I’m not sure how comfortable I am comparing Nolan, pictured here, to… a… well, a french fry, but… the comedian Jim Gaffigan has a bit about how good McDonald’s fries are, and how there are never quite enough of them, and that moment you realize that you’ve nearly eaten them all, followed by the sad reality they’re all gone. He says in that moment that sometimes the universe smiles upon you, and that gods in heaven recognize your accumulated good deeds, and graciously grant you, at the bottom of the paper sack, one more bonus fry. Simply the best.
And that’s sorta what happened the night I met Nolan, stone-and-brick mason from Charlotte, North Carolina who is on a pan-Asia backpacking trip. God looked down upon these two kindred spirits knowing of something unbeknownst to both of them, aware of how much they have in common, aware of how many places their musical interests overlap, of how many stories they know that would make the other go “NO WAY! ME TOO!” …And so in its divine wisdom, the universe looked down upon us and said “Let these two meet. Let them be instant buds! Send them on a whirlwind record-store shopping spree. Let them be the EXACT person the other should meet for this time and place. So be it.”
Next thing you know, Nolan and I had met and were getting on like a house on fire, like peanut butter and jelly, like Bob and Jerry, telling travel tales (Nolan’s in his 20’s in tracing the same tracks across southeast Asia that I did in my 20’s), sharing stories of seeing musical legends and meeting musical heroes, swapping trivia about Lou Reed, Nirvana, Bowie, and the Dead, and trading musical recommendations galore. I can’t put too fine a point on it, but it was a little like I was meeting another version of myself from a different dimension.
Meeting Nolan made me stop and appreciate those special occurrences when you meet people on your EXACT same wavelength. You instantly sync and suddenly you got a friend for life. Funny how that works.
So whether the universe throws you a lucky extra french fry or a new buddy in music, remember to be grateful for another day to have the chance to experience it all!
More Tokyo Record Style on the way!
リリィ[Lily] – 私は泣いています[Watashi wa Naiteimasu]
Label: Express – ETP-2985
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: Japan
Released: 1974
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Soft Rock, Soul, Funk
https://www.discogs.com/release/1239011-%E3%83%AA%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A3-%E7%A7%81%E3%81%AF%E6%B3%A3%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6%E3%81%84%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99
ザ・フォーシュリーク [The Four Shriek] – リムジン江 (イムジン河) [Limosine Gan]
Label: Young Pops – OYP-1001~1002
Format: Vinyl, 7″, EP
Country:Japan
Released:1968
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
https://www.discogs.com/release/9868570-The-Four-Shriek-%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%82%B8%E3%83%B3%E6%B1%9F-%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A0%E3%82%B8%E3%83%B3%E6%B2%B3
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