Things were wonderful once

March 3, 2011 9:37 AM

1. Tin Huey T-Shirt. 2. A silk-screened poster from the Sept. 22, 2000, Mary Timony (of Helium) concert in Oberlin, Ohio. 3. "Crazy Rhythms" by the Feelies (on white vinyl). 4. A big-ass dining room table. 5. The Futon. 6. One audio MiniDisc of the Black Keys' first live performance, July 2002. 7. 7. One black-and-white photo of Patrick and me, taken in 2003, at Apple Studios. A marriage, and divorce, in seven mementos.
posted by Horace Rumpole (28 comments total)

I have that Tin Huey album, "Contents Dislodged During Shipment." Got it years ago, because it was interesting that it came out of Akron. Every few years I get it down and listen to it, because it promises to be interesting. And every time I listen to it, it's so bland that I put it back not even remembering how the music sounds. Maybe that means it's secretly a good record, but my conclusion in general is that it sure ain't good just because it came out of Akron.
posted by koeselitz at 9:42 AM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

(Also, I'm pretty sure all the copies of that Feelies album were printed on white vinyl. Never seen one on black vinyl, come to think of it.)
posted by koeselitz at 9:46 AM on March 3, 2011

Too bad it wasn't The Good Earth on white vinyl. I'm pretty sure you could by a new husband with that.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:57 AM on March 3, 2011 [4 favorites]

Is it bad of me that I hope that the last psychiatrist does an analysis of the author ?
posted by k5.user at 10:00 AM on March 3, 2011

This reminded me of Leanne Shapton's book Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry.

It's a really heartbreaking read, especially when you sit down with it for the third time and realize there's a carefully-crafted narrative being told outside the handwritten notes and emails and such. It wasn't until the last time I read it that I realized one of the items, in a quiet way, pinpoints the exact moment the couple broke up.

I don't know. The story of a love found and lost through objects. It's a theme we come back to as a people, and probably with good reason.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 10:02 AM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

Semi-related (only because it's one of the best bands ever):
Perfect Sound Forever's Interview with the Feelies
posted by wcfields at 10:04 AM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

An interesting read but I can't help feeling that this was a carefully calculated attempt by the author to.... Do what? Maybe cash in on the Black Keys' fame? Send a message to her ex (she dares him to sue her)? Send a message to his parents? Something.
posted by amro at 10:05 AM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

Somewhat in response to amro - I always feel bad for the less-famous person in a divorce situation, because The One in the Famous Band can air out all his dirty laundry, whether crafted or not, pretty much whenever he wants, while the less-famous person is pretty much objectified as either "the one who was too good for me" or "the cheating bitch" depending on how the relationship ended.
posted by muddgirl at 10:10 AM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

I love The Black Keys, thought this was very well-written and terribly sad...but as a fan, the most heartbreaking thing was learning that Dan Auerbach was (allegedly) "a soccer jock who idolized Dave Matthews and G. Love and the Special Sauce. Bands I despised. He was a real macho type who walked around town like a bulldog. He listened to Howard Stern, called his girlfriends "babe" and referred to indie pop as "gay."

This, my online friends, is why I go out of my way to learn as little as possible about the artists I admire outside of the art they make.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:11 AM on March 3, 2011 [8 favorites]

muddgirl: case in point.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:15 AM on March 3, 2011

As a side note, Patrick Carney just got engaged in February.
posted by amro at 10:17 AM on March 3, 2011

Not to be contrary, but Tin Huey's "Contents Dislodged..." is a good, inventive album, and my copy of "Crazy Rhythms" is on regular old black vinyl-- maybe not the original pressing, but a very early 80s edition on Stiff.
posted by activitystory at 10:20 AM on March 3, 2011

Patrick's next girl
Will be nothing like his ex girl
He made mistakes back then
He'll never do it again
posted by stocknowledge at 10:26 AM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

activitystory: “Not to be contrary, but Tin Huey's "Contents Dislodged..." is a good, inventive album, and my copy of "Crazy Rhythms" is on regular old black vinyl-- maybe not the original pressing, but a very early 80s edition on Stiff.”

Well, it has been years since I listened to it, so I'll drag it down tonight and give it a spin. Also, never seen the Stiff pressing of "Crazy Rhythms," so I guess that's probably likely. It's just that all the copies I've seen of it are on white vinyl.

I don't know. My general reaction to this article was: thank God I didn't blog about it when I got divorced. But it's totally hers, her experience, so if she gets something out of sharing, that's a good thing.
posted by koeselitz at 10:31 AM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

I often remember my copy as being on white vinyl, and am surprised to pull it out and reveal it isn't. Probably a UK copy that got smuggled in to the US!

I always thought of the Tin Huey as like a conventional Pere Ubu, but with an emphasis on polish and a severe lack of David Thomas. Good though.
posted by activitystory at 10:49 AM on March 3, 2011

This article is a triumph of writer over content.
posted by klangklangston at 10:56 AM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

I think the beauty in this story is in its, and its author's, flaws. No heroes, no villains, no solid blame assigned. Any relationship is difficult, but I feel for musicians on the road and their spouses, especially. People like to act like the so-called "rock star lifestyle" is glamorous or aspirational, but even at the highest monetary levels, you're living on the road, only sleeping in your own bed if it's on a bus, and detached from your loved ones or home. It's a long time running to get to any level of success, for those who decide to stick with it.
posted by mikeh at 10:58 AM on March 3, 2011

I'm not sure if I've ever heard a Black Keys song in my life, so there's no celebrity shine on this for me—just a sad story, told well. Thanks for posting this.
posted by Zozo at 10:58 AM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

This article is a triumph of writer over content.
posted by klangklangston at 1:56 PM on March 3

I was just typing this exact thing. Makes me glad I lost the storage space I rented for a while...I wonder who is staring at my junk mementos even now?
posted by Potomac Avenue at 10:58 AM on March 3, 2011

You are all so jaded! Or maybe you just know more than me. I don't think I've ever heard of The Black Keys, let alone anything by The Black Keys, so I'm reading this with no context and pretty much at face value. From that perspective, it's very well written and rings true in a modern heart-break way. I enjoyed it and I'm glad for the opportunity to read it. Thanks, Horace Rumpole.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:58 AM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

I'm with Darling Bri and Zozo. This is like a peek into a world I have absolutely no connection to, as far as recognizing any of the landmarks.
posted by maxwelton at 11:52 AM on March 3, 2011

I liked the story, but for some reason it is also making me want to go back home and throw out all my old crap.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 12:11 PM on March 3, 2011

my copy of "Crazy Rhythms" is on regular old black vinyl-- maybe not the original pressing, but a very early 80s edition on Stiff.

The white vinyl edition was a 1986 pressing on Line Records out of Germany, which had a bit of a thing for white vinyl.
posted by mykescipark at 12:20 PM on March 3, 2011

This reminds me of reading Our Band Could Be Your Life- I rarely go beyond reading a Wikipedia page about bands I like, so it's interesting to see the people behind the music. Things are so much messier than they seem when you're just looking at a discography.
posted by MadamM at 12:34 PM on March 3, 2011

Crazy Rhythyms will always remain wonderful.
posted by mwhybark at 1:26 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

but as a fan, the most heartbreaking thing was learning that Dan Auerbach was (allegedly) "a soccer jock who idolized Dave Matthews and G. Love and the Special Sauce..."

Since we're all going off topic, one funny story I have about G Love is seeing him in Vancouver after that first record came out and wondering why he went into a freestyle rap about turkey and stuffing until he got to the end and said "Whaddaya mean, you canadians ain't got thanksgiving?"
posted by monkeymike at 2:28 PM on March 3, 2011

After reading that I'd like to divorce her.
posted by nanojath at 3:01 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

It's always the little things that remind you of how things used to be, long afterwards. Part of you needs to throw it all away, and part of you feels the need to keep it to memorialize that part of your life.

I was glad to read her statement about "how do I explain this relationship to future children?" as I've often wondered that same sort of thought myself. Do you gloss it all over? does it really matter at all? It's like something that never happened, in many ways.

Maybe this is something more relevant if you've gone through it. I have no idea who the black keys are, or any of the other players involved, but I feel for them. It sucks.
posted by EricGjerde at 8:09 PM on March 3, 2011