much loot? But as I thought of rock lyrics--”I'm just a sucker with low self-esteem”; ”She ****ing hates me”; “”I'm still alive and do I deserve to be?”--I realized there might be something to that observation. We find comedy in losers, in thinking “Ha, glad that's not me! My life's not so bad!” I guess it's the same with music, and we can commiserate.

I think without creative outlets for expression, feelings can fester and gnaw at us. Music brings us together. It can make us sad or lift our spirits, but some music is simply truth. We can nod, identify with the situation described by the singer, and in doing so move past it. I can think of four talented guys who wouldn't be concerned if they'd heard a buzzed cloaked figure cracking wise about their quest to destroy the One Ring. I’m such a loser. :)