Sure, it was the devilishly charming, always youthful, and darn-right talented Justin Timberlake that made the cover, but on page 206 GQ sent it’s crack team of cultural reporters to investigate one of the last lost little shops still trying to get by selling the packaging of a product that’s now almost free. Music, baby!
Nothing new here. I’ve read many great profiles of many great stores in Paste, Spin, etc., all aiming for the same thing: To breathe a little life into a much-loved corner of the music industry before the ghosts are given up for good. But this one one rang a bell.
[However, before that bell tolls, I wonder: Has death been knocking on these doors since the start? The walls are adorned with posters of dead stars, the smell of incense smolders in the back room. Yeah, it’s pretty much a mausoleum for that one thing which would never die: Rock ‘n Roll, man! And I love ’em for it.]
But back to that ringing bell: This “Kiss The Sky” place sounded familiar, and I as read on I learned that the story was taking place in Geneva, IL, just up the Fox from where I used to live. Ah, I thought, “That’s it! But wasn’t the store in Batavia?” Yes, the story goes on to say, it was, but they moved a town to the north a few years ago.
What I can’t remember is the exact location of the old Kiss The Sky. It might have been the record store in the strip-mall by The Jewel where I procured the debut CD by my old landscaping buddy Mark Schiltz. The other option is that it was the record store in downtown Batavia next to the barbershop where the gregarious owner threw open mic nights on the summer sidewalk. It was here that I, being assured that I was possessed of extraordinary talent, would pick at such great works as “Feelin’ Groovy” and revolutionary anthems like “Old Man.” I was rediscovering the rock canon, enjoying my summers driving along Lake Shore Drive, and generally letting my Freak Flag Fly. The only thing I really miss was that ponytail. It really tied the look together.
A decade or so later, it’s good to see that Kiss The Sky still stands, and that life goes on. It was also nice of GQ to mention Magnolia Thunderpussy in the sidebar about great record stores around the country. I might have to visit one of these places again someday, now that my son’s almost old enough to appreciate it. He’s been sneaking my iPod when I’m not looking. His favorite band so far is The Secret Sound Of The NSA. Hey, the kid’s got taste!
