Mouth Breathers – Fanfarlo Mouth Breathers
The Barry. (Image courtesy of Andrew Nedimyer)
My best friend Barry and I have gotten into some sticky situations. Real sticky. And no matter how sticky things get, Barry somehow keeps his cool while I go bonkers.
The stint that Barry and I spent working in a coal mine was a very dark time for me. The working conditions of the colliery destroyed me. Hours in complete darkness breathing toxic materials pushed me to depression and insomnia. I lost track of what day and time it was. I started collecting random pieces of garbage and storing them beneath my bed. My fish died because I didn’t clean his bowl.
Meanwhile, Barry flourished in the mines. He won a lobster dinner for producing so much coal and his chipper “go get ‘em” attitude. He also volunteered at the local rec center teaching senior citizens how to play basketball. He won the lottery, and donated the winnings to some animal-helping organization. In efforts to cheer me up, he would bring an extra pack of fruit snacks to share with me. It only made my demeanor the worse. I couldn’t fathom how he could tolerate the hours we spent in what to me was a tomb.
It wasn’t until just recently that I discovered that the entire time we were in the mine, Barry had been listnening to the song “The Walls Are Coming Down” by Fanfarlo on his headphones. Bright, rich, and ornate. Uplifting choruses crescendo over swooping strings and horns. Maybe what it would be like if you could eat a whole apple pie without any guilt. Sweet.
‘The Walls Are Coming Down’
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That Barry, he knows what he is doing.
Did you work in a coal mine? I Did not know that. This is going to require some additional explanation.
Posted by joe on May 2nd, 2010
They remind me a little of Beirut. Very good!
Posted by Allie on May 3rd, 2010