Newsgroup: it.fan.musica.rem
Titolo: Nightswimming Revisited by Gene Woolfolk, Jr.

Nightswimming Revisited by Gene Woolfolk, Jr.
Current mood:  nostalgic
Category: Life
It was the summer of 1980 in Athens, GA, home of the University of
Georgia Bulldogs.  I was working for Danver's International, a fast
food restaurant on Atlanta Highway, as an assistant manager.  I lived
with three other guys in a two bedroom apartment at Sussex Club
Apartments.  One of my roommates, Jim "Mal" Mallory, was a graduate
psychology student and also one of my night time employees at
Danver's.  Jim and I had finished closing the restaurant one night in
June, along with the help of Susan McChesney, another graduate
psychology student who was working as a cashier nightly at Danver's.
We left the restaurant and went to our apartment complex, which was
about a mile down the road.  When we reached the apartment, we decided
to sit around the pool and drink beer.  It was incredibly hot, even
for June, for after midnight.
   I suggested we go swimming.  When Mal said we didn't have anything
to swim in, Susan and I  countered with "Who needs a swim suit!"  I
mean...it was summer in a college town....in other words, the city was
almost deserted.  It was late at night, there were no lights in the
pool and it was too damn hot to just sit around and drink beer.  This
was the first night with the original Nightswimmers.
   So, it became the thing for us to do.  Every night after we closed,
we'd find a pool at an apartment complex to swim in.  Yes, we were
swimming naked!  As the summer progressed, Jim, Susan and I would tell
our friends about what we were doing.  As the summer wore on, we'd
slowly grow in numbers as we all continued to ask our friends to join
us for our skinny-dipping parties.  As for me, being nude around
friends and srangers took away alot of inhibitions society had
caused.  It was fun and exhilerating.
   By the middle of July, friends were inviting other friends.  There
were about fifteen of us one night at an apartment across the street
from Gloria's apartment (sorry Gloria, I just haven't been able to
remember your last name.   Gloria was also a grad student in
psychology (counseling).  This was the night that the guys,  who had
just formed a local band that they called R.E.M., showed up for the
skinny-dipping party.  I remeber people advising me to stay away from
Michael because he was gay, bi-sexual or something like that.  Later
in life, Michael made a significant statement when asked if he was gay
or bi-sexual.  Michael stated, "I'm just very sexual."
   The numbers continued to grow.  And as Michael later put it,
September's coming soon.  It was finally decided that the last skinny-
dipping party of the summer would be held at River Mill Apartments,
the largest student community on campus.  I had to work that night but
I did plan to attend after we closed.  Besides, that was how we
started....after work.  But, there was no real leadership in the
nightswimming episodes.  And, some moron decided to start the party
early, like 9PM .  Over a hundred people had already shown up at River
Mill, and now they were all skinny-dipping.  Welllllllllll......,
needless to say the police were called and numerous students were
hauled off for indecent exposure ( I still haven't figured out why we
consider the nude human body indecent).  When I finally got off work
that night, it was already over.....nightswiming was just another page
in the book of history in what would turn out to be a national
championship season for those Georgia Bulldogss.
   I miss my days in Athens and think of them often.  It was several
years later (almost 10 years later) that Michael and REM released
Automatic for the People which included the song Nightswimming.  A
song that is written about a photograph on the dashboard of the car
that was taken years ago. A song that is about the summer of 1980 in
Athens, GA.  With no intentions to violate any copyright laws, the
following are the lyrics to Nightswimming:
(Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe)
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night
The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago,
Turned around backwards so the windshield shows
Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse
Still, it's so much clearer
I forgot my shirt at the water's edge
The moon is low tonight
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night
I'm not sure all these people understand
It's not like years ago,
The fear of getting caught,
Of recklessness and water
They cannot see me naked
These things, they go away,
Replaced by everyday
Nightswimming, remembering that night
September's coming soon
I'm pining for the moon
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming
You, I thought I knew you
You, I cannot judge
You, I thought you knew me,
This one laughing quietly underneath my breath
Nightswimming
The photograph reflects,
Every streetlight a reminder
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night, deserves a quiet night
-REM
 Currently listening :
Automatic for the People (CD & DVD Audio)
By R.E.M.
 This is one of my favourite songs ever. As a matter of fact its on my
mp3 and I hear it on a daily basis. Thanks for the story! Wow. this
makes the song even more special...
Posted by Conny on Saturday, November 03, 2007 at 5:18 PM
--
Shadowville Speedway Blues
In a taxi watching a sporting house
Beside a Linwood vacant lot
Silverdollar moon portspotting
Constellation like a sailor's knot.
The sky was black, ink and glitter in the night
Train whine saxophone out beyond the light
I'm in love with a ghost blue turns to grey
Put a pyramid on my head to take my pain away.
Hazel knew the karma, she kept it in a bottle
Now I'm here on the receiving end
At least I still know how to take a joke
And laugh with none of my friends.
Shadowville, Shadowville Speedway
Riding slow down a one way street
Shadowville, Shadowville Speedway
Don't look back, don't admit defeat.
Brown Reculse magic drifting around the shed
Someone has it in for me I must not lose my head
Moving with the speedo life several with me left behind
Burned too many bridges defragmented my time.
Somewhere in time I've seen all this before
In a magazine or a dream of a distant war
Manifested destiny a manifesto and a part
All the actors still agree that ever had a heart.
The good book and the fortune telling lady
Black tooth mojo marked index cards
Bundles over the side of Dillingham Bridge
Splashing as ripples reflect from the stars.
Hazel knew the karma she kept it in a bottle
Now I'm here on the receiving end
At least I still know how to take a joke
And laugh with none of my friends.
Shadowville, Shadowville Speedway
Riding slow down a one way street
Shadowville, Shadowville Speedway
Don't look back, don't admit defeat.
-Will Dockery (words)/Henry Conley (music)
Rhino's open mic for music & poetry:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Rhinos-Open_Mic-02.PNG
"Wobble" by Dockery & Conley (recorded August 14 2007):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVIF2-qWIUc
"Toxin on Glass" by Shadowville Installation - song by Gene Woolfolk
Jr,Timothy Maxwell, Gary Frankfurth, & Will Dockery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XWUdCRbVnc

Gene Woolfolk Jr. MySpace and other info:
http://www.myspace.com/genewoolfolkjr
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Nightswimming Revisited by Gene Woolfolk, Jr.
From: 
http://www.myspace.com/genewoolfolkjr
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"God's Toybox" by Dockery-Beck:
http://www.myspace.com/shadowvilleallstars
"Wobble" by Dockery-Conley:
http://www.myspace.com/willdockery