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<< REWIND 11: NICHOLAS COLEMAN

Ladies & gentleman, El Solitario is proud to present the 11th take on ESMC’s <<REWIND, a series of interviews with the people that rock our Moto-World®, centered around the music that shaped their lives. Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything

For the 11th <<REWIND, we asked our buddy and great artist Nicholas Coleman, about those ten records he would take to a deserted island. 

NC: Holy balls! I’m sorry for the delay—I just realized it got stuck in my draft outbox and didn’t get out to you! and i realized it was missing a section…Hopefully this isn’t too rambling….

I had a pretty interesting and funny childhood growing up in Provo Utah. Some of my earlier memories with music growing up are from hanging out with my dad in his studio. Not a music studio but one where he was painting in. I often would sneak in when he wasn’t looking and paint on his paintings. I want to think I got away with something I think he may have just loved that I took an interest into what he was doing! In his studio is where I heard music that I still listen to today. From The Rolling Stones, Heart, Moody Blues and even Rod Stewart. I’ll try and skip Rod Stewart these days if I can. But one record that I still love is 1: The Rolling Stones Through a Glass Darkly, favorite song still is ‘She’s a Rainbow.’ At least I’m pretty sure that’s the name of the song. I’m not a memorize the album names and song guy. Although after a while you learn things by auditory osmosis! 

 

 Growing up in the 1980’s was pretty funny. You’re music options were dictated by whose mom or sister was driving the car. A great memory is listening to quite a bit of The Beach Boys at my friends the Murphy’s house. I have a funny memory of a road trip to California listening to a Michael Jackson cassette on repeat from my spot in the back of a Jeep wagoner. When I say back, I mean the way back with the luggage and no seat belt. But here I am today still alive. So no worries. If I’m honest, Michael Jackson was pretty awesome. They put out a “Making of…” Thriller VHS tape with his transforming into a werewolf that still is pretty amazing. He even gets to be a zombie, and you can’t forget his awesome knife fight dance in Billy Jean.  So I might just have to put as number 2 as Thriller on my list. 

 

My older brother whose 8 years my senior had a pretty killer stereo. I was often told “not to touch!” Whenever he was gone I was in there listening to whatever I could. There was always Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and I cant forget INXS’s devil inside. Still love Oingo Boingo’s ‘Dead Mans Party.’ My sister also had interesting taste. Besides the cover art, Def Leppard’s Hysteria was pretty rad. ‘Pour Some Sugar on me…” was on constantly and played again and again. That just might have to go on the list! 

About the same time my parents bought a CD player. It wasn’t one of those small Sony discmans but an actual unit that played one CD at a time. I think it even cost like 500 bucks! I remember it being Christmas time and my older brother bought home probably his first CDs. The cover art has the tail section of an airplane. The Beastie Boys, License to Ill and a Run DMC álbum with a purple and green cover, with the words, ‘Raising Hell.’ I have a funny recollection of being pretty excited to see them as I helped my brother take the almost impossible sticker things that held those cases together! My grandparents were visiting and my grandfather asked to see what I was looking at. Without hesitation I handed them to him. His look of disappointment was very real as he looked back at a 9 or 10 year old who had just handed him the ‘Raising Hell,’ album. Pretty funny looking back on it now! As much as I enjoyed sneak listening to Run DMC. I still absolutely love the Beastie Boys. License to Ill was the best! 

I can’t forget that somewhere in the early 90s I went though all the Beatle albums. Hard to grow up without hearing the Beatles somewhere. I was old enough to start tracking albums down by myself. I even tried to track the albums in chronological order. The great day of getting on the bus to head to the Mall…yikes! To the Sam Goody store to look through the Myriad of CDs – tracking down Beatles Albums was tricky in those days. No internet, no written down catalogue anywhere! The discovery and the chase was amazing. We live in an age of instant gratification, which really does suck the fun out of a lot of things. The reward when after a month or so of not going to the music store and then hoping that they got something “new” in was pretty special. 

The White Album is my favorite for now and my song would have to be ‘Happiness is a warm gun.’ My dad had an old record producer friend Snuff Garrett that sent us a bunch of Beatles records when he found out I liked the Beatles. I still have them all!

As I got older your music choices lead you in all kinds of directions. Mine took me through a lot of Beck. That guy never seems to age, and I still listen to his music. I use to download his music videos for whatever reason I can’t say. It took for ever and basically that one file was just about your whole computer. I have quite a few favorites but I think Ill go with Devils Haircut on this one. From 1996 Odelay album.

 

I can still say I love Neil Young. There are quite a few favorites but I think Down By the River is at the top of my list on the album Everybody Knows this is Nowhere. Got to see  him in the late 90s at the HORDE festival along with Lenny Kravitz, Rusted Root, Primus and I think Ben Folds Five, Dave Matthews and the guy who plays the harmonica and I can’t remember his name for the life of me. There was an amazing sunset that night too i can recall and I almost made a move on my high school crush, but I totally chickened out.

I wasnt into the Grateful Dead although I had quite a few friends who were. After Gerry Garcia died I did start listening to Phish. There are a few years Id like to get back…David Matthews, Widespread Panic and a few other bands that dont quite make the playlist anymore. One band I still love from my informative years was The Motherhips, they had an awesome sticker that you will have to google. One of my favorite songs is Del Mar Station from 2001 Green Hills of Earth Album. Still so so good. 

It really is hard to leave anybody out, music shapes you and stays with you. Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Steve Miller Band, Rush(exit stage left) Sublime, Stranglers, Nick Cave, White Stripes, When I lived in Brazil I couldnt help but love a band called legiao urbana — so good! So many I can’t think of off hand and if youre still reading I commend you.



My last band I will mention is Radiohead. Its complex and timeless and seems to change with your brain over the years. Certain parts build and you can’t help but want to listen. The album OK Computer Electioneering.

Im still always in search of new thoughtful complex music. I can honestly say Im late to the game. Typically even back in high school if some one I knew who I didn’t like liked a certain band that would put me off for a long time. My mom told me she couldn’t stand Elvis because the super annoying girl in her class was obsessed. Im sure quite a few of us have felt that way. Now Im going to go turn on the stereo. Remembering and trying to categorize this outside my brain has made me want to go and listen to some old music.

Thanks for reading!

OTHER << REWINDS:

<< REWIND 10: https://www.elsolitariomc.com/blog/2020/08/19/24503/

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