that we used to go see on the landing in the summer

toad the wet sprocket - stupid

Wilco's "Heavy Metal Drummer" has always been a song I enjoyed because I shared something with the narrator. When Jeff Tweedy sings "I sincerely miss those heavy metal bands that I used to go see on the landing in the summer", I can relate, because I also used to go see heavy metal bands on the landing in the summer. The landing is an area on the riverfront of St. Louis filled with horrible nightclubs and restaurants such as Hooters. Jeff Tweedy rarely (if ever) writes about St. Louis, and if he ever mentions the city in interviews, it sounds as though it's something he wants to leave behind.

There were two reasons for me to be on the landing back then, and they both involved friends playing in bands. I think the first band I ever saw play on the landing was indeed a heavy metal band; My friend Alan's band, Parasthesia. Any amount of writing I can do here will immediately be the most press the band ever got, and deservedly so. Although everyone in the band could play their instrument quite well, they were horrible. Of course we all sort of suspected this back then, but seeing any band play on the landing (even if the crowd was 10 people I knew) was exciting when you're 16.

The second band I saw on the landing wasn't a metal band. The band was called "Mary", and it was fronted by my good friend Brant. Much like Parasthesia, everyone in Mary could play their instrument quite well. But unlike Parasthesia, Mary had some pretty good songs (at least I think so from memory). I eventually got to know the guys in Mary, who were all kids from Greenville College, a small Christian college with a nice campus and the most fucked up collection of students a guy could know or know of. (It may have just been the circle of people I knew...)

We all thought that Mary really had something back then, and maybe they did... but eventually for reasons I forget they broke up. Brant started another band later with a guy from work. Ben (the guitarist) and I remained friends for quite a while after Mary, but eventually stopped hanging out... and then I found him again, playing Sgt. Peppers in a Beatles cover band (on the landing, of course). He eventually moved to Austin, I think. I wonder what he's up to...

Mary did a few covers, one of which was Toad the Wet Sprocket's "Stupid". If you're anything like me, you don't have fond hindsight memories of Toad the Wet Sprocket, but nevertheless... it's a nice little song.

This is for Brant, because I thought of him this morning.