I Want to Really, Really Learn Stuff

I’ve been thinking about this alot, lately. What do I really know about anything? As most people know, my biggest fear is dementia, memory loss, or developing Alzheimer’s. What I loosely know about it, and from what I’ve seen, those things are marked by completely forgetting things we once knew well. I know, I know … it refers to names of kids or family members, or routine tasks, or not being able to find my way home.

But what I’m also obsessed with is my brain. Exercising it. Memorizing things. Sleeping right. Eating brain food. And above all, learning things.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything.

For example. I love Weezer. This week, I saw them for the 12th or 13th time LIVE. I can put on a Weezer album – any album – and love every song. It doesn’t matter to me what Rivers (that’s the lead singer) releases… I know I’ll love it. I have a, what would you call the opposite of a “blind spot”? I have a “seeing spot” for all things Weezer. They don’t have any bad songs, according to my ears and brain.

But what do I know about Weezer.

I went to see Weezer with a co-worker, Dylan, who’s also a big Weezer fan. He texted me before the show, “what songs would you want to hear off Maladroit?” That’s one of Weezer’s albums. But, geez … without looking up the track list, I only could think of “Dope Nose” is a song on that album.

I had to look it up. Then I made my choices.

My friend Dylan is one of those guys who knows all the names of all the albums (not difficult since most of Weezer’s albums are just colors). He knows the albums in sequence of release. He knows all the tracks on every Weezer album and can talk about certain songs and why he likes them or maybe knows the story behind the song. He knows if a song was on a movie soundtrack or when certain songs have been played LIVE on tour or have never been played.

I know I love Weezer. But I don’t know all that.

I have many friends who have favorite bands and know everything. Like my friend Chris (famed artist Dragan Pop Art). He loves Smashing Pumpkins. If you know Chris, then you probably know he loves Smashing Pumpkins. He doesn’t just love the music, he’s like a Smashing Pumpkin historian. He could write a book. He actually appeared on multiple episodes of The Smashing Pumpkast Podcast and spoke like he founded the band.

I’ve been in love with Weezer since 1994 when their first album (blue) came out and I was delivering pizzas at Michigan State and would deliver pizzas from 8 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. and I’m not kidding when I say I would listen to that album, on cassette, over and over and over again.

But have me as a guest on a Podcast, and ask me the guys name who was in the band and then got kicked out because of drug use, and I won’t know it. I don’t actually know the names of the current rhythm guitarist or bass guitarist.

Is that a problem? I don’t know. But I know I love Weezer.

Here’s my top-5 bands in order … The Beatles. The Beastie Boys. Weezer. Fall Out Boy. Metallica.

But I just really, really like the music.

I’ve actually watched countless documentaries on The Beatles and I know some stuff … but if I get around Beatles super fans, I don’t even talk because I don’t know The Beatles like they know the Beatles.

I love bourbon. I know I do because my taste buds say, “hey, this bourbon is good.” And I know my taste buds like Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek more than Jim Beam or Woodford Reserve. But I can’t tell you why like some people can. I’ve been on dozens of bourbon distillery tours and I’ve hung out with bourbon lovers who swirl and talk about the corn and the wheat and the age and nuances and I listen. I try. But I don’t retain it.

I love coffee. I like making a single cup at a time using my AeroPress because it minimizes the time the grounds stay in the water and it’s smooth. Coffee fanatics celebrate the AeroPress but also like a French Press or a pour over and they’ll tell you why? I know there’s Robusta and Arabica beans and there’s a difference but I can’t tell you that difference. I just love a good cuppa coffee. Medium roast beans.

I love beer. I love Stouts. Followed by Porters. Followed by pilsners. Can’t tell you what makes a Stout a Stout or a Porter a Porter.

Sometimes I think, “how can you call yourself a beer lover? You don’t know shit about beer.”

I watch Marvel movies. I really enjoy them when I’m watching. But my son, or my buddy Ron, always need to remind me about what character did what to who and what happened in the last movie and give me the backstory around some of the events in that Avenger or some “easter egg” that happened in the 3rd Iron Man movie.

Should I have all these things in my brain? If so, why don’t I?

Maybe I don’t care enough to really, really learn things.

I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I always laughed it off and said, hey, do you know if you asked Einstein for his phone number, he would have to look it up and he said, “why waste brain power remembering things that are easily findable.”

For me, that’s true. I will give myself a crash course in how to lay tile. I will lay the tile briliantly. Like it’s my job. And then … when I look at the floor I laid in my bathroom I think, “I don’t know how I ever did that and I don’t think I could ever do a job that good, again.”

At one point, I was obsessed about making coffee at home as good as a cuppa coffee I once had at an Italian restaurant when they came to the table and made a cuppa coffee right at the table as I sat there. I knew one thing…. this is way better than the pot of coffee I make at home in my Mr. Coffee and it was better than Starbucks or Caribou (that’s how long ago it was). I just knew they had this piece of cloth in a cup. They scooped two scoops of grounds into the cloth. Then poured hot water. Stirred it ever so briefly. Lifted the fabric and used a wooden spoon to press the water from the cloth sleeve. Took about 30 seconds. I told the story to my cousin and he said, “you might like an AeroPress.” I watched some YouTube videos. Bought one. And it makes the best cuppa coffee and, like I said, all I know is the AeroPress has the shortest amount of time of grounds in water.

All this is to say, I’m on a mission. I’m going to really, really learn things. I’m going to start with learning the entire Weezer catalog, the song titles on every album, all the words, and sequence of the albums.

Then I’m going to learn about my lawn and why I use the products I do when I do and my garden and why I create compost like I do and the how and why of tomatoes, jalapenos, and cucumbers.

I wanna be the guy you wish you didn’t talk to at a party …sometimes.

Or maybe I won’t and I’ll keep doing what my brain is good at … creating stories and telling stories rather than spitting out facts and trivia.

However this learning-thing goes … it’s gotta be good for my brain.