Liquid Drug of Choice

“Coffee Mug… Gonna clear the Haze… Liquid Proof… That I can win this race”, lyrics that graced my ears at the tender age of 13 and made me laugh. At that point in time I was not very interested in coffee. I knew adults liked it, and Starbucks was a “hip” place to be, but I did not really get the whole coffee thing. These days coffee is a consistent part of my life, but I wouldn’t classify myself as a coffee fiend (I have friends who have better earned that title). I am an appreciator of a fined brewed warmed beverage, and it definitely helps to start my day.

As a non-morning person, I would prefer to have a job that works 10-6 or 11-7 rather than a 9-5, but since that doesn’t really work at most places, coffee is my friend who helps me out in the morning. Coffee is the friend that I need at the time when most other friends are occupied. The slight boost that it gives is enough to push through that morning haze and to be the productive person that I am capable of being, but too much sends me on a hyperactive spree that harbors my concentration and reduces it to that of a kitten with a ball of string. I had to find the right balance during grad school or else I would be bouncing around during class, and pretty much becoming a distraction to myself. Sometimes that extra boost is croosh though, and many of crazy events can be caffeine instigated. 

“Mr. Coffee” by Lagwagon characterizes coffee as legal speed (the American way) which is a pretty spot on description. The potential jitters and shakes that are described in the song are all too real, and that is followed by the need for “drinking coffee, I drink coffee, drinking coffee everyday” (and repeat). It is true, it is an addictive substance that has real side affects, but it is such a prominent industry that it would never become illegal (thankfully). “ They haven't banned My liquid drug of choice There's too many hooked And they've got too much voice,” perfectly describes why coffee will always be around. That all being said those side affects do different things to different people. If you remember Billy Bob’s character in the movie Slingblade, he would not drink coffee due to its prepulsion to make him nervous. “Black Coffee” by Black Flag is a dark song with pretty disturbing lyrics equating his pain, frustration, neurotic tendencies to be increased as he drinks his black coffee and stares at the wall. The advantages and pleasures of coffee far outway the side effects for myself at least. Coffee has gotten me through rough mornings, and the short quip  of a song by Scholastic Deth sums it up nicely:

“Saturday morning  Waking up at 7 First cup of the day
Like sipping on heaven As a few chapters are read

Two or three will go down  Now I'm ready to skate some ledges downtown”

Now you switch out waking up at 7 with 11, and skating ledges downtown with climbing along the greenbelt, you just described parts of my grad school days.

Finding a good cup of coffee is rather important. You can drink gas station coffee and it does the trick, but there is nothing like a perfectly roasted coffee brewed to perfection. The Andrew Sisters do well to express this concern:

“Ah, curse ya, curse ya, curse ya, That’s the worst cup of coffee in  Persia!

Oh All I want is a proper cup of coffee, made from a proper copper coffee pot,

I may be off my nut, but I want a proper cup of coffee from a proper copper pot.

Brass coffee pots, glass coffee pots They’re no good to me”

Each country has their different way of brewing, but it is important to get that proper cup of coffee. As little children most of us do not like coffee, it is bitter, it’s not appealing really, especially black. Starbucks did a great job on introducing coffee dessert drinks, and helps to break the young ones in a little earlier. But it is the fact that as we get older our taste buds develop more, and we appreciate different flavors, and coffee is a certain flavor that needs to be done right. 

Coffee is a great social drink, and that is one of the reasons that we find it so prominently represented in the musical arena. It is social in so many different ways. It is a drink that brings friends together to talk about lifes happenings, it is a pathway for a man or woman to invite their love interest in for quality time, or a way for a heartbroken individual to try to talk some sense into their ex. It is a tool used by truckers to get through those long hard evenings. It is a chemical boost for those students who are cramming for the upcoming exam. It is easy to use in metaphors, and overall is just a relatable drink. Every country drinks coffee, so it usually makes for a good song

The use of coffee in torch songs, or heartbreak seems to be a pretty common pairing. “Black Coffee” as performed by Ella Fitzgerald does a great job of expressing her yearning for her man, and the notion that this coffee is that only thing helping her stay awake for his supposed return and his eventual disappearance. “One Cup of Coffee” is a tune that has made its way into many country performers regimens, but Bob Marley has a spectacular version detailing the use of coffee to sit and settle a current romantic dispute. It is a tool used to get one last chance, even if it is all for nothing. 

 

Coffee shops have been a haven for young adults in the very least since I became a young adult. They were my place of study, by place of solitude, and escape from the staleness of being at home, and a spot to meet up with friends for a moment to shoot the shit. One thing I loved about Austin was the amount of 24 hour coffee shops in that town. It makes sense due to the high volume of students placed there, and was a godsend on many evenings when needing to break away from the house at 1 am while finishing the final draft of a major paper. Here in Oregon I have discovered the advantageous coffee kiosk industry. I was amazed when I moved and saw that on every corner or so was a drive thru coffee place (not so much in Portland) and the range and quality of the coffee was awesome. Now I have a nice coffeeshop down the street that is easy enough to access, and owners are pretty dang awesome.

So you should all go out and appreciate the Liguid Drug of choice, legal speed, bean juice, jitter juice, black gold, a students study aid, cupped lightning, liquid lightning, morning thunder, cup of joe, or waky juice. There are ton of coffee shops everywhere, or buy some good beans and make your own. Here are a few recommended spots!

Rain or Shine –  http://rainorshinepdx.com                    
5941 SE Division St  Portland, OR 97206

La Crema – http://www.cremabakery.com                              
2728 SE Ankeny St. Portland, Or 97214

Epoch Coffee - http://www.epochcoffee.com                         
221 W North Loop Blvd. Austin, TX 78751


Bouldin Creek Cafe - http://www.bouldincreek.com             
1900 South 1st Street,  Austin, TX 78704

Bennu – http://www.bennucoffee.com/                                 
2001 E MLK Jr, Austin, Tx 78702

The Grind – groovinatthegrind.com                                              
 19 North Main Street,  Cedar City, UT
  
The Bean Scene – http://www.myspace.com/beanscenecafe     
511 E St George Blvd, St. George, UT

  
Interzone – http://interzoneorganic.com                                         
1563 NW Monroe Ave. Corvallis, Or

Link: SFMTC Vol 10 - Coffee: Liquid Drug of Choice 

SFMTC Vol. 10 - Coffee: Liquid Drug of Choice

01. The Descendents - Coffee Mug
02. Bob Marley -  One Cup Of Coffee
03. Al Bowlly & Lew Stone - Coffee in the Morning
04. Dantalian's Chariot  - Coffee Song
05. Blur - Coffee & TV
06. The Descendents - Kids on Coffee
07. Catfish - Coffee Song
08. Can - Bring me Coffee or Tea
09. Guy Clark - Instant Coffee Blues
10. Humble Pie  - Black Coffee
11. Black Flag - Black Coffee
12. Kate  Bush - Coffee Homeground
13. Mississippi John Hurt - Coffee Blues
14. Ramblin' Jack Elliot -  Cup of Coffee
15. Scholastic Deth  - Coffee Cures Everything
16. Ella Fitzgerald - Black Coffee
17. Split Lip Rayfield - Coffee
18. The Andrew Sisters -  Proper Cup of Coffee
19. 76% Uncertain - Coffee Achievers
20. Lightnin Hopkins - Coffee For Mama
21. Red Hot Chili Peppers  - Coffee Shop
22. The Promise Ring - Bread and Coffee
23. Bob Dylan - One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
24.  Waring's Pennsylvanians - Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee
25. Lagwagon - Mr. Coffee