Music is the imeptus for much of what I do, so to leave it out of the equation is like stripping the color out of a photograph, it simply lacks something.
Last week Trainer on the Corner (T.O.C.) and I went on a
Laugh Tour. We posted signs that say "Laugh" all over Belmont Shore. There was a soundtrack that carried me through the entire experience, from stepping down my front porch steps with skates on, to skating up and down 2nd Street spreading laughter, to sitting at Archibald's drinking ice cold Lemonade. Here it is. All links go to iTunes where you can sample or buy the song.
I left the house listening to
Holiday in Cambodia by the Dead Kennedys off Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. On my way to T.O.C.'s house I listened to
Police Brutality by The Sky Beneath off The Floor and went a little faster than comfortable all the way down the bumpy asphalt hills. I had to take a side turn to slow myself down.
As I waited for T.O.C. to come downstairs and put on his skates I listened to
The Wizard Turns On by the Flaming Lips off At War with the Mystics and flew down 2nd St. listening to
Under My Thumb by Social Distortion off Mainliner and Fat Boys by Sport Doen off Never Mind Aerobics Here's
Punk Rope.
We had to make a stop at Mailboxes Etc. I heard
The Way You Move (Feat. Sleepy Brown) and,
Knowing both by Big Boi off Speakerboxxx, followed by
Spybreak! by Propellerheads off Decksandrumsandrockandroll.
As we skated and handed out fliers and laughed and posed for pictures, I kept my iPod going at a low but audible volume as I heard
Comicstripteasegirl by Stereo Total off Juke-Box Alarm,
So Whatcha Want (feat. B-Real) by the Beastie Boys off Dr. Numbers Presents Still Ill, Anti-Pop by Kommunity FK off The Vision and the Voice and
Take Me Higher by Peshay.
It's always good to have
Gratitude, especially when It's delivered by the Beastie Boys off Check Your Head. The tunes continued with
Tequila Dub by Sly and Robbie off Maximum Dub,
Pat-Trip Dispenser by The Fall,
Everything's Gone Green by New Order,
Normal (Is a Million Miles Away) by the Groovie Ghoulies off Springman Records Sampler and
Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones.
As we came to the end of our journey, we headed to Archibalds for some ice cold lemonade. I heard
History Repeating by Propellerheads off Decksanddurmsandrockandroll,
Unspeakable by Killing Joke off What's This For,
Mad Flava by Fatboy Slim off Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars,
I Love You Big Dummy by Magazine and Oh This World by Dr. Alimantado off Kings Bread.
As we left Archibald's and skated home I heard
Insane In the Brain by Cypress Hill,
Make Love by Daft Punk off Human After All, and Only Child by Patrick Mata off Hydro Carbons from a Meteorite.
It was a hot day. 95 degrees by the time we got home. But the joy we shared for those few hours was well worth the time and energy. We connected with some really neat people and we plan to do it again next month. (
See video)
If you want to have your own Laugh Tour, we'll gladly send you a PDF of our Laugh sign. As a bonus, we'll also send our Love and Peace signs from last month's tour. Simply fill in your name and e-mail below. We won't share your info with anyone. If you want to remain on our list, we'll also send you updates about roller derby, playlists, concerts, free workouts and more.
P.S. Today I spent some time at the final mile of the Long Beach Marathon. This playlist was also part of what carried me through a couple of miles of skating hard and cheering the runners. Stay tuned for
pictures and highlights from my visit to the Long Beach Marthon.
