Dark Star (not a cover)

Steven Douglas Baughman

I had a million dreams and hopes for this song and suddenly, they were shattered. Much as my life is right now. So I’ll make it about nothing.

Except:

A long time ago, I was listening exclusively to stuff like Ain Soph, Art Bears, Cranioclast, Zoviet France, etc. Well, it got boring. So I cast about for something different. I’d always hated reggae, so I decided to listen to reggae.

Ten years later…

Well, it got boring. Mento, Jamaican R&B, ska, rocksteady, reggae, deejay, roots, dub, rockers, lovers rock, dancehall, digital, etc. I needed something different. I’d always hated the Grateful Dead, so I decided to listen to the Grateful Dead.

I had everything. All the regular and posthumous releases. The band members’ side projects. Dave’s Picks, Dick’s Picks, Road Trips, videos, TV news stories, the Acid Tests, the parking lot scene, everything. My hard drive was too small for bootlegs. So.

Ten years later…

I have a collection of what the compiler believes to be every Dark Star performance, 249 in all. Plus a studio rehearsal tape, for an even 250.

It’s nearly four days long.

I have tried to listen to them all. I got about a third of the way through, and then accidentally double-clicked on another file–some soukous thing–and wiped out the queue. I haven’t had the courage to go back.

(lots of African Music right now, though I’m listening to Fairuz at the moment)