“Disco Stu doesn’t advertise”

I really wish I had a picture of Andy in his Disco Stu garb at Philmont. It was, perhaps, one of the greatest outfits from the Crater Lake ’96 experience. OK, Special K lighting our “Olympic” campfire in a bedsheet toga (Were teddy bears on it? I can’t remember) was probably the best costume ever, but Disco Stu comes in a close second. We were in the middle of the wilderness, after all!

Why am I reminiscing (again) about Philmont (yet again)…AGAIN? Did I mention I’m thinking of Philmont again?

Because I finally found the CD I had been looking for since that Summer! One of the CDs Ron brought was a “Greatest Hits” of John Williams. I listened to it all the time. I never wrote down the name of the recording though and at the time, it wasn’t called “John Williams’ Greatest Hits.” I had been searching in vain for 9 years for a copy of the CD and I finally have it! Every time I listen to it, I think back to the glorious Crater Days.

It’s actually an updated version – from 1969-99, which obviously wouldn’t have been available in 1996. It has all the stuff I wanted on it: Star Wars, Superman, Jaws, Jurassic Park…the list goes on! How could anyone pass up such a grand collection from the most memorable film composer of all time? I challenge you to name a composer who has had more impact on the industry and on popular culture…I triple-dog-dare you. You just can’t do it!

The long lost possession was purchased on Thursday and I’ve been listening to it ever since. On Saturday, Aly would keep coming in asking, “Is that Star Wars?” and I’d tell her it wasn’t. She’d walk away dejected. Then, when the “Imperial March” would come on, she’d run in and say “That’s Star Wars!” and start walking around the room singing along with the song.

My kids love the Star Wars soundtrack. It’s almost frightening how much they like it. I can’t rewind the movie without showing the entire credit listing because they want to hear the music. I know I wasn’t like that when I was a kid. (Warning: confession time…)When I was about Aiden’s age, my parents bought me an audio tape of the soundtrack from The Empire Strikes Back. I was disappointed that it wasn’t one of those storybook recordings – it was just a bunch of music with no words or anything. So, I tucked the tape away and didn’t listen to it until I was a freshman in high school. It was that rediscovery that helped me realize that classical music could be kinda cool. See – soundtracks are a gateway “drug” into the more serious stuff.

So, where did I find the John Williams collection? There was a media sale at school with the proceeds going to help a family move down to New Orleans and be involved with a new church work in the city. It was only two bucks! Not only was my secret desire fulfilled, but it was dirt cheap at the same time!

Oh happy day!

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Howdy. I'm Matt. My wife, Christy, and I have four kids and two dogs, I'm passionate about orphan care. I'm a die-hard fan of the Evansville Aces, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Star Wars. I'm trying to live life by the Todd family motto: "It behooves us to live!"
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