I was cycling home from work last night, following my usual route along the railway line from Ferntree Gully to Tecoma. The sun had set, so the path was dark. I had a light on the front of my bike, but the light was weak and only allowed me to see a few metres ahead. That low level of visibility was perfectly safe however, since I was travelling uphill and moving quite slowly.
On my right, on the other side of the railway tracks, and over the road, was a pub that I used to frequent in my carefree youth some years ago. As I passed the pub I was reminded that Grinspoon, a band I listened to quite a bit back in the nineties had recently played there. I had seen Grinspoon at the Big Day Out around the end of the nineties, or maybe early in the following decade. They put on a good show.
My mind drifted back to that event, and I remembered the sun, the packed grandstand of the Melbourne showgrounds, and all the happy young people enjoying the various performances. I thought of other bands from the nineties that had recently toured Melbourne. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Soundgarden, and Faith No More sprung instantly to mind, as well as a few other bands less deserving of mention. It makes a lot of sense I suppose, that bands from that era would now return to play for their old fans. Those fans have grown up, and now have money to spend on reliving their fond teenage memories.
The word 'Hole' had been scrawled onto the path in front of me for some reason. What a strange coincidence, I thought. I remember Hole also playing at the Big Day Out one of the years I attended. Was it the same year as Grinspoon? Maybe. Although Grinspoon probably played many times, since they are a local band. Oh, that year when Hole played was an event to remember! The young women came out in force. All wearing skirts and sunglasses and skimpy tight tops emblazoned with the name of the band. Those tight tops are forever emblazoned in my memory, on account of the sights I saw that day. Funny how that one word was all it took to trigger the memory. 'Hole'.
What the!? My front wheel dropped into a ditch and I was almost bucked over the handlebars as my bike lurched to a sudden stop. What in God's name was an unmarked roadworks trench doing in the middle of the bike path!? I shook my head in disbelief, then lifted my front wheel out of the ditch and prepared to continue on my way. A few metres forward I noticed an arrow painted on the path, pointing back towards me. The word 'Hole' was painted at its end.
Well, that was one of the stupider things I've done. It's a good thing no license is required to ride a bike. If it was, I'd have to hand mine in.
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