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 (sad/personal) Motorway To Roswell kills me now
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =

USA
813 Posts

Posted - 06/26/2022 :  09:16:31  Show Profile  Visit Troubles A Foot's Homepage  Reply with Quote
In the Pixies live section here I was about to post something about how if I do see them in NYC, I really hope they play Motorway To Roswell, maybe my favorite Pixies song and definitely my fiance's favorite Pixies song.

Then it hit me what an intense, sad experience that would be. Because last year me and my fiance took a giant road trip across the western US after our dog died, and part of that was a trip to Roswell with her father.

We listened to Motorway to Roswell on the actual motorway to Roswell, three or four times. I even made a UFO playlist full of Frank Black songs and others too. But that song is the one we played over and over.

We did all the fun things in Roswell. UFO Museum. UFO Spacewalk (it's like a haunted house but alien-themed.) Spaceport Roswell (a surprisingly sad but hilarious VR experience of being in the spaceship that crashed.) All of the gift shops, coffee shops, diner. Took photos with all the big alien statues and paintings. Then that night we went to Bitter Lake, a place someone (a Bigfoot hunter!) assured us has had a lot of UFO sightings. But we mostly walked around and sat on rocks and looked at the lake. A star seemed to be shimmering in the sky and her dad got excited that it was a UFO. We stayed at the Roswell Inn, a cute motel with a little green alien mascot.

The next morning we drove another hour or two to some other sights, but as it reached the evening we thought...why not just go back to Roswell? We did, took photos by the giant flying saucer sign on the side of the road, and went to the giant UFO McDonald's and took more photos of various things, and squeezed into a few more gift shops right as they were closing.

A few months after that my fiance's dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Shockingly, after only two weeks he had died, due to what we observed to be extremely negligent hospital treatment (he didn't die of cancer, he died from them "draining his fluids" and then his kidneys and brain functions stopping.) He was in good spirits throughout but the hospital literally drained the life out of him. He was a huge horror/scifi movie fan and we watched some of his favorite movies all week. He also made a scifi/horror movie, which we held a screening of recently.

It hit me that this song has now forever taken a deep, painful new significance. Not only that we listened to the song on the motorway to Roswell many times, but the lyrics tying to her dad struggling to live. We were there as he was dying. Last night he could not make it, he tried hard but he could not make it. On a holiday...how could this so great turn so shitty....etc. It's eerie, the words fit really well. (side note: I've also always taken "how could this so great turn so shitty" and the doomed vibe of the song in general to be a double meaning about the inevitable end of the Pixies.)

Seriously can't handle the song anymore. Just had to get that out. Not sure my fiance has put these pieces together, but not sure I want her to go through all this again if she hears it. It's crazy how some songs transform and take on new meaning in your life, and you can never really predict it.

(note: I tried 4 times to make these pictures not HUGE)








Edited by - Troubles A Foot on 06/26/2022 09:21:22

Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <

2952 Posts

Posted - 06/26/2022 :  09:40:26  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Thank you Trouble for sharing your story. I'm really sorry to hear about your fiancee's father and what you all have been going through. Definitely wishing you peace and healing and everything you need through it all.

That's heavy about Motorway taking on a new, painful significance. I'm feeling you there too.

Motorway is definitely one of my favorite things our man has ever done. That's a interesting take you have on the double significance of things turning with the Pixies being referenced in the song. Good thought.

I really don't love any live versions of the song that I've heard, even the one I heard live before they broke up in the 90s. I kind of wish they never played it live kind of like (I believe) with Space (I believe in).

Great pictures by the way. Thanks again for sharing your story with us, and I hope none of my comments came across insensitive.
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =

USA
813 Posts

Posted - 06/26/2022 :  09:58:40  Show Profile  Visit Troubles A Foot's Homepage  Reply with Quote
It's all good!

If anyone is interested in some fun Roswell pictures from that trip, the place is amazing:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10158191950170835&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10158193152170835&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10158198287465835&type=3
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Discoking
* Dog in the Sand *

Belgium
1099 Posts

Posted - 06/26/2022 :  10:06:25  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
sorry, man.

i hope they don't play it when you go see them.


it's educational
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pot
> Teenager of the Year <

Iceland
3909 Posts

Posted - 06/26/2022 :  11:16:25  Show Profile  Visit pot's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Sorry to hear about your sad but in some ways meaningful and still interesting nonetheless experience, and thanks too for the photos. I'd love to go to the deserts around there hunting for ufos and smoking some northern lights. Most interesting my life gets these days is taking the A6094 to Rosewell in East Midlothian in the car on the way to to visiting my mum.
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Arm Arm Arm
* Dog in the Sand *

1034 Posts

Posted - 07/02/2022 :  06:44:43  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Sorry to read this; makes sense though. How terrible. It's not my business to say but maybe she won't connect the lyrics to her Dad. Regardless, hope you all are there for each other and get through the grieving all right.

Take care.
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