Thursday, April 16, 2009

I played the best game of pool in my life to



Live - "I Alone" via Pre-Durst

I am terrible at pool, partially because I have wonky eyes that only approximate depth perception rather than actually perceive depth*, and partially because I suck at all the cool sports of leisure. But one night, in a terrible bar called Slinky's that is still a terrible bar but with a different name, it was my turn and this song came blaring over the speakers and I defiantly sunk one, then another! I alone love you! A Third! I alone tempt you! A fourth off the rail, stick behind my back. I ALONE was winning this goddamn game! Clack! Clack! whoops a miss. Fear is not the end! They miss. They do not have the power of Live. My partner misses. the other guy's partner misses and sinks one of our balls. Live is worked up to a feverish boil, I coolly set my cigarette smoldering on the edge and sink the eightball with a bank shot. And the song ends.

I thought "I have finally figured out pool, the zen of it, the universality in the collision of like objects!" and without word plug in two more quarters and decide to play the challenger myself, and on the break, send the cue ball into the booth across the bar. I'd like to say that I set down my stick and walked away from pool at the height of my game, but no, every 6 months or so I am corralled into a game if only to prove that one night was a fluke. Live's "I Alone" was not playing at any of these other times, and it would be tempting the wrath of the gods were I to hear that song and jump up to play pool, expecting the magic to reappear. Not even Live can trap lightning in a jar.

I am, however, considering putting the song on my phone should the situation arises where I have to play the Devil a game of pool to save all the souls of the world or something.

* It's easier not to be great, and measure these things by your eyes

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