In 2016 I was working as a patient caregiver at a psychiatric hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. I got into that job following a couple years of complex self-improvement work and independent psychology studies. After a few months of successful employment, I started to consider how I could use the skills I was learning at the psych hospital to benefit more people. I figured if I could make a positive impact on those who were experiencing psychosis and addictions, then I could definitely help people who were facing everyday challenges.

I ultimately opted to perform street outreach. I printed a sign that read “Free Life Advice and Motivation” and I began spending one day per week on a street corner in downtown Charleston talking to anyone who came to me for my services. The premise was simple: I stood silently and waited until someone approached, then I let them discuss their troubles and served as a sounding board to help them reason through their problems and get motivated to address them. I accepted no money for my services and had nothing for sale. I ended up doing this for more than 125 hours over the course of a year, during which time I spoke to hundreds of people. The photo on this post includes an action shot of me. I wish I had that same energy and dedication today!

One time during my advice gig a middle-aged man approached and started recounting his past as a musician and his subsequent downfall from fame. He said he was once in a hiphop group with his brother, had a video on rotation at MTV, and even had an album certified gold by the RIAA. Having spent months working in a psychiatric hospital listening to everyday people tell me that they were famous actors, musicians, and world leaders, I quickly concluded that the guy was experiencing some kind of delusion…until he pulled out a sheet of lyrics he’d scribbled on a notepad and riffed a couple minutes of refined bars.

I went home that night and Googled around all the keywords he mentioned. Lo and behold, I found a 1989 MTV music video on YouTube for a song titled “Do It to the Crowd” by a rap group named Twin Hype, featuring a much younger version of the guy I spoke to earlier that day. They were an incredibly talented trio (counting DJ King Shameek) and I listen to them to this day. Shown here are sealed copies of their two LPs that I found floating around online.

As I’ve posted about earlier, I collect sealed music singles that are either personally meaningful or artistically timeless. Both of these are subjective, of course, and many will probably disagree with my judgment on the latter. Either way, here are some highlights from my growing collection.
My favorite one is “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind, which I feel perfectly captures the simultaneous optimism and cynicism of the 1990s. It meets what I call the ‘Voyager Test’: A song I could provide to a future generation or alien species that epitomizes an era of American culture. Bonus points if the cover includes a KMart sticker.