He's the Nancy to my Lee, Part 1

In 1998 I got a job at Showplace Lanes because working at a bowling alley was Homer Simpson’s dream job. I met a guy there who managed the alley’s Concession stand named Mark Mendoza. He asked me what kind of music I listened to and I said "you know, rock music." Then he asked me "what kind," and I didn’t know how to answer. I had never really thought about it before he asked me.

As our friendship progressed he would make mix tapes for me with bands on them that I had never heard of before like the Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine. I had no frame of reference for that kind of music until he gave me those tapes, and even then, I didn’t really understand it. The more I listened to the tapes though, the more my musical taste expanded. When I tried to make mix tapes for him, I would try to find bands that he hadn’t heard of also, but I quickly realized that it was going to be difficult to do so. It seemed that no matter what I put on them, he would have already heard it. A short time after that, I begin researching and buying Cds with one purpose and one purpose only: to impress Mark Mendoza. You might even say that my initial interest in record shopping was fueled almost entirely by spite. Ten years after the fact though, my music collection is massive and I owe it all to him.

Today I said goodbye to my friend Mark, as he embarked on trip to Denver to begin a new stage of his life. Even though I’ve had well over a year to prepare for today, it still feels unreal to me. No more afternoon lunches, record store days, or walks around the neighborhood.

These days feel like the season finale of my life. There’s a feeling of change in the air as some people leave and others return, some friendships are beginning while others are ending. Whose to say what will happen when my life returns in the Fall?

The only thing I know for sure is that Austin got a little less rad today.

Much Love and Much Respect to Mr. Mark

--Popkoff