Soundtrack of my life

the music that shapes us

Soundtrack of My Life
Gregg MartinezIII and Darius Norman

- Gregg MartinezIII
There is no doubt that music defines the times. Looking back though, it seems that the time of the music which influenced me was rarely the music of the time. If that makes any sense…As a kid, I grew up listening to 60’s and 70’s music. The poetry of Bob Dylan made me want to be a writer. If you read 46forum often, you’ll see that I reference his music often. “Like a Rolling Stone” is a story and a poem that influenced much of what and how I became. As I became a young man, I realized that my appeal to young ladies was in my confidence. I saw much mayhem in my person. I was torn between adolescence and adulthood, but had an arrogance and confidence. I was mimicking one Jim Morrison. “Riders on the Storm”, “People Are Strange”, were anthems that seemed to be playing when I entered a room.  Though I was cocky, arrogant and reckless, I needed the words of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and even Ringo Starr. “Help”, “Hey Jude”, “Eleanor Rigby” and “All You Need is Love” were keeping me humble in the ways that feeling do.
The romantic inside me though gave me many opportunities to be soft. The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and “Pictures of You”, to this day, make me fall in love. Needless to say, “Love Song” does too. Ah Ha’s “Take on Me”, is up there and is to this day, the coolest video ever made. And when Friday night comes, R. Kelly’s “Ignition” is on the list, no doubt. Weezer has to be on this side of the list also (this is a 3 CD set). Song’s like “Buddy Holly”, “Holliday”, and “Island in the Sun”, are often in my head and they tend to bring out the nice in me.
With the balance of life though, nice is not always me. Marylin Manson’s “Tunicate” is an anger that feels so raw, it sooths. Tupac’s “Hit em Up”, is great aggression as well as are; Offspring’s “Keep em Seperated”, Eminem’s “I’m Sorry Mama”, and “Haley’s Song”, which is a wonderful song that is positive and powerful.
As I look at my own life in a movie sequence, I see some of the moments as epic battles. In those moments, Ritchie Valens “Sleepwalk” and Sid Vicious, “I Did it My Way” are the songs that would most express me. The prior has no words, which is perfect as I write these.

-Darius Norman
We are all living our own personal movies, and every movie is different. Every great movie has a memorable sound track that links music with the emotions portrayed on screen. So i pose this question, if your life was a movie, what songs are on the sound track. If my life was a movie Rock Box by Run DMC would play with the opening credits. As I begin childhood Mona Lisa by Slick Rick would play. Followed by Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos by Public Enemy to show the transition from a young child to a pre-teen. Then N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton would play to show the transformation to a more aggressive period of being a young teen causing trouble. Basketball by Kurtis Blow would have to play while I pursue my hoop dreams during the teen years.Electric Relaxation by A Tribe Called Quest would show my blossoming interest in women, my trials and tribulations with the opposite sex. The song for my introduction into college party life is Lithium by Nirvana, because I partied hard. Followed by Jungle Love by Morris Day and the Time this song really captures how I felt in my mid twenties. Every good movie has ups and downs, so the song for when the hero fails is Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. All good heroes rise up after being knocked down, so cue up the theme from Rocky. The song for my last great battle against the bad guys is I Wanna Rock by Twisted Sister, after my victory Beyond the Sea the Frank Sinatra version, roll credits. What is your sound track sound like?

Author's Note

might be some grammar errors