Kevins Song Interpretations
From The Extended Group
Kevin's Song Interpretations include songs that have at some point been heard by Kevin, with a situation created to match the mood and dynamics of the song.
Songs
- Cave In- "Crambone" (aka, the garbageman song). This early Cave In song was an intentionally stripped down heavy-metal/butt rock song reminiscent of some 80's Metallica. The situation conjured by Kevin involved a band of rowdy garbagemen who would show up in front of Lukas's house every morning at 6 AM and wake him up with their loud rendition of the song. Central to the mental image is a drummer wearing an olive-green jumpsuit, a large mullet, a fu-manchu-style moustache, and sunglasses sneering while hitting drums in an exaggerated manner.
- Finch- "Project Mayhem": This is a techno-influenced nu-metal song featuring the singer of Glassjaw. During a break in the middle of the song, there is a part with a really tense guitar part, with a quickly lumbering bass line giving an overall feeling of danger or urgency. It was during this part in the fall of 2003, that Kevin, Lukas, and Jeremy were driving around Shoreline. Lukas was forced to execute a perilously fast U-turn just south of 175th street on Aurora while Kevin attempted to drink bubble tea in the passenger seat. Once out of danger, Kevin commented on the ridiculousness of the gripping music playing while Lukas was driving dangerously, and the fact that there was a single tapioca ball perched precariously on the end of the straw, resembling very much an alien eye-ball on the end of a stalk. When the full effect of the situation struck Lukas, he was rendered almost incapable of driving by laughter. (see below)
- Finch- "Ender": This more sentimental alt-rock song by Finch was commented on during the same trip as the above song. As Lukas was turning left from Meridian Avenue onto 185th St., Kevin asked Jeremy what he would do if he were to return home to find his father (Paul Cho) "wearing a white robe, while levitating in the livingroom.....and his head would be a fork" all the while listening to the sentimental song. This was nearly too much for Lukas who barely executed the turn without losing control of the vehicle.
- Grieving the Days to Come- "And Then...": This is a fast, loud, and chaotic song from the Kent-based metalcore band abbreviated "GTDTC". The song was first sent to Lukas in the fall of 2003, before Lukas began listening to aggressive music. He initially described the song as reminding him of "running down a staircase while being chased by a huge dog". Kevin later made up this situation which was at one point described as being "perfect": Dean Jamieson is seen sitting in his rocking chair reading the newspaper while muffled music is heard through the walls. Jamieson looks up with a confused/annoyed look on his face, takes off his reading glasses and folds up the newspaper, and then proceeds to shake his head as he marches up the stairs in an exaggerated manner. Upon reaching gavins room, the music can be heard louder through the door, so he knocks on the door, and getting no response, decides to open the door. Upon doing so the music is incredibly loud and Gavin is seen inside rocking out so hard he is oblivious to his father as the sound waves blow the toupee from his fathers head, leavining him with a shocked/exasperated look on his face. It is unclear whether this situation was first related to Lukas in person or via instant messenger, but he remembers laughing nearly to the point of tears because of it.
- MXPX- "I'm OK, You're OK": Upbeat Christian pop-punk song. This was used as background music to narrate the following scene:
Nate (Riedy) walks into Lukas' dorm room in Ashton Hall saying "Dude, its 12:58, lunch ends in 2 minutes!" This is followed by Lukas looking surprised, and then changing in fast-forward speed followed by a fast-forward montage of Lukas and Nate running down the hill and into the cafeteria where a cafeteria employee shakes her head resignedly while smiling and swipes the boys's cards. Once inside, it shows a slow motion montage of Lukas and his buddies goofing off around a table, throwing french fries, having fries stuck in their noses, pushing each other around, etc. Throughout this montage, Lukas is narrating "Yeah, we made it that day.... and I'm happy...to be hanging out with my best buddies, enjoying a meal in the presence of Jesus Christ" (in the fashion of an early 90's after-school special of some sort.)
- MXPX- "Punk Rawk Show": This faster song was used as background music to describe moving in day in Ashton Hall with everything happening in fast-forward again, pausing only when "Pape" appears in Lukas's doorway wearing a full scuba suit, at which point he shrugs, and the move-in proceeds in Fast Forward.
- Saves the Day- "Firefly": Another somewhat fast-paced pop-punk song common to Lukas's CD player Freshmen year of college. This was used to describe a scene of Lukas and his SPU buddies driving in a red late-model convertible through the desert southwest of the United States. As the song plays, Lukas's friends are fooling around making goofy faces and photographing them as his friend sitting in the passenger seat squirts Lukas with a squirt-gun, causing him to laugh and try to wrestle the gun away while driving.
- Smashing Pumpkins- "1979": This song was used to describe Lukas sadly walking around the SPU campus in the rain after breaking up with his longtime girlfriend. At one point in the song, Lukas pauses to look at himself in the reflection of a window, at which point he places a hand over his heart.
- Thrice- "Under a Killing Moon"- This post-hardcore rock song with heavy guitars and Killswitch Engage-style riffs is purported to follow Lukas during his Mountain Dew commercials when he flies off a cliff with a snowboard and catches a "Dew" in mid air while chugging it down.
- Van Halen- "Right Now": This inspiring early 90's rock song was used by Kevin in a situation involving Jeremys father Paul Cho. The basic premise of the mental image is Paul Cho studying for his MCAT's in 1984. Key to the mental image is viewing Paul Cho with slightly longer hair, a red and white sweatband, an 80's style moustache, and wearing a grey sweatsuit/track suit. The montage starts with Cho waking up at 4 AM and stretching in front of an open window showing a dark sky outside. (intro piano part) Later, in the pre-chorus, it features Cho outside doing sit-ups as a concerned Jane Cho peers between the curtains at him expending his energy. Finally during the more triumphant-sounding chorus, Paul Cho is seen running down the beach with an ever-widening camera view panning out to show others on the beach. Its somewhat notable that most of the mental images feature physical training rather than actual studying for the MCAT. It is also notable that the song was not released until 1991, 7 years after the purported training excercises.
- Van Halen- "Hot for Teacher"- This song was used to describe a very stereotypical "after school special" scene taking place at SPU's "Gwinn Commons". It features Lukas's roommate Mike Braun saying "man, I'm starved" with Lukas suddenly throwing down a lunch-tray and riding it like a skateboard while yelling "FOOD FIGHT" and throwing hamburgers to all sides while everyone in attendence cheers. The song in question begins playing as soon as Lukas throws down the lunch tray.
- Yngwie Malmsteen- "Paganini's Fifth Caprice"- This is a neo-classical guitar piece featuring a soloing electric guitar and a high-hat cymbal keeping the beat. The Song consists mostly of a long string of 16th notes. The situation created involves an early 90's computer-animated Lukas with a wire-frame skeleton running around in a world not unlike that of the movie "Tron" at one point, he runs up to the edge of a precipice and stands teetering on the edge.
- Yngwie Malmsteen- "Black Star"- Another technical 80's metal song, the image associated with this is Lukas standing on the edge of the grand canyon shirtless and with leather pants playing this ripping guitar solo, while being videotaped by a helicopter panning by.
- Yngwie Malmsteen- "Caught in the Middle"- This situation, co-authored by Kevin and Asher revolves around a centaur-Lukas with a large battle sword and long flowing hair playing a ripping guitar solo in some fabled northern European kingdom.
