I was leaving town.  I left my vinyl records behind.

“Take them. I don’t have room.” My neighbor riffled through them and thanked me.

I was moving my stuff to store at Dad’s, because Mom had found a condom in one of the boxes and was devastated.  Was it really a mortal sin?  And why was there only one condom?  As a 22-year-old divorcee, I surely should have had more.  But actually I used a diaphragm and was monogamous, so the condom must have been ancient.

And so I moved away to a pretty town that was very much like the one I’d left, only now I knew nobody, and had no music to listen to.   I had planned to do my work at the library, but since it had no windows, and I couldn’t bear the lack of natural light, I worked at home, spreading out my books on the kitchen table.    

I bought a radio/tape player. I listened to college radio in the evening.  Perhaps they played alternative rock, perhaps it was hard rock, perhaps it was heavy metal: who knows?  Captain Nemo, my music mentor, didn’t move to town till December:  he was finishing one of his many degrees.

Without him, I would never have heard of The Kinks, The Smiths, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, The Pretenders, the Zombies, etc.

To this day, he instructs me in rock music.

Last night the quiz was about Canadians.

“Name two Canadian rock groups. C’mon.”

My mind whirred wildly.  “Does Neal Young count?”

It turned out that Neal Young is Canadian, and though not actually a group, he has played with many bands.  And that makes him the Canadian version of Eric Clapton, I think, another musician who plays with a lot of bands.

“Okay, just two more.  Even one.”

“Sorry.  I don’t know Canadian music.”

He told me that Rush and Guess Who are Canadian. 

“Guess what?” I said flippantly.  “I’ve heard of Guess Who.”

I had never heard of Rush.

And I doubt that I’ve heard any of their songs.

Here’s how you know I’m not musical:  the last time I went to a rock concert was to see Elvis Costello in the 1980s.  Talk Talk opened. 

Actually, I did see Crosby, Nash, and Stills at a baseball game around the same time.  But you know how it is:  that’s not the best venue.  It was literally between innings, so I’m not sure it counts as a concert. 

And wait – I just remembered.  I saw Bob Dylan in 2001 or 2002.  So the last concert I went to was to see Bob!  It was fantastic.

I have gone to rock festivals where local groups play.

But I should listen to new rock bands, if there are any new rock bands.