大象传媒

Today鈥檚 memory taper is Sam Haddad from Hove. Her memory tape is inspired by her friendship with Chris Bevington, who tragically passed away in the 2017 Stockholm lorry attack.

鈥淚鈥檓 all too aware I鈥檓 only telling half the story of a friendship here. It would work a lot better with Chris鈥檚 comments in the margin but still it鈥檚 better to tell half a story than not tell it all. Friendships are forged on a lot of things but from the start Chris and I were mates because of music. We met in the summer term of our first year at university in the mid 90s.鈥�

鈥� Tellin Stories 鈥� The Charlatans
鈥� The State I鈥檓 In 鈥� Belle and Sebastian
鈥� Paint the Silence 鈥� South
鈥� Blinded by the Sun 鈥� The Sea Horses
鈥� Californication 鈥� Red Hot Chili Pepper
鈥� Nuthin But A G Thing 鈥� Dr.Dre featuring Snoop Dogg
鈥� It Was A Good Day 鈥� Ice Cube
鈥� ATLiens 鈥� Outkast
鈥� Pain - De La Soul
鈥� 93 Til Infinity 鈥� Souls of Mischief

鈥淲hen we left university a lot of friends knew what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives and straight out the blocks set about doing it. We were less sure. We both felt the same kind of ennui with our lives, and these songs make me thing of those days.鈥�

鈥� Is This It 鈥� The Strokes
鈥� Breathe 鈥� Telepopmusik
鈥� The Rat 鈥� The Walkmen
鈥� Gorecki or Gabriel 鈥� Lamb
鈥� Seven Nation Army 鈥� The White Stripes
鈥� The Dark Is Rising 鈥� Mercury Rev
鈥� I Don鈥檛 Know What I Can Save You From 鈥� Kings of Convenience

鈥淭hen it all kind of worked out. We both got jobs, him at Warner Music, me at a magazine. The Streets were on 679, part of Warner at the time and this whole album really soundtracked those days.鈥�

鈥� Turn The Page/Weak Become Heroes 鈥� The Streets
鈥� Helicopter 鈥� Bloc Party
鈥� When The Sun Goes Down 鈥� Arctic Monkeys
鈥� Sunset Coming On 鈥� Mali Music
鈥� All My Friends 鈥� LCD Soundsytem

鈥淎s important as tight friendships are it鈥檚 also completely amazing when one of your best friends falls in love. I knew right away when he brought the women who would become his future wife to DJ Shadow that she was the one for him. He moved to Sweden so geography and later kids made meeting up more tricky but highlights from our 30s include Blur and Empire of the Sun gigs, dancing while rocking our kids in buggies.鈥�

鈥� To The End 鈥� Blur
鈥� Walking On A Dream 鈥� Empire of the Sun
鈥� Midnight In A Perfect World or Organ Donor 鈥� DJ Shadow
鈥� An Ending, A Beginning 鈥� Dustin O鈥橦alloran
鈥� Spanish Sahara 鈥� Foals

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 mentioned James my husband yet but he was at uni with us and a long-time best friend of Chris too. It鈥檚 unusual in a couple to have a friend that you鈥檙e both so close to, but that鈥檚 how it was with us. Slide Away is the ultimate James and Chris song.鈥�

鈥� Slide Away 鈥� Oasis

鈥淲e were a trio for a long time and Radiohead was our favourite band. Last year we鈥檇 bought tickets to go and see them in Stockholm with Chris. We all went anyway with his amazing wife. The first two songs were very emotional but after that it became quite cathartic musical therapy.鈥�

鈥� Where I End And You Begin or Reckoner 鈥� Radiohead

鈥淪o this is where it starts to get sad. The lyrics of Sunscreen always resonated for us as it came out just after we left Uni. I feel I鈥檝e spent much of my life wondering what the thing that would 鈥渂lindside me on some idle Tuesday at 4pm鈥� would be. His death came on a Friday but the effect was the same, we were blindsided.鈥�

鈥� Everybody鈥檚 Free (To Wear Sunscreen) 鈥� Baz Luhrmann

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 listen to music that reminded me of him at first but I kept the radio on and the sensory overload of it all means that a lot of songs from last April鈥檚 6 music playlist have taken on an eerie significance and now give me goosebumps from the first chords.鈥�

鈥� Melin Wynt 鈥� King Creosote
鈥� Apocalypse鈥� Cigarettes After Sex
鈥� Slomo 鈥� Slowdive
鈥� Gentle Storm 鈥� Elbow

鈥淭hen you suddenly find yourself mining your best friend鈥檚 playlists trying to suggest songs for his funeral. Ben from Band of Horses played at his funeral, he did a version of Nick Cave鈥檚 Into Your Arms that cut through us all in the most unfathomably beautiful yet horrific way. People talk a lot about growing old with a partner but I just never considered how it would feel to not get the chance to grow old with one of your best friends. As a friendship group we used to dance and air-guitar to this a lot at birthdays and weddings:

鈥� Sweet Child Of Mine 鈥� Guns n Roses

New music keeps coming out and it鈥檚 super-tough not being able to discuss it. I guess it鈥檚 a reminder that life moves forward and you鈥檝e always got to look for the chinks of light. We find them whenever we鈥檙e listening to music or going to gigs, as that鈥檚 when we think of him most. And I think he鈥檇 like it that way. Dedicated to his amazing wife and kids, his lovely family, his best friends James, Jez and Matt, and everyone on our 鈥楥rew鈥� Whatsapp. The last year would have been impossible without you.鈥�

http://thechrisbevingtonfoundation.org/

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