Study and the Exorcist music
Some Background thoughts
Over the years I have found there are two experiences of study:
i) The actual feeling you get when you are revising and studying
ii) The feeling you think you had when you were studying and revising. Usually this is the romantic notion of study invoked in Hollywood films
The actual feeling conjured up while studying, in my experience, has not usually been a great one. It is full of boring reading and trying to get my head around some obscure point or another. With the added pressure of knowing that I will be examined at some later date.
On the other hand, you also get the “study” shown in movies. You know, like when some teenage guy/girl is up against the ropes with exams around the corner. They study with books sprawled in a library and coffee shop. Along with some thoughtful sound track that is simply perfect to study and revise to.
This is a story where my brother and I had watched too many study based Hollywood films and thought we would go all Rocky on our upcoming exams only to be slapped back to reality.
The Story
The Christmas holidays had come in my final year of uni. The folks were away and had left me and my younger brother home alone. This was so that we could focus on our upcoming exams.
Another thing to note was that one of the Christmas gifts I had received was the Ibiza Chill Out album. It was cool; instrumental versions of songs and what seemed perfect to have in the background while studying. Stimulating, yet not too heavy that they would distract from the study.
A week had gone by and we still had not touched the books. Each day thinking of a new excuse as to why it was not to be and that tomorrow will be a better start.
The day of the books finally came, and obviously we had to get all the other stuff done for that day. You know, important stuff like house chores, PS2 (this was a long time ago), eating and then more cleaning. Anyway, it finally came to the evening and we could not find anything else to delay so the books finally came out.
The Scene
We were on either side of the dining table, each with table lamps – I did say we had watched too many study based movies. Because we were so focused (obviously) we did not have time to draw the curtains closed. Some snacks and drinks in between with the Chill out music on my stereo plugged in and set on the window ledge.
Me: “Hey, we have been here for an hour and looks like we are getting through some stuff.”
Brother: “Yeah, don’t know we were waited all this time to start. Next time just get started asap.”
Me: “Yup, good idea. Its getting to midnight, you want to see about doing a few hours before we call it a night?”
Brother: “Good idea, got into the flow now, plus we have not finished the CD yet.”
For the next part to really make an impact. Picture two kids in a darkened room reading and intensely making notes whilst listening to chilled out instrumental movie tracks. All the while the window on the far wall showing a night of pitch black. In fact, the rest of the house was silent and without a light on throughout. It felt good, studying with my younger brother and learning new stuff that was, for once, making sense.
Suddenly we both stopped! The music took a disturbing turn. The soundtrack to the Exorcist movie came on. You know, the one with the chiming bells. In a heartbeat the music went from chill out to Chilling!
(To this day I still have not figured what they must have been thinking to put that track on a CHILL OUT album!)
Me: “Ha Ha” - sounding more nervous than I wanted to - “you want to turn it off.”
Being closer to the stereo, my brother got up and went over to the stereo, all the while the chiming was getting louder. One other thing to note is that my stereo had been with me through 3 years at uni. This meant it had a few bruises and developed what may be considered character traits. One of which was the dodgy stop button. It required a double tap – something I had forgotten to tell him.
Brother: “Dude, its not stopping! What the heck (he actually said something else), it’s not stopping. This ain’t funny!”
Me: “Calm, down.” I got up and went over to the stereo and tried but in the darkened room could not quite find the sweet double tap. So instead I pulled the plug thinking it would stop the music. But the chiming Exorcist carried on in its intensity!
(Given the context I cannot really blame my brother for what he did next.)
When I pulled the plug and still had not stopped the music – we both looked up into the window which by now was effectively a black mirror reflecting two clearly terrified faces.
I have never clarified but I think he must have thought there was some kind of supernatural thing going on. A split second later he screamed at the top of his lungs, grabbed the stereo and smashed it across the wall; and then ran out of the room still screaming.
Now I can’t say I was much clearer minded and might have been a few seconds away from doing the same. However, being stunned into standing there in the aftermath, I noticed the backup batteries rolling out of the broken stereo – ones that I completely forgot I had put in earlier that year.
That night we slept with our bedroom doors open.
Lesson: Study is hard and not to be taken light heartedly! And always check through the full playlist before settling in to a dimly lit study session!