Author Topic: Important things  (Read 1639 times)

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Offline Dr. DTVT

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Important things
« on: October 29, 2018, 08:32:43 PM »
I posted this in Facebook, but I really feel like I should post it here as well.  Slight changes made to remove names.

Twenty years (and two days) ago my life was dramatically changed for the better by a random act of kindness of someone who was merely an acquaintance, a guy who lived across the hall from me my sophomore year of college named Roy. The after effects of that act continue ripple stronger each day. If you are tagged in this post, it is because it is extremely likely that only reason we know each other because of this act of kindness; and it added an important extra dimension to some of my other friendships in grad school. I highly doubt Roy thought he was going to radically alter my life for the better with his gesture – he just wanted to share something he loved with me, and it got me interested in it to, and even though I haven’t seen Roy in 19 years, I think I could easily argue that I might love it more than he does. Sadly, Roy and I didn’t really ever become friends, he transferred and we just ran in different circles while we were at IUP.

Based on who is tagged, you can probably guess the thread that binds us all, so here is the story of how Roy changed my life. I saw Roy walking down the hall holding a CD, and I asked him what it was, knowing he was a bass player. He told me it was Dream Theater album Once In A Livetime, and it was just released that day. That’s when he said, “I’m not going to be around this weekend, why don’t you check it out and let me know what you think Monday?” When Roy returned, I had my own copy of the album as well as two other studio albums, needless to say my mind was blown. All he did was have a conversation and let me borrow something he just bought ten minutes ago.

You have the power to make this world a better place. What may seem like a very small gesture on your part can grow into something so wondrous beyond your imagination to someone else. I only hope that at some point I made a positive change in someone as Roy has made in mine. Beyond the people I have tagged, I have met countless bands, tons of "concert friends" who I keep bumping into at concerts, people without FB accounts, and random strangers showing a knowing glance when we wear are band t-shirts in public or I recognize their tattoos.

Music is awesome, and I love all of you
     

Online lonestar

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Re: Important things
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2018, 08:40:36 PM »
Wait, you just copy/pasted it? Lazy ass...

Offline Dr. DTVT

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Re: Important things
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2018, 08:47:23 PM »
Hey, I am capable of leaving this place again if you want to be that way lonestar.
     

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Re: Important things
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2018, 08:48:15 PM »
Hey, I am capable of leaving this place again if you want to be that way lonestar.

 :heart :-*

Offline Stadler

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Re: Important things
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2018, 07:50:36 AM »
I was almost halfway through the second paragraph and I was still thinking "handjob... I think he's talking about a handjob..."

I don't have someone to credit, unfortunately.   Well, maybe Mike Lapatino, the DJ on WPLR in New Haven.  I heard Pull Me Under on the radio and sort of went from there... But that's how I've found a lot of music in my life.  I hear something (Shazam is probably my favorite app) and investigate.

Offline King Postwhore

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Re: Important things
« Reply #5 on: October 30, 2018, 08:07:02 AM »
Hey, I am capable of leaving this place again if you want to be that way lonestar.

Not without a fight.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
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!
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2018, 12:33:26 PM »
Wait, you just copy/pasted it? Lazy ass...


Hey hipster, not everyone has Facebook, ya know. ;D
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline King Postwhore

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Re: !
« Reply #7 on: October 30, 2018, 12:58:55 PM »
Wait, you just copy/pasted it? Lazy ass...


Hey hipster, not everyone has Facebook, ya know. ;D

I'm amazed you even know how to internet Tim. :lol
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

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Re: Important things
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2018, 01:07:36 PM »
It's easy!

would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline King Postwhore

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Re: Important things
« Reply #9 on: October 30, 2018, 01:08:51 PM »
Your dot matrix printer still working as well?
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

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Re: Important things
« Reply #10 on: October 30, 2018, 04:29:15 PM »
  I heard Pull Me Under on the radio and sort of went from there...

That's my story with DT as well, though most of my love of music comes from my older brothers who had me rocking out to Yes, Rush, and The Who by the time I was 6. They did me a solid in that department for sure.

As to my presence here sole credit goes to an old chef of mine who was a member of the Van Halen forums. I previously had no knowledge of message boards at the time but hearing his stories of the shenanigans made me curious so I checked out Yesfans which turned out to be boring af. Then I found this place, and here I am some 30k posts and countless beautiful friendships and memories later, all exemplified by the past month's gathering at Progstock that would've never been possible without him telling me stupid stories about Van Halen Links. He likes to say EVH made it all possible lol

Offline PetFish

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Re: Important things
« Reply #11 on: October 30, 2018, 04:34:41 PM »
I'm not crying, you're crying.

Cool story, bro.

Offline cramx3

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Re: Important things
« Reply #12 on: October 30, 2018, 06:23:28 PM »
The power of music.  :metal

I had mentioned to a new girl who moved onto my floor in my apartment during the summer before senior year at penn state that I had just heard of this band Dream Theater.  I don't remember how that conversation started, but this girl was really cute and I was really into her when I met her this summer. She went back to her apartment and came back with two albums.  Images & Words and Awake.  It changed my life.  This girl was meaningless in my life (after hanging out a few times, I realized she had a bf and I found her a bit odd to want to continue to hang out with) but those two albums made me a HUGE DT fan.  It lead me to find the old forum on their website that same summer to pose a question about which of their live DVDs to purchase.  The welcoming community had a consensus to wait for Score to be released which was happening in a few weeks.  I didn't listen and got Live at Budokan and was floored even further, but it wasn't too long later this forum formed and I joined after returning to the original forums and noticing it was closed. 

Since then my musical journey has been a fun ride and this place has lead to meeting really cool people around the US.  I only just met Mason recently, but there's so many people here who I really think are cool and good people.  The power of music.

Offline wolfking

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Re: Important things
« Reply #13 on: October 31, 2018, 05:36:10 AM »
Hmmmm......so seems this Dream Theater band must be pretty good then.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

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Re: Important things
« Reply #14 on: October 31, 2018, 05:39:34 AM »
Hmmmm......so seems this Dream Theater band must be pretty good then.

I know right. It has turned into the How I Discovered Dream Theater Thread. :lol
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: Important things
« Reply #15 on: October 31, 2018, 06:12:18 AM »
I may have already told this story:

When? Summer '92. Where? Armpit of the world. Who? Heroin Junkie Record Store Clerk and teen yours truly.


"This Dream Theater one, is it any good?"

"Yeah, they changed singer and they really rock"

"Mmmm dunno. Last time you sold me a record with a baby on the cover, it turned out pretty shitty"

"Nevermind?"

"It focking minds, it was my money!"


And I've never looked back.

Offline New World Rushman

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Re: Important things
« Reply #16 on: October 31, 2018, 06:12:51 AM »
My DT Fandom begins with Rush, long story short:

I was always a Rush fan dating back to when I was a teenager in the 70s, but they were never my favorite band. That all changed in 2002, when I lost my brother in law to cancer. One of the things he and I bonded over was Rush; his favorite band. A little while after his passing, my sister in law received a sympathy card from a distant 2nd cousin with the lyrics to Bravado printed inside. Now there was no way this person could have known that Rush was my B-i-L's favorite band, it was purely coincidental and serendipitous. I have to admit, I was not familiar with the song since I stopped getting into new Rush after Signals. After that I delved deep into all things Rush; music, lyrics, books, internet message boards, anything I could find.

A few other coincidences from then: The first thing I purchased so I could hear this song was the live CD "Different Stages".
I opened the CD booklet and the first thing I read was:

"Suddenly ... You were gone ... from all the lives you left your mark upon. In loving memory of Jackie and Selena". 

Like I said, I had gotten away form Rush since the early 80s and wasn't aware of Neil's tragedies, so had no idea who Jackie and Selena were. But seeing those words after the tragedy my family had just been through was crazy. I think it was then that I started internet searches, and reading stories about what happened. They just came out with a new album, Vapor Trails, and a lot of those lyrics from Neil are about dealing with loss, as well as his book, Ghost Rider, which came out a couple months later.

I went to the VT tour show in NJ on Nov 6, 2002, and of course they were playing Bravado on that tour; myself, my wife, and her sister (the one that just lost her husband) were all balling like babies during that.

Short story long (Ha!), it is because of that one sympathy card, 16 years ago, that I am the Rush nut I am today, and how I discovered DT, by seeing them mentioned on various Rush boards.

"And if the music stops
There’s only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain
If love remains
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost"

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: Important things
« Reply #17 on: October 31, 2018, 06:14:35 AM »
Brohugs back at ya Doc.  It was about 22 years ago for me in discovering DT, and the release of 8vm (actually, the "release" of Elements of Persuasion that was labeled as 8vm  :lol) that brought me to the DTFs.  So, I guess we have pirating to thank for me being here.

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Offline JayOctavarium

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Re: Important things
« Reply #18 on: October 31, 2018, 09:09:55 AM »
I love most all of you!

I just don't understand what they were trying to achieve with any part of the song, either individually or as a whole. You know what? It's the Platypus of Dream Theater songs. That bill doesn't go with that tail, or that strange little furry body, or those webbed feet, and oh god why does it have venomous spurs!? And then you find out it lays eggs too. The difference is that the Platypus is somehow functional despite being a crazy mishmash or leftover animal pieces

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Offline cramx3

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Re: Important things
« Reply #19 on: October 31, 2018, 09:18:23 AM »
Hmmmm......so seems this Dream Theater band must be pretty good then.

I know right. It has turned into the How I Discovered Dream Theater Thread. :lol

True, but I made sure to include how that lead me to meet the people here as well which I think was part of the point

Offline Dr. DTVT

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Re: Important things
« Reply #20 on: October 31, 2018, 10:10:01 AM »
This post wasn’t about me discovering DT, it’s about seeming small gestures having bigger impacts.

Yesterday my store was giving out candy for trick or treat, and we ran out.  Some kid was disappointed, and a high school age customer gives the kid two dollars to go to the candy machine and get a big ass candy bar instead of the bite sizes we handed out.  The kid got a candy bar and a lesson in human compassion.
     

Offline Lonk

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Re: Important things
« Reply #21 on: October 31, 2018, 10:29:41 AM »
Thank you for sharing the story!

I don't think I have any story like this one (Small gesture turning into a life changing moment).

I guess the first time I ever played a guitar could count. I was interested in music since I was 9-10 years old, but my parents didn't have the money to buy anything for me. When I was 16 years old, a friend of mine got an acoustic guitar. I asked him to let me play it, he taught me some very simple chords and arpeggios and after that, I knew I had to have my own guitar. 2 years later I got my first guitar for my 18th birthday, and I've been playing ever since.

My first guitar was a cheap classical guitar but it did the work.
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Re: Important things
« Reply #22 on: October 31, 2018, 10:44:02 AM »
This post wasn’t about me discovering DT, it’s about seeming small gestures having bigger impacts.


I know..

I was kidding because the follow up was a bunch of DT discoveries posts.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol