Black Metallic

I recently rediscovered “Black Metallic” by Catherine Wheel and immediately fell back in love with its ‘90s ethereal beauty. Heavy distortion, smoky vocals and a hypnotic guitar solo mark this one as an early ‘90s, alternative classic.

The song speaks of the pained struggles of a floundering relationship. A man’s partner has become simply disinterested and disengaged. I often conclude the disinterest by one member of a relationship is more painful to the partner than direct abuse. Neglect hurts more than attack does.

Hearing Catherine Wheel triggered my thoughts of my grandmother, Catherine (not that I don’t think of her on a regular basis). She’s gone into a sudden mental decline since the death of my mother, and she’s all but been diagnosed with dementia. My heart is broken upon witnessing my funny, sharp, engaging grandmother become forgetful and easily agitated. It’s as if she’s a different person. I have to remember that her heart has not turned black, though. She remains the truly amazing grandmother I’ve always remembered.

In keeping with the theme of color of this post, I’d like to mention the wonderful efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association and their purple shirt campaign. I participated in two of the last Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Dallas and wear my purple t-shirt with pride. This year, I’ll walk focused on my grandmother, not out of pity but out of hope for a cure. The blackness of memory loss can be overcome with research and advances in medicine.  That hope remains in my heart.