I scare myself

I took a 3 week trip to the UK with my grandmother when I was 16. I had worked all summer for my uncle’s construction company to save money for the trip. It was a very transforming for me.

I bought The Flat Earth by Thomas Dolby at HMV in London. Then I used my Sony Walkman to go for a walk in Kensington Garden by myself. I still have that Walkman in a box – maybe I should pull it out sometime and see if it still works.

I listened to the new music I had purchased. Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse, Special Beat Service by the English Beat and The Flat Earth by Thomas Dolby.

This is when I heard “I scare myself” for the first time. Between the preceding song (Mulu the Rain Forest) and this one – I was in bliss.

Later after I met my husband Aubrey, he started playing me his Dan Hicks albums and I discovered that Thomas Dolby had covered Dan Hicks.

Dan’s version is astonishing – deep, dark and beautiful. The violin/fiddle solo near the end is gripping and perfect.