Drum Save

I was thinking last night was going to suck. Even before I got to the Gerbil Cage, I knew I wasn’t going to have any fun. What is it about the first ten minutes of a run that has me sucking air and swearing? I’ve never liked the first ten minutes. Ever.
Here’s what saved me – drums. I listen for those moments that thrill me, distract me. Here are three such moments: two heavy beats in ‘I Don’t Trust Myself’ (John Mayer). Right before “I will break my way into your garden…” Steve Jordan does a staccato two hit. Never before and never since. I always look for it. Right after “Stomped on the floor just for fun” in ‘Old Apartment’ (Barenaked Ladies) Tyler Stewart “stomps” on his drums, again with those two beats I look for. Never again and never since. The third drum moment I love is harder to find. It’s not on the original recording, but it’s a sirsy moment in “Please Let Me Be”~ my all-time favorite guilty pleasure song. I can’t even begin to describe the drum moment there. It was a conversation between bass and drum that only happened twice. I think someone said it was a hit on the four, or something like that. The only time you could hear it was at a show and I would look for it, and anticipate it every single time. Never before and never since.
Anyway, back to the run. Those three songs came on and distracted me enough to get through the harder parts of being a gerbil. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know what I would have done.

As an aside, “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones has the exact tempo I need for a 10 minute mile. Excellent drum distraction, too!