Save Memories by Your Ears

友人K赴日旅遊，只買了一張CD。他說，妳知道的，Keith Jarrett封面有玫瑰的那張。其實我對Jarrett先生的認識，僅限於大家都知道的傳奇經典-柯隆音樂會，以及某次出於好奇買的，演奏宗教聖歌那張，但我猜他說的大概就是「Death and the Flower」，如右圖示。K在旅程中反覆聆聽，那張買來作個紀念的專輯。於是當他結束旅程，再聽那音樂時，就又好像回到在東京的時光。所以，為什麼總要拍個幾百張照片，在下次旅行前也還整理不完？用耳朵和喜歡的音樂儲存旅行吧。


過沒多久，某個尋常夏夜，我踏著輕快的腳步，走在下班的路上。我選了久久沒聽，不知是否還健在的美國獨立樂團Flin Flon，陪我一起走。

Ukraina by Flin Flon

from the album a-ok







然後，我聽到了那首『Ukraina』，不小心把很久以前的回憶叫了出來。那時候我們還有某棟樓高三層的唱片行，那時候還沒有MP3人們依然購買CD，而我又回到了那個炙熱的午後，我們聚在某層樓，進行一種叫做「盤點」的行為。那時候我們邊聽著這樣的音樂，用手一張一張撫過架上的CD，不知道幾年以後，那些CD、CD架以及所有的人，都將流散。

那時候我們整天聽著音樂，我們甚至共有一本筆記留在服務台，本子裡塗畫著關於音樂、關於工作的大小事，互相傳來傳去。我們竟然從不曾懷疑，如此單純而美好的時光，會是暫時。除了主管，我沒有其他煩惱。那是我第一份真心喜歡的工作。當我必須離開時，我沿路把失控的淚水留在公車上，留在通往學校的山坡上，留在一份不及格的期末考卷上。

如今，我已到達緊握僅有回憶不放的年紀了。但是，在音樂結束以前，我的確回到了那裡。那些人的臉孔早已模糊，只有那個午後的光亮與溫度，原封不動的印在我的皮膚上。無論如何，這首歌聽完了，再找下一首就好。僅管記憶不全都是這樣輕易浮現，而有些還是別隨便跑出來比較好。

下一首歌，已經在等你播放。

Next song...

Goodbye To All That by The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group

from the album Sniff






My friend K took a trip to Japan, he brought only one CD back. He said, "You know, it's Keith Jarrett's album, cover with a rose that one." Actually I don't know much about Jarrett, unless the legendary The Köln Concert, and bought an album that he played sacred hymns of G.I. Gurdjieff (only by curiosity). But I'm sure that what he bought is 'Death and the Flower', as his souvenir. He listened and listened this album during his trip. In the end, when he back from the trip and played that album again, he found he's back to his time in Tokyo.

So, why we waste time in shooting hundreds of pictures? You don't even have time to put them into your photo books! Try carring your favorite music, then memorized your voyage by your ears.

Another summer night, I took brisk steps on my way home. I chose the music by an indie band 'Flin Flon' to walk with me. Suddenly, I heard their song "Ukraina" and some memories soon came out. I'm back to the time when we still have a large record shop, the time when we don't have MP3s and still buying CDs. And I'm back to the time when I still working in a record shop, in one summer afternoon, while we were gathering to check CDs. We were listening to this kind of music when we work, not knowing the CDs and people here would be separated in some years latter.

We listened to the music all day, we share everything about music and work to each other. Everything is pure pleasure. The first job I truly in love with. When I had to leave the job, (they need a full time, I can't) I cried and cried, tears over my way to school, tears in my failed test paper.

Now, it's the end of the music. In the memory, faces of these people became faint, but the light and the warm of the afternoon are well memorized in my skin. Anyway, just play another song, though memories are not so easy to reveal, and some we don't really want to recall.