Based in Sydney, Australia, Foundry is a blog by Rebecca Thao. Her posts explore modern architecture through photos and quotes by influential architects, engineers, and artists.
But the reason I make this confession is to talk about the music from The OC.
For those unfamiliar with this particular early 2000s-time capsule, it’s basically a fish-out-of-water-surrounded-by-pretty-and-empty-people-teen ‘drama’.
Which released a series of successful soundtrack albums filled with indie tracks that they used to underscore the emotions of the show.
Late in my time at high school, somehow or another, I started falling down the music rabbit hole.
Not by playing an instrument — I suspect I’m completely tone deaf — but rather learning about, seeking out and listening to different and varied types of music.
Like most teenagers thrashing about down this particular path there were missteps (Limp Bizkit…) and ‘discoveries’ (Lauryn Hill, Jeff Buckley, The Doves) that I would sit there, for hours, and listen to on my father’s old headphones.
(Remember when you had the time to just sit there and listen to music without interruption?)
One album that I fell head over heels for was Silent Alarm, by Bloc Party. It remains one of my favourite albums of all time. I love all of the songs on that album, but Blue Light is a particular stand out.
But this period of musical discovery was actually pretty lonely.
None of my friends listened to this kind of music, or were really that interested in discovering newer stuff. My parents’ record collection was limited, albeit with some gold in it (Harvest, Physical Graffiti, Graceland, Rumours).
My only real sounding board were the monthly Rolling Stones I’d save my Hungry Jack’s ‘wages’ for. (Looking back, I think it took me longer to earn the money at my hourly rate than it took to read the magazine).
Over time, you start to think you’re the only one really living in this space and come to accept that mild loneliness.
That it’s probably easier to just leave people be than trying to trumpet the newest band you’ve just found or the greatest song they just have to hear.
Because do that often enough, and you’re just kind of being a pain in the neck.
That maybe that’s just one of your weirdnesses, one of the gaps between you and ‘everyone else’ that you’re best off not expressing because who wants to stand out from the crowd?
Of course, coming out of high school I met a different group of people, a group that showed how much I had to learn, with ideas and artists and songs that I’d never heard and knew nothing about.
Which was quite the revelation, to be explored another day.
And with that, we come back to The OC.
Because, part of that revelation was the moment in the OC when they played Blue Light from Silent Alarm in a pivotal scene.
It was in the first episode of the third season and bundled together a departing brother, a Greyhound bus cliche and the resolution of a major storyline in one night scene (with bonus Sandy Cohen and shot montage!).
All wrapped up as the main refrain from Bloc Party’s Blue Light played.
I was shocked and exclaimed to my girlfriend — “I love that song!”.
Looking back, it’s one of the times I realised that I wasn’t really alone when it came to music; that there’s this whole world out there of other people who feel the same way about songs.
And that you’re not silly for feeling the way you do about things.
And that if you’re feeling something, there’s a really, really good chance someone else is too.
Which brings us — eventually and circuitously — back to the idea of Financial Loneliness.
You are absolutely, 100%, completely and totally NOT the only person in the world, or your community, or your circle of friends or your family that does not ‘get this stuff’.
It’s not a fact that you should ‘get it’.
In my experience, the majority of people don’t really know what they’re doing with their money.
They don’t really understand what money does, or can do, or can prevent them from doing.
You are not alone.
It’s just that none of us talk about it, for fear of being seen as stupid.
So be easy on yourself.
You’re not alone.
But you should start working out what you need to do to get the skills you need to take control.
That’s a topic for another post, but if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this:
