Thursday, January 21, 2016

January 21 - Dazed and Confused

Ever since I heard Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast and not much later watched the movie The Omen, the number 666 has been high on my list of interesting numbers. Since I am not a Christian, this interest is more curious, especially in how this number came to symbolize evil (if I were, I doubt I would focus as heavy on Revelations as the current rapture believers (I almost called them a rapture cult)). So, when I drove to Molde with my friend Hanne Kapelrud - I must have been in my early twenties - I simply had to turn down onto state highway 666 when I saw the sign. What I didn't expect was how this little detour would make me feel.

Hanne and I were on our way to visit a gathering of teetotalers in Molde, about 3-4 hours drive from our hometown, Trondheim. It was a strictly social event for us, and our spirits were high on our way there. The weather wasn't the best, but it wasn't horrible either, and we had Led Zeppelin's first album playing on the car stereo. It was getting dark, and Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You had given way to You Shook Me and, finally, Dazed and Confused. That's when we saw it: the white rectangle symbolizing a state highway with the number 666 in it. The decision was immediate. I turned on my turn indicator, and exited on to state highway 666.

We were not going to go far, but the rain had intensified and the darkness was embracing the car, the wet, black night sucking all reflections out of the headlights. Dazed and Confused entered its psychedelic section, and I could not find a place to turn the car around. Right then and there, I felt like we were sucked down this road with no recourse - and the stereo spewed out the doom of Jimmy Page attacking his guitar with a violin bow.

Now it couldn't have lasted very long, but it felt like it did. The feeling stayed with me, and it is revisited every time I listen to Dazed and Confused from Led Zeppelin's eponymous debut album. Please enjoy!


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