Portland, OR

So, here is a little something about me: My favorite band growing up, from the ages of, oh, let’s say, 11 to adulthood, was a New Zealand-Australian band, Split Enz. I bought every CD, tape and vinyl album I could get my hands on. I had Tim Finn’s solo stuff, and then moved into Crowded House territory, developing a huge crush on Neil Finn. The nineties hit, and I moved onto liking other bands, but Split Enz always held a very special place in my music-loving heart.

Other favorite bands: XTC and the Pixies. Yeah, I was a bit odd. Though now, everyone loves the Pixies, so there. I am cool, now.

Anyhoo, this weekend VH1 Classic is doing this annoyingly addictive 80 Hours of 80’s Music Videos, and I awaited with baited breath to see if my beloved Split Enz was going to be represented. It must have been around midnight last night, and yes, “I Got You” was the one and only video that was shown. A great song, but my word, there are so many more ( I know because I have the History of the Enz video collection on VHS). I ended up staying up late looking for more Split Enz videos on YouTube, eventually ending up on Tim Finn’s MySpace page. And hold the phone, Tim is playing Doug Fir tomorrow night. Holy Sh*t!!

By the way, I found some videos of Pearl Jam covering “I See Red” and “I Got You.” That was a little weird for me, as I have never really liked Pearl Jam, not because they suck, but because they were so over-played in the Nineties. Although, I did see them before the over-exposure, and they put on a pretty good show.

Tickets are somewhat pricey at $28, but I am sure it will be well worth it. Tim is a musical god to me, and I am really looking forward to hearing some of the old Enz songs and some of his earlier songs, too. Not to say I don’t like his new stuff, as I do, but there is something magical about music in that it can transport you back to a certain point in your life, or remind you of a person, or a place. I remember the family road trip up to our cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, me in the back seat, with my headphones on, listening to Split Enz and Crowded House for the whole six-hour drive. My poor parents — they got me that Sony Walkman, thinking it would keep me quiet, but instead, I suffered some hearing damage and drove them crazy singing along to “Dirty Creature” and “Bold as Brass.”

More Finn-related news: Neil’s son, Liam Finn, will be playing Portland later this month, September 24. He has gone solo from his band, Betchadupa, and his album is pretty good. I forget off-hand where he is playing…but I am definitely checking that show out as well. If you see me there, say hi. I have red hair and black glasses — good luck.

Split Enz, Crowded House, Tim Finn, Neil Finn, Doug Fir, New Zealand, Australia, VH1 Classic, Dirty Creature, Bold as Brass, Pearl Jam, I Got You, I See Red, History of the Enz, Liam Finn, Portland, Betchadupa