21st Avenue Laundry & Stories I'll Never Hear

So I finally bit the bullet and got my laundry on. I had been fine for awhile but I had a few bags of laundry riding along in the backseat of my car, taunting me. In one of those bags was my "Texas is for Lovers" t-shirt and I needed it bad.

Sunday evening I found myself at a laundromat on 21st Avenue, for the first and last time. The place was not the glamorized version you see in music videos, but the walls were stocked with faded headshots, autographed by stars that used to be or never were. This is very Nashville - even the Post Office has them. I imagined this to be the place where many a song was inspired back in the day and wondered what legend had used the machine before. It was a fun way to pass the time...that, and people watching. In true Nashville fashion, characters came out of the ever-so-nostalgic woodwork.

One fella appeared to be in his mid-twenties and reminded me of a young Leonardo DiCaprio - a character out of a 90's movie. He fit well with the surroundings with his Doc Marten compat boots, camo shorts and a t-shirt like Abercrombie tries to imitate - only these holes were earned, not bought. As he listened to the iPod's grandfather, a cassette playing walkman, he seemed lost in the story it told...sometimes holding the ear of his headphone, as if to understand it better that way. I wondered what his story was.

Another dude was older and had just enough hair to pull back in an unsettling ponytail. He wore a tight wife beater, but worry not... I don't think he has a wife, if you know what I mean. Perhaps it was his shaved underarms that gave me that idea. As I was folding, I noticed a tattoo on his arm that reminded me of the cover art on an old 70's vinyl record. I wondered what his story was.

Two older ladies made wagers on how many quarters it would take to get their comforters dry, as if they were experts on the matter. While they were making their bets, I continued the Vegas mentality at the change machine. I scooped up my quarters, each one plinking out victoriously, and I pretended it was a slot machine and I was a high rolla. A comment that initiated a "right on" from my mysterious Walkman friend.

It should be noted that all these characters were quite friendly and I never felt unsafe...except maybe when the proprietor lady wasn't quite satisfied with my quarter inserting techniques and had to set me straight. I didn't really wonder what her story was...I reckon she didn't have any reason for her sour disposition, as she was clearly taking all of us to the cleaners, literally, with her overpriced machines and dryers that "recommended 8 Quarters for best results" when it only needed 3. Oh, don't even get me started.

I am now in the market for a washer and dryer. I have the hookups where I live and while I am intrigued by the human landscape, it wasn't enough to keep me coming back.

While all this is going down, a few tracks from Virginia Coalition are serving as the soundtrack to it all...

This record is amazing! The title track Home This Year is my anthem, for obvious reasons. Sing Along is melodic and hopeful...it will be your new favorite.