First off dear @calluna,

I have to say that I was biased coming into this. When I saw the picture, my first thought was, "Am going to survive the song?" I've never been a huge punk fan. I've liked things here and there throughout the years. In fact, as I am writing this, the first time I remember hearing punk was when a babysitter of mine introduced me to a band named Green Jello and their song, "The Three Little Pigs, at the ripe age of 11-12 ish. I couldn't get enough! lol.

Well, suffice to say, "Soft Smoke" has been on repeat since hearing it. Really enjoyable and catchy toon.

PG - since the age of 2!?! What a fucked up little girl. Makes me wonder about the parents.

I was once in a similar situation but much later in life, like when I was 24-26. This psychopathic con artist got me to start cutting people out of my life if they didn't agree to give me money so that I could give him the money (basic scenario). A beautiful person entered my life. "Skinny Love" was a song of ours. "I'll be holding all the tickets and you'll be holding all the fines," was one verse that always stuck in my head. I asked the powers at be for at least a year with her and not let me get in the way of it. You see, one year is what I would get when I was younger, one year to make new friends, one year to get past the bullies, one year until I'd be a new kid at another school, one year in another house before moving on to the next. We got our year together and I wish I was better to have at least have kept her in my life - trauma stuff got in the way. (There was an awesome acoustic version of a WB Yeats poem that also reminds me of her - I searched and couldn't find it.)

I used to sing, at least that is what I called it, various song a lot from early childhood up until about 26ish. I always had a pair of earplugs in and sang. In the car I drove for a short time, I had the music blasting and my voice behind it. - Around the 7th grade, I learned it was not proper to sing out loud the whole tape of Gun's N' Roses "Use Your Illusions 2" because "what we got there was a failure to communicate" between my dad, step-mom, and me about how MUCH! that album meant to me in my life at that time. "Some men you just can't reach," so, after they took away my favorite album in the world, I pulled out the mix-tape that had been made by the person who gave me the album and never sung out loud in front of them again. HAHA

Around the age of 26, even before then, I began to notice how depressing and melancholy the music coming out of the American airwaves was. It took some time to start forcing myself to listen to different music. Not having a guide around, it was tough. In time, I came across "This Earth is not a Cold Dead Place" by Explosions in the Sky. Many years later, ambient, post-rock type of stuff has been some of my favorites to listen too.

I am more sensitive to words in songs too. Much of what I grew up listening to and much of what is played on the radio puts images into one's mind that don't lead us down a path of intelligence and self-realization. No - sex, drug, rock n' roll and mumble rap - that is what we get no-a-days.

I really have enjoy writing all of this from what you have provided here. It is something that I needed to read as I'm that guy standing with his back to the wall most of the time, to afraid to mingle, to afraid to be "normal", oh ... wait, that's a good thing - shit, I'm screwing up my negative attitude already. Bwahaha!!!

Doing the QITR together was one of the most awesome experiences I've ever had and I'm very thankful to have gotten to work with fine writters such yourself. There is a little space here for us - outsiders.

Awesome work.

Now, it is like an hour past my bedtime but I couldn't sleep before getting this all out. Don't get used to it. Inspiration like this hits only so every other blue moon. 8-)