Angelo Badalamenti might have left this world behind, but his music still has extraordinary power, especially in the night, especially on the deserted streets.
I figured this out decades ago, walking around town late at night, listening to his collaborations with Lynch on my first shitty walkman. When you're alone in town, surrounded by a sleeping city, and familiar areas become strange and dark, nothing is better than the smooth, dark sounds of Badalamenti for strutting through it.
It's the perfect soundtrack for the darkness all around, the endless black sky, the empty streets, the lonely car driving around, the distant barks of lonely dogs, the cats in their weird gatherings on the silent roads.
All of his work is wonderful, but I have a special place in my heart for the Fire Walk With Me soundtrack, especially on those night wanderings. The thrust of The Pink Room, the groove of A Real Indication, the eternal charms of the main theme music, the heartbreak of Questions in a World of Blue, the everything of The Black Dog Runs At Night.
My last Walkman got thrown out a long time ago, but I've rediscovered the joy of Angelo in the night. I've downloaded all the soundtracks onto my phone, and I am listening to that on my nightly walks. And I'm not alone on the quiet streets anymore, I've got my ghost of my previous self from all those years ago, walking in my same steps, walking to these strange beats.
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