Paul Genova 1954-2008

Most often my musical touch points are bands, albums, and songs. But there are a few instances in my life when the touch point is a person from my past. Paul Genova was such a person. And sadly, he passed away on December 13, shortly before the winter Solstice and Christmas.

I first met Paul when I was perhaps fourteen. He was my youth advisor at our church and I also babysat for his two youngest kids. As a budding music fan, going to Paul and his wife Noel’s house to babysit was a revelation. There was all of this amazing music I had never heard—bands like Love Tractor and Pylon. And Paul was cool. He was one of the first adults that I really felt like I could identify with and talk to. Paul never condescended. He truly listened and cared. And looking back now, he has had a profound impact on the man I’ve become, especially as a father.

I know where I believe Paul is now. But wherever his spirit is, I know there’s music.

And thanks for everything, Paul.

I don’t know if Paul ever listened to Gas Lamp Anthem. But the band’s song “’59 Sound” has been in my head every time I think about him.

Well, I wonder which song they're gonna play when we go.
I hope it's something quiet and minor and peaceful and slow.
when we float out into the ether, into the Everlasting Arms,
I hope we don't hear Marley's chains we forged in life.
'cause the chains I been hearing now for most of my life.

Did you hear the '59 Sound coming through on Grandmama's radio?
Did you hear the rattling chains in the hospital walls?
Did you hear the old gospel choir when they came to carry you over?
Did you hear your favorite song one last time?

02 The 59 Sound.mp3 -

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And change is what I believe in: REM”s Lifes Rich Pageant

Another musical touch point came when I was 15 going on 16 and R.E.M. released Lifes Rich Pageant. I distinctly remember seeing the video for “Fall On Me” on MTV (Back when you could watch videos on MTV.). I was not only struck by the beauty of the song about air pollution, but also the corresponding images in the video. It was a departure of both sound and visual from what was happening at the time. In addition to “Fall On Me,” the album contains so many great tracks and many are very political, such as the “Flowers Of Guatemala” about the US involvement in that country during the 1980s. This fit the continuing development of my political self, which I talked about in my article about Joe Strummer.

Other songs on the album (full of great songs) that stand out for me include “I Believe,” which is a great driving song, especially singing the lines “I believe my throat hurts” at the top of my lungs. “Swan Swan H” still stands as one of the prettiest songs in the REM catalog. And it fits the overall political content of the album since it is about the Civil War.

But beyond the songs, and this album in particular, the sound of REM is what makes them so great. The combination of the players and the way they interact is wonderful. From the chiming guitars of Peter Buck to the vocal harmonies of Michael Stipe and Mike Mills, the band had its own sound. Additionally they helped lead the charge of bands coming out of Athens, GA—some more successfully than others.

But one of the most important aspects of Lifes Rich Pageant is that it brought me into the REM fold, buying all of their records and listening for the past 20-some years. Just this morning, in fact, I was listening to the record, and I do mean the record, on my turntable. And judging by the reaction that they got to their recent performance at SXSW, the band is still vital.

Here is the video for “Fall On Me” and a live performance of the song from MTV Unplugged.

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It's nothing as it seems . . . the little that you see . . . it's home . . .

I have written about musical touch points before and today on my bus ride to work I was reminded of another. “Nothing As It Seems,” from Pearl Jam’s album Binaural, came onto my iPod. This, more than so many of my other musical touch points, is truly deeply personal. This is the song I listened to almost daily during the 5 years my wife and I struggled to have our first child. The lyrics are so powerful. And at the time that I was listening to “Nothing As It Seems” regularly, the song helped me bridge the gap between our struggle to have a child and the deep love and connectivity I have always had with my wife. To me, she is the “home” in the song.

And today, we have two amazing, rockin’ kids—a four and a half year old boy and a nine and a half month old girl. This truly is home.

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