Soundtrack of My Life: THUMPERS’ Marcus Pepperell on Guns N’ Roses and a-ha
On "Live and Let Die" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV"; Galore Is Out Now Via Sub Pop
Jul 02, 2014
Web Exclusive
Soundtrack of My Life: In which the artist writes about how a particular album, song, or artist helped get them through a tough time in their life, such as a break up, mourning a death, their first job, etc. For this installment, Marcus Pepperell of London’s THUMPERS writes about Guns N’ Roses and a-ha. The band’s debut album, Galore, is out now via Sub Pop.
For 8 weeks, during the long period in which THUMPERS was only gestating as a project and John was travelling the world in other bands and I was temping as the sad, sole office caterer at the London-based Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy (WAIT! IT GETS BETTER), every day at 8:32 a.m. a nameless co-worker forced me to listen to Guns N’ Roses’ version of “Live and Let Die.”
I’d kick my work shoes on to its opening bombast, stuff my jacket into my rucksack during that weird reggae bit, put on my lame black apron during the intro reprise, and, for the millionth time, curse Axl and co. for their grizzling rendering of it and Paul McCartney for writing it while I gave my miserable reflection a final check. And across the shared workplace bathroom that I changed in the cyclist that blasted it from his phone every day without fail would clumsily ready himself for his morning shower.
I used to like “Live and Let Die.” I used to like myself for liking it too. It’s a totally shameless, undeniable song and I was wayyy above feeling guilty for enjoying screaming along with it and crappily playing the guitar parts from time to time. But this joy was stolen from me by a balding gadget-cyclist with a predilection for semi-public nudity.
I really didn’t understand his obsession with it. I’d never had an equivalent song, not like that. For all I knew the arsehole was literally listening to it non-stop. Maybe 8.32 was just the only time I actually saw him in the act? Maybe it was the only song he had ever heard ever and he shaved, baked brownies and wrapped christmas presents up to it indiscriminately? God, I hated him.
Because I’d never had a similar experience. Not until a six-months later when I found myself again between admin jobs I hated and depressed for that reason and for a great number of other reasons that I shouldn’t have let depress me but did. And at that time the only thing that I could do to keep the darkness in the corners and not in my every thought was listen to “The Sun Always Shines on TV” by a-ha. I had it set as my morning alarm so I could wake up to the embrace of the first piano chords and that keyboard flute(?!) part. I laid awake at night thinking about how it “literally” turned minor-key sadness in the verse into major-key triumph in the chorus, exactly the way I would when I finally stopped blankly emptying my shampoo bottles down the shower drain. I know it’s a crazily sentimental song—I knew it then—but that was what I needed and craved. An artist that didn’t care how potentially ridiculous it might sound to bark-whisper “touch me” as the first line of their song. In fact, there was something about overcoming my initial reservations about that and other, er, stylistic choices that then made me love it all the more. The rewards of going with the sentiment of it were just sooo much bigger than anything being critical could offer and I went whole-heartedly with it for… oh, quite a while.
I don’t know what life event befell that stranger to make him so dependent on his own power song. I didn’t ever speak more than four words to him. Had I wondered at the time I think I probably would’ve wished that it was something genital-withering and irreversible. But I know better now. And I hope he’s okay, wherever he is, and that he still listens to “Live and Let Die” occasionally. And I hope that whatever soul-soothing action that song did for him then it still performs every time he listens to it. For now and for every time from now.
Because music can do all that and more.
And that’s why it deserves all of your love.
Amen.
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October 6th 2014
8:38pm
Gun n Roses band is my favorite band, I am glad there is enough depth review of the group on this blog. live rock music!
October 1st 2018
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February 1st 2019
11:39pm
Thanks a lot for sharing. Keep blogging!
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June 19th 2019
4:57am
i like gun i roses, and metalica but dream theater is the best.