The writings on the wall

I am intrigued by what people write on the walls of bathrooms at clubs. Maybe I read them to beat the boredom of standing in the long lines that seem to form only at female bathrooms. Or maybe because among the usual "so-and-so was here" and "X loves Y", there are some genuinely interesting things on those walls. I found this at the MonAstery in Grahamstown, where the bathrooms are unisex and the scribblings a little more creative.

And then there is this, the most wonderful collection of music, literature, theatre and philosophy in the form of quotes scribbled down on an A4 page, stuck to the inside of a toilet door at the top floor of the Rhodes University English department. 

"If we shadows have offended,
 Think but this, and all is mended—
 That you have but slumbered here
 While these visions did appear.
 And this weak and idle theme,
 No more yielding but a dream"
- A Midsummer Night's Dream

"We read the world wrong, and say it deceives us" - Tagore

"Cloudlight
Floating in magically colorful pieces of sky
Pieces of skylight"
Cloudlight - Eskmo

“If only, if only…”
The moon speaks no reply,
Reflecting the sun and all that’s gone by.
Be strong, my weary wolf;
Turn around boldly.
Fly high, my baby bird—
My angel, my only.

If only, if only,”
The woodpecker sighs,
“The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies.”
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely;
Crying to the moon,
“If only, if only…” - Holes

"It was only a kiss. How did it end up like this?"
Mr Brightside - The Killers

"It all started with a man who lost his cat" - Murakami

"I think I'll go home and mull this over before I cram it down my throat
At long last it's crashed, the colossal mass has broken up into bits in my moat."
Caring is Creepy - The Shins

Gangs of Ballet on the soundtrack to my life - check

I thought that having a favourite band was something we did in our teen years when we were young and impressionable and liked to be able to say ‘that’s my song’. I thought that we’d grow up and learn to tolerate whatever was played on the radio when driving to work, much like our parents do. That we wouldn’t always religiously follow a band, be it Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance or heaven forbid, Westlife, just because it defined the years and the experiences, the good, the bad and everything in between.

I thought all of these things until I heard Gangs of Ballet on the radio for the first time. It was one of those wait stop what is that song that’s playing moments.  When I realised they were just a small band from my home town – Durban - doing something big in this world, I was blown away. And just when I thought I could not have more love for their music, I heard them live a few months later. 

In a dark, crowded club with a cold beer in hand surrounded by good friends and one of the most amazing guys I know, Gangs of Ballet began to play and I found myself shouting ‘this is my song!’ to no one in particular.

"...Someone's got to fight for it. No one's here to give it up. Someone's got to fight for you..."

Cue goosebumps.

I now accept the possibility that I may never hear anything as beautiful as Hello Sweet World live again. And that’s ok because that one experience is enough to make my life. The music is powerful. It’s haunting. It’s anthemic. Most importantly, the message that comes through from their lyrics is so genuine and beautiful. 

I recently read an interview in which the lead of Gangs of Ballet, Brad Klynsmith said, "It's only those that make it to the end that win; you can't give up halfway." I get the feeling that they take this approach in the music and in the videos they make, which are exceptional.

My only hope for you, dear reader, is that you too will experience their music live (if you haven’t already), and that you too will learn that no matter how old you are, there will always be a band that defines all the moments that matter. In my case, it is the Gangs of Ballet.

A member of Civil Twilight wears a Gangs of Ballet shirt. That's how cool they are.

Some lyrics, probably cliched

How I wish you could see the potential,
the potential of you and me.
It's like a book elegantly bound but,
in a language that you can't read.

I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab For Cutie