After Art School I spent the summer working in my parents catering company saving enough money to buy a banana-yellow station wagon. I stuffed it full with everything I owned, crawled into the little hole I’d left near the steering wheel and drove towards Palmerston North and Massey University.
As my tyres left the ramp of the ferry into Wellington my mix tape kicked onto Blue Monday by New Order. It was a perfect day, first thing in the morning and I drove around in mist of magic and wonderment looking at all the stern faces of Wellington workers dressed in black and wondered why they weren’t smiling – “hey people you live in Wellington!”
Today there is no Friday list because I have to go to work.
But take four minutes, turn your speakers up loud and listen to the start of my adult life…
Small Town Stories 
Such an interesting thing to consider -the music from the start of your adult life, and wonderful that you could actually pin point that moment. If I were to choose the same kind of moment it would be leaving home at 16 to go flatting in Island Bay in Wellington – young but with UE under my belt and already training in a job as a pharmacy technician. The music of 1978 – a fabulous mix of Bee Gees, Bonnie Tyler (It’s a Heartache) and I love the Nightlife by Alicia Bridges, which indeed I did, that young, in Wellington.
After reading this comment I got into a cycle of watching Bonnie Tyler videos on YouTube. The hair! The voice!
Blue Monday has loads of significance for me too…it was the first time I bought a LP with my own money!!(hows that for an adult moment). Everytime I hear it I think back to that and the excitement of being on that precipice of my adult life.
Blue Monday is the only song I’ve decided on for my Kim Hill Playing Favourites segment. You know, when I’m famous and she calls me up because I’ve also become super interesting…
[…] I’ve been working on. Each one features lyrics from significant songs in my life. You can read about Blue Monday here. The other two feature a poisoning and a wedding (different […]