July 18, 2016 COMFORTABLY NUMB

Ran about 8.5 miles yesterday with my comrades in excruciating heat--okay not Badwater---but HAZY, HOT AND REALLY HUMID. It was a tough run  that called for a stop at a local convenience store to buy a gallon of  cold water to pour over our heads and a  very quick dip in the ocean (JAWS) at the end of the run. It is on runs like this that I am thankful for music. I know there are two trains of thought on music and running--the serious runners believing that if you are tough enough you don't need it--and the wimpy runners including myself--who could never fathom running without music. We started the run without music--talking--laughing about the heat-- but by mile 3 I knew that I needed to turn my music on --hunker down--and just get it done.
People listen to all type of music when they run. My comrades listen to Indie, Reggaeton, Classic Rock-- including Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.  I listen to Pink Floyd probably 90% of the time. When I am on a longer, or slower run, I usually listen to The Final Cut, Wish You Were Here, or Dark Side of the Moon because I can match my pace to the music and it is comfort music from long ago.  If I am running for speed, I always listen to The Wall--side two--my go to song-- Comfortably Numb. I am not sure why, it just gives me the lift I need to run my best.
When I think about music, I inevitably think about Jennifer Egan's Pulitzer Prize winning book of 2011 called A Visit from the Goon Squad. This is an interesting novel that can be read as a collection of short stories or as a novel. I read it as a novel.  The book centers on two main characters, Bennie Salazar, an aging rock music executive, and his assistant Sasha. There are several other supporting characters that appear throughout the book--you might want to keep a list. The story spans 40 years-beginning in the 1960s. It is a story about growing up, growing older and the unexpected turns that life can take. It is also about changes in musical tastes, aging rock stars and the difficulties they faced as the world moved to the digital age. This is a slim book of about 270 pages--well written--so I would call it a 5 miler. It is just a glimpse behind the scenes of the music world. Hope you enjoy---    Longfellow once  said, " Music is the universal language of mankind."----I wholeheartedly agree.