Taylor Grimes – Writing Human
Back in 2016, I was fresh out of college, applying for jobs, and looking for a way to make myself stand out. Rather than the standard 3.5x2” piece of paper, I decided to make a batch of 100 cassette tape business cards, filling each tape with ten songs that shaped my life, musical taste, and creative journey. With the help of my friend Jessica, we designed and printed a six-panel J-card, then shrink-wrapped each tape to be delivered whenever I wanted to hand out my contact info with a little extra pizzazz. Below is a gallery of the finished product, followed by the words printed throughout the insert.
Taylor Grimes writes.
He wrestles with words.
And he wants to work with you.
I know you, but you probably don’t know me. I enjoy writing, devouring pop culture, and listing things in threes. What you’re holding is a physical manifestation of myself. These are ten songs that have changed my life, and together, they will give you an idea of who I am as a person and a creative. Consider this an introduction. If you like this, then we should talk.
No cassette player? Go here. Enjoy.
Track 1 - “A Song for the Dead” by Queens of the Stone Age
From the explosive throat-shredding scream of the opening track to the operatic closer, Songs For The Deaf turned me into a fan of heavy music. “A Song for the Dead” is the album's tightest track, featuring snarling vocals, multiple false endings, and a ballistic Dave Grohl on drums. Years later, I’m still obligated to air drum along to this song, no matter who is watching.
Track 2 - “Halftime” by Young Thug
The same year I fell in love with advertising, I also discovered hip-hop. “Halftime” is a woozy ode to a narcotic cocktail backed by a barrage of Young Thug’s own ad-libs and absurdist lyrics. This album served as the soundtrack to my summer as I absorbed everything surrounding these two beautiful new discoveries.
Track 3 - “Be Safe” by The Cribs
“Be Safe” is an angsty rainy-day rant that gradually shifts into soaring, unbridled optimism. Midway through, the song’s narrator goes from listing grating minutiae into a measured abstract stream-of-consciousness rambling that climaxes in a cry of “open all the boxes!” Each phrase of this track brings back distant flashes of my life spent with friends and 1 AM video games.
Track 4 - “Like a River” by Sharks Keep Moving
Like the reverberating echoes of a past life, “Like a River” is an ethereal plume of love and beauty. The back half of the song is comprised of a cresting instrumental that conveys what words cannot. I've spent many nights cruising along deserted highways and winding country roads, absorbing every molecule of this song, and it always seems to be just what I needed.
Track 5 - “Logan Circle: A New Hope” by The Wonder Years
Within an album depicting depression and hopelessness, “Logan Circle” is a conclusive ray of hope. Through a series of hyper-specific vignettes, the singer reveals his resolve for positivity. It’s about finding the strength to pull yourself out of your own sadness. There is beauty in everything; you just have to stop to look for it.
Track 6 - “Debaser” by Pixies
In 2008, I obsessively devoured a podcast called Talkradar, which went on to inform my writing, cultural taste, and who I am as a person… That's some lofty shit to attribute to a podcast which centered primarily around Xbox and fart jokes, but 2008 was a time when I needed that voice. “Debaser” is an eyeball-slicing proto-grunge track that encapsulates this formative period.
Track 7 - “Ball And Biscuit” by The White Stripes
The White Stripes represent the first time I bonded with my dad over music as he took me to my first rock concert at the age of ten. “Ball and Biscuit” is a seven-minute tale of infidelity which starts out as a lumbering blues riff that slowly erupts into several blistering guitar solos. It is rock in its purest form. A feeling that can’t quite be put into words made by two people with two instruments. Perfect.
Track 8 - “Never Saw It Coming” by Tigers Jaw
In the spring of 2013, after years of water-treading general study, I finally found my calling, discovered the outlet of writing, and became a genuinely happy person. Tiger Jaw’s airy emo rumination on relationships and isolationism is inextricably tied to this shift in my life.
Track 9 - “Have You Passed Through This Night?” by Explosions In The Sky
Post-rock is a genre that’s easy to grasp yet surprisingly deep and intricate. “Have You Passed Through This Night?” is a seven-minute epic that builds from a faintly glimmering guitar and several carefully calculated drum taps into a chaotic battle of sound and aggression. In high school, I fell in love with this genre, and it has since carried me through hundreds of hours of late-night writing sessions. I can’t imagine creating without it.
Track 10 - “This Ain't a Surfin' Movie” by Minus The Bear
Similar to “Like a River,” Minus The Bear’s “Surfin' Movie” is a gorgeous breezy guitar-tapped narrative of love. I am constantly thankful that something this beautiful exists. It’s the power of music. It’s beautiful poetry. It’s pure happiness. It’s my favorite song of all time.
I’d love to put some of my words to work for you.
Let’s eat some ramen and talk.