We go through life and, if we’re lucky enough, we get to experience a great many things.
At times and having reached a certain age, we might consider our lives to be reasonably complete: we’ve tasted such a wide variety of offerings, and at such volumes we feel at our limit for appreciation of the world’s wonders.
Then a fox digs a hole; a wind blows away some dirt; the position of the sun relative to our own course means a momentary reflection from a bit of ground is bright enough to leave a shadow on our retina; neurons and viscera interact; tiny hormone molecules land on their intended receptors creating a spark of just enough curiosity so that we head over and take a look.
Whatever the sequence of events, we stumble upon evidence of something ancient, but new to us. Maybe it has no value to most. For others, knowledge of its existence reveals a hole in a life that, to that moment, felt complete.
And that keeps us going (as in, living). It’s enough to remind us that ‘completion’ is not possible (until we are no longer living).
By establishing a cycle in which the last relic we stumbled across is a reminder that there are still more things out there.
If we get out of our comfort zone we increase our chances of exposure to ancient/new things, but sometimes they are literally delivered to us in bed.
Waking up this morning, I kept most of my body snug under the covers. My left arm reached for my phone and moved it in front of my face. An unread message from my brother contained a link, without comment. It led to a video of Devo and Neil Young performing “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)”.
On lead vocals and keyboards, Booji Boy reclined inside a baby’s crib. Towards the end of the nine minute video Neil Young violently rocks the crib and violates the knobs on Booji Boy’s keyboard. It’s an extraordinary piece of rock history. My mouth fixed into a massive smile, I absorbed everything the video had to offer.
(As a brief aside, I now wonder if it lent some inspiration to the Hard-Ons/Henry Rollins cover of “Let There Be Rock”.)
I was immediately compelled to find out more about this unexpected pairing. A quick search revealed an old/new cultural treasure to remind me that there is still so much more wonder that the world can provide me.
In 1978 Neil Young began a four-year collaboration with Dean Stockwell. They produced a film about the end of the world. Human Highway’s cast brings instant cult recognition: Stockwell and Young bring onboard Russ Tamblin, Dennis Hopper, Sally Kirkland and Charlotte Stewart.
I need to see this film. I do not expect it to be good but am sure it will at least be a curiosity worthy of me dedicating 88 minutes for the experience.
Of course, this discovery served as only the beginning of a new journey down a my own delightful Sunday morning internet K-Hole. I’ve been here for hours and would stay longer if Maggie (the beautiful tricolour dog) didn’t require some urgent interaction with the outside world.