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Re: Fall of 2004, Village Gorilla Head, alcohol and ex-girlfriends
Had a moment to spare, and haven't done much writing in a while, so decided to share some thoughts about the fall of 2004 when I was listening to Village Gorilla Head. A lot. Some quite personal, but works well in a community like this. It's stuff I think we've all gone thru one way or the other.
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The last part of 2004 was the craziest period I ever went through. Or, at least I think so. It might have been raddest, but it was also the darkest and most depressing of months. Between all the drinking and the heartbreaking, Tommy Stinson released a solo album called Village Gorilla Head. It's become a symbol a distinctive moment in time. As with millions of other people, having their music meaning something special, giving them a certain feeling, Village Gorilla Head will always stand out as the music that represented MY autumn of 2004.
My girlfriend had dumped my ass many months before, and I still wasn't over her by a long shot. I was never a man of much drinking before her, but I became one after. Never confronting her about it, but in full panic of being dumped within minutes, I went through her cell phone and read all her messages. I had never touched her cell phone before that, but everything was up in the air anyway. I had nothing to loose. For one extremely dedicated sorry piece of geek to read that your girlfriend is cheating on you is just wrong. Life shattered. Bang, bang, bang and goodbye. Tried getting over her, didn't manage it for a long time.
Between September and December 2004, I went from an almost non-drinker to a full-blown massive binge drinker during weekends. Like that wasn't enough, I decided to change my entire image. I grew my hair long, cut my pants up, and even decided to try and look like Nikki Sixx. I came undone. Not that my life and look as Nikki Sixx worked; It came out quite pathetic actually, but as for distancing myself between what I was before, and what I was about to become, it worked like a charm. I did hold a job though, but like everything else, it sucked. Most shit sucked except during the weekends. Those rocked. I think they did anyway, I don't really remember much of it.
As a 23 year old not very interested in drinking, I teamed up with a long-time friend just having turned 18. He had his own issues, and had just discovered alcohol. Regardless if we managed to get people over to drink or not, we had a party. If it was just the two of us, then why the fuck not drink anyway? We put on GNR live from Albany 2002 and by Madagascar we were singing like there was no tomorrow.
I tried hitting on girls, failing miserably. I got as far as movie dates. In fact, I never did crack that code. I concluded domestic girls were crap, developing a massive bitterness towards them. How is that for a cliche! Lessons to be learned!
I think we hit some kind of peak when I suddenly saw my mate whipping out his dick in a hotel room hallway and taking a piss all over the carpet. I mean, when you have turned 30, thinking back, how fucking dumb is that?
As Sundays came around, I usually brought my mate home and stopped by my parents for a quick hello before going back home in the dark autumn weather with yellow leafs falling everywhere. After one specially massive night of drinking my nerves were so shot I was actually scared of driving the massive 15 minute ride home. Scared of what? No idea. Nothing at all. Just scared.
In October (a Wednesday I believe) I went to see Tommy play a solo gig. I called my work, lied and said I was sick, and left on the train for Oslo with my mate. As some kind of bad symbolic shit or something we got as far as one stop before the train hit a car. The driver thankfully survived the impact.
At the show, we had a beer and sang along to «Light of Day», snapped some photos, and got inside info on Buckethead after the gig. Tommy was the first GNR member I met, first and only actually.
Whenever I hear Village Gorilla Head, I remember the fall of 2004.
This year, Tommy has an album out, his first since Village Gorilla Head. That ex-girlfriend all forgotten, a proper job, lots of dreams come true and a wife to top it of (I never did understand those domestic girls, decided to look elsewhere, and succeded!). There might even be babies in the future.
I think this album will leave a different mark than the first one.
Re: Fall of 2004, Village Gorilla Head, alcohol and ex-girlfriends
Very cool to the both of you
I also very recently made a big life decision, and thankfully (so far) I haven't hit a rut. Actually it's been kinda break neck. It was literally like being in a car, and having it fishtail at 55mph and do a complete 180 and head the opposite direction. I rolled right out of one thing and into the other. It's looking good right now.
