When i got sent to Australia 4 years ago, i was psyched because i finally had a better chance to watch one of my favourite bands, Deftones live. I was also psyched up because i had this stereotypical image of beach, sun and women in bikinis cycling around in uni giggling and how Ayer’s rock is right on the backdoor. But i was quite surprised how my uni is flooded my mainland chinese students. University of new south wales.. heh… more like University of Southern China..

ANYWAY

3 years after, Deftones made an Aussie tour and performed in a festival. But i was in Brunei stuck for vacation work. The closest chance i had was in 2nd year, when the lead singer, Chino Moreno toured with his side project, team sleep. They were playing in my uni but i had a physics exam the next morning. I did badly in the exam, if i had known, i could’ve gone to the concert. I’ve gone to a LOT of concerts here in Sydney and i find it silly that i haven’t had the chance to go for one that i’ve wished for since i was 14 years old.

The worst, probably, was the Dashboard Confessional concert. Don’t get me wrong, i love listening to Dashboard Confessional but when i went to the concert, i stepped in the emo zone. Apparently, hugging each other to tears during Chris’s solo in “So Impossible” among men is acceptable among emos, or at least during the concert, an action easily condemned as über gayness outside the musical halls. Maybe to them, this was “the night with Julio, what happens in Bangkok, stays there” scenario.

My junior, who was emo that time, suggested we join in and hugged. Like a Cobra (with arms and legs..and clothes) cornered, I responded with nothing less than a fierce hiss and an provoked defensive stance to evade any over emotional man-man affection that would taint my manly red hot mojo. I’m not homophobic but it doesn’t mean i’m prepared to give take it up the arse to see the other point of view (the wall). I don’t give a shit if monkeys raped you as a kid, i’d help you for therapy but you are not going to hug me over an emo song. We never fitted in that crowd, we were the only ones who were moshing and jumping about when “Hands Down” was played, while couples and buddies made out.

Going back to Deftones, my deftones t-shirt is probably the t shirt that has survived for the past 4 years of uni. I have always treated this shirt with TLC during laundry. It was my favourite t shirt. It’s all faded from the washings, with the graphics all cracked but you could clearly figure out it’s deftones. I got my washed out black jeans, since form 4 i believe, i stole it from my brother, which is why length was never a factor, it was always too long. My hair isn’t going to stay on for long. Judging from my uncles (from both sides of the family) non-existent hairline, baldness is a destined curse for me. I just need a smashing deftones concert to go to.

So I got my faded t shirt, my washed out jeans, maybe a bandana and hopefully, memories from an awesome concert so 30 years from now on, little children will be told that granddad is awesome and the mass produced hip-hop noise (sang by singers whose names suggest that they probably have triarchic disorders) they listen to these days, is bucketloads of shit or the very least, would probably make an elephant take a shit.

Listening back to old music sure makes you remember how you feel back then. How you wanted and strived for freedom. How you wanted to finish school so badly. The priceless idiotic things friends did at school. The people you’ve loved, liked and hated. The ninjas and useless things you’ve done at night with friends. The times you’ve wondered how you’re going to turn out after 10 years. I’ve sure been taken back for a flash back, i can’t stop smiling. This is another topic, it’s deep and it’s hilarious, i’ll be glad to talk about once the gang meets up again, after 4 years

(Title of this post is taken from one of the most liberating songs ever, “Be Quiet and Drive”)

lieben Deftones.