Rock-tober 02, 2015

In 2013, the first year I announced my intentions to do Rock-tober, Andrea rolled her eyes and muttered something along the lines of "Oh my word..." and got very cross whenever I mentioned her in a post. The second year I did Rock-tober, she actually became an active participant. When the epic month passed, she came over to the computer where I was plunking away at something, and the following conversation ensued:

Her: You know, I just realized you haven't written about Metallica yet.
Me: *furrows brow*
Me: *blinks rapidly*
Me: Um...Metallica? You know Metallica?
Her: Yeah. I've got a few of their songs on my phone.
Me: *blinks rapidly*
Me: Wait...you have Metallica songs...on your phone?
Me: *wipes away tear*

My work here is done.

So here's a question. What does Metallica, headbanging since 1981, winners of 9 Grammys, and already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, have in common with Roger Whittaker, that folksy British version of John Denver?

When I was 6 or 7, my folks bought a "Best of" Roger Whittaker 8-track from a TV commercial. I eventually got hold of the cartridge and wound up playing it in endless rotation in my room. Sorry, modern MP3 players. You may think you're cool by looping my music, but 8-tracks beat you to it. As a result of this repetition, I became very familiar with Whittaker's playlist with one of my favorites being the Irish folk song, "Whiskey in the Jar".

Fast forward a few decades and I found myself at an Irish pub on St. Patrick's Day. After a series of typical Irish ditties, the live band launches into a familiar tune. I know it, but I've never heard it like this. It turns out they were channeling Metallica's take on "Whiskey in the Jar". I was mesmerized by the hard edged, "metallic" version of the song I used to fall asleep to as a kid, and I joined the drunken revelers singing the chorus at the top of my lungs. Andrea, who was with me, just rolled her eyes and muttered something along the lines of, "Oh my word...."