Iron Maiden To The Rescue

One of the things that I use to help me think or write under pressure is aggressive, guitar-based music. Think of it as sort of a performance enhancer.

When I wrote my first book -- a 384 page regional history book that was widely acclaimed by historic researchers and preservationists in the area and was a major cause of my receiving a national historic preservation award the following year -- I was essentially late for my deadline. New information was coming in as I was trying to "complete" the book, and I was, in my usual way, nearly paralyzed by my insistence on perfection. With a deadline coming up -- and eventually, behind me -- I turned to an old friend to help me focus: Heavy metal music.

My living room, where I had set up a table exclusively for finishing the book (although the cats thought it was for them to look out the front windows), rocked hard in late 2003. Pantera, Black Label Society, System Of A Down, Iron Maiden, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, AC/DC, and others filled the room with the inspiring sounds of tube amplifiers pushed past their comfort zones.

Long Island's Lighthouses: Past and Present is probably the only history book in the world that credits people like Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Angus Young, etc. Of course, these guys didn't actually contribute any information to the text, but they did help me get it done. The end result, I think partially speaks for the power of music.

It was such a big help that I have continued to turn to my metal friends in time of need. A couple of years ago, I was designing a kitchen and several bathrooms for a local, fairly wealthy, man. I had the kitchen done, the downstairs baths, and one of the upstairs baths, but I could not come up with something for the master bath. The layout of the room was just wrong. It was long and narrow, with several features that stumped every idea I could come up with.

This was, as you might imagine, a pretty high-dollar project, which meant it was important. One day, I decided to come in to the showroom early and try to nail it. I sat down and, realizing that I needed a boost, pulled up i-Tunes on the computer at my desk. I looked through the list of artists and albums, and decided on one of my favorite albums of all time: Powerslave, by Iron Maiden. I clicked on it and cranked up the speakers. The aggressive power of Mssrs. Dickinson, Murray, Smith, Harris, and McBrain started in with Aces High, through 2 Minutes to Midnight, the instrumental Losfer Words, Flash of the Blade, The Duellists, Back In The Village (one of my favorites), and Powerslave, ending with the epic (13 minutes 34 seconds) Rime of The Ancient Mariner. By the end of it all, nearly an hour later, I had THE design for the bathroom. It was dual-guitar-harmony inspired perfection.

No further changes were needed. The design was a hit, the entire job sold for close to $200,000, and Iron Maiden had further cemented their place in my heart.

This morning, I was again under the gun. I had lost some time at my kitchen and bath job the previous weekend because of my mother's trip to the emergency room, so I was behind in my work. I had to get to the showroom early to try to finish up one estimate and be ready for another customer coming in at 11:00 (which is when our showroom opens on Saturdays). Once again, I turned to Iron Maiden. I considered RL Burnside, Howlin Wolf, and some of my other favorite bluesmen, but nothing drives a kitchen design quite like Iron Maiden. Once again, they delivered. I was done in no time.

Whether this kitchen will sell is yet to be seen, but at least I know I have done my best and that, as always, rock and roll was there by my side.