zoetrope
going nowhere fast
I'm a day late to this but whatever. Here's my story.
I was in highschool and had 'overslept' (but on purpose) so I'd miss pre-calculus. I turned on CNN like I did most mornings to check the general news and stuff and they showed smoke pouring out of the WTC. I assumed that it was footage from the bombing in 93 but that was underground and this looked like it was near the top of one of the towers. Before I could comprehend what was happening the second plane hit.
On my way to school they announced that the pentagon was hit by a plane as well and I was fully expecting more targets in DC. Thank god that didn't happen. My second class of the day was US History. When I showed up people were just finding out about it (they'd all been in class when the planes struck). We went in the classroom and turned on the tv and watched both towers fall. That was one of the most surreal moments in my life. It's not like I'd had any real connection or feelings about the WTC (they were just buildings to me, I didn't live in or had ever been in New York) but it was like watching Pearl Harbor as it occurred. Absolutely horrifying. We pretty much spent the rest of the day going from class to class to watch coverage. All except for Physics. My teacher wouldn't let us turn on the tv and I never forgave him for that. How clueless could you be? Was your lesson THAT IMPORTANT?!?!?
I always think of this performance around this time of year. Tori Amos was Letterman's first music guest when he came back on the air; they suspended all programs for a week in order to give coverage which, at the time, felt very oppressive--you couldn't escape it and it was on what felt like every channel, 24 hours a day. So, 9/18 was the first night Letterman was back and Tori Amos performed this. I cried like I've never cried before. And then, at the end of the show, he choked out "we'll try it again tomorrow" ugh. It was heavy heavy stuff. Letterman was supposed to make people laugh yet he could barely make it through his show.
Edit: sorry for writing a small novel
I was in highschool and had 'overslept' (but on purpose) so I'd miss pre-calculus. I turned on CNN like I did most mornings to check the general news and stuff and they showed smoke pouring out of the WTC. I assumed that it was footage from the bombing in 93 but that was underground and this looked like it was near the top of one of the towers. Before I could comprehend what was happening the second plane hit.
On my way to school they announced that the pentagon was hit by a plane as well and I was fully expecting more targets in DC. Thank god that didn't happen. My second class of the day was US History. When I showed up people were just finding out about it (they'd all been in class when the planes struck). We went in the classroom and turned on the tv and watched both towers fall. That was one of the most surreal moments in my life. It's not like I'd had any real connection or feelings about the WTC (they were just buildings to me, I didn't live in or had ever been in New York) but it was like watching Pearl Harbor as it occurred. Absolutely horrifying. We pretty much spent the rest of the day going from class to class to watch coverage. All except for Physics. My teacher wouldn't let us turn on the tv and I never forgave him for that. How clueless could you be? Was your lesson THAT IMPORTANT?!?!?
I always think of this performance around this time of year. Tori Amos was Letterman's first music guest when he came back on the air; they suspended all programs for a week in order to give coverage which, at the time, felt very oppressive--you couldn't escape it and it was on what felt like every channel, 24 hours a day. So, 9/18 was the first night Letterman was back and Tori Amos performed this. I cried like I've never cried before. And then, at the end of the show, he choked out "we'll try it again tomorrow" ugh. It was heavy heavy stuff. Letterman was supposed to make people laugh yet he could barely make it through his show.
Edit: sorry for writing a small novel
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