Hey Baby, It's the Fourth of July
A playlist for driving in to Darlington County
In 2014 I endured a months-long depression that I thought might end me. But Wilco, my favorite band, was playing at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on October 22nd—my birthday.
Not expecting anyone to reply, I posted, “Hey! Who wants to drive to Nashville in the middle of the week for a Wilco show with a real sad sack?” on social media. And my friend Darren was immediately down to go.
We spent a few days hitting the vintage shops in East Nashville, drinking good beer, crossing streets with Jason Isbell, devouring all of the Benton’s Ham we could find, and finally, on the way home, having a laughing spell at one of his stories that I honestly believe kicked the part of my brain that makes serotonin back into gear.
I was better after that trip.
Darren is the most prolific road tripper I know. He takes incredible photos everywhere he goes of all the stuff that’s not on the main road. When he’s in St. Louis he’s a DJ, which means the road trips always have great soundtracks
A year or two after the depression-busting Nashville trip, Darren took a trip inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s song “Darlington County”:
Drivin' in to Darlington County Me and Wayne on the Fourth of July Drivin' in to Darlington County Lookin' for some work on the county line
Okay, so he wasn’t looking for work. He just wanted to spend the Fourth of July in Darlington County, South Carolina. And so he hit the road and did it.
Before he left he put out a social media call for playlists for his trip. This is what I threw together, thinking about freedom and America, what they mean. What it feels like to be free to go to Darlington County on the Fourth of July in the dawning age of American authoritarianism.
(Fun fact: I met Darren and Suzie on the same night. December 13, 2012, which happens to be his birthday. Also, the best night of bar-hopping in St. Louis ever.)
