This morning I am listening to music on random play.
A song comes on — Ventolin, (Carharrack Mix), Aphex Twin — and I find myself drawn to the song and listening to it as if for the first time, such was my appreciation for the pleasant vibrations my ears’ experience. I had been familiar with the remix years ago but never really given it much repeated listening or even much thought. Perhaps because the mix of white noise in the original had hurt my ears too much and worried my existing tinnitus I’d been hesitant to re-experience as such in the remixes. I played the song twice on repeat, which is something I usually don’t do. Probably I should tell you how it sounds. Supposedly the Aphex Twin wrote the song to replicate the sound of an asthma attack.
Later after lunch I am walking around the dilapidated heritage buildings of the Cumberland hospital campus. A stranger walking in the carpark flags me down. He is wearing thongs and while a humid day it does strike me he is perspiring more than should be.
“Excuse me, but do you know if there are any nurses around?”
“Sorry, it’s not really that type of hospital.”
“OK. It’s just my doctor is on the North coast and I need some Ventolin.”
I’d love to draw your attention to more description of the stranger.
“I’m not sure, but maybe try some of the (drug) clinics over there?”
The man walks off — rather slow and not short of breath — and I think FUCK if you wrote that in a story, in a scene, no one would believe it because it’d be too forced.
I remember years back, in film class, watching an assessment screening of documentaries for second year. One of the docos was about lesbian lovers and one of the lovers has cancer. Talking head style, she tells us when she was at the doctor’s office and first diagnosed, the first thing she did was walk outside and hug a tree. Rolling credits the lovers are in the park with the trees, no sound 'cuz the filmmakers forgot that piece of gear. End title tells us lover has since passed. Ken Miller the lecturer turns around and goes “Wow! Real life, huh. If you wrote that in a fiction film, no one would ever believe you.”
Now I am writing this and you are reading it.
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