Zep's Effect on Sanity

What is it about hearing a Led Zeppelin song that makes you want to break out into a Dionysian wine dance AND jump off a cliff at the same time?

I think the fact that music is so intimately intertwined with memories (which at the time, seemed like completely mundane experiences, but are now painful reminders of what you DON'T have anymore) is just another one of God's cruel cosmic jokes.

I mean, think about it, it's just like when you're walking through a crowded place and you get a whiff of a cologne/perfume that transports you to this alternate universe where you're all of a sudden hand-in-hand with that "one that got away" or "the one that completely ripped my heart out." Then, you are rudely disappointed by the image of some horribly unattractive man/woman (or whatever have you) who is unfairly wearing the same scent that your ex wears. From that point on, your day is just completely shattered because not only have you been reminded of someone you USED to love (or perhaps still do), but now the smell is stuck in your nose and you'd give anything to just be happy and carefree again.

My point is... the basic senses that we have are not simply "basic" at all. They're tools of destruction, designed to break our spirits and kill us slowly. Sure, sure... we've been conditioned to love our senses but when you think about it - what do they truly accomplish beyond the obvious, most rudimentary survival needs? Sure, we are able to see, smell, taste, hear and feel... but beyond that, our memories use that information to torment us for the rest of our lives. And most sinisterly, that information usually comes back to us when we least expect it.

Just like Led Zeppelin. Yeah, you think they're all fun and games, and just good old rock & roll but no, hearing them is both orgasmic and terribly heartwrenching. Probably not to you... but of course they are to me (more proof of my stupid senses backfiring on me).

To support my aformentioned theory that our senses are out to kill us during our most vulnerable times, I'll tell a VERY SHORT story. I was innocently surfing myspace yesterday (please reserve your guffaw for later) when I was unexpectedly greeted by one of those new playlist things that seems to be taking over profiles left and right. Through my laptop speakers, I began to hear Jimmy Page's crunching, yet catchy, guitar intro of "Heartbreaker." I wanted to rock out and cry at the same time because of course, anything Led Zeppelin reminds me of my last boyfriend. As soon as Robert Plant started to sing, it was definitely over. Needless to say, I denied that friend request.

I am proposing a boycott - a boycott of the senses, that is. Because really, it's just not fair to be put through this kind of torture - especially when Zeppelin songs are so easily accessed via myspace.