Member-only story
From Metallica to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
An evolution in personal hype music
It’s a Thursday morning.
I’m driving in to the State Capitol in Nashville early.
Thursdays are legislative floor days — and I work for the majority party in the State Senate at this time in my life (age 28–32).
Debate on bills starts at 9 AM and goes until lawmakers are done talking for the day.
My job is to summarize the day’s events and spin them to our side’s advantage for the media. Don’t worry, the other side has a press person, too.
It’s a fun job — and Thursdays feel like battle days.
I need hype music.
And Metallica’s “Sad but True” plays on the CD player of my badass Honda Civic.
How the stories get told impacts the public’s perception of the lawmakers who employ me — and could impact whether they win or lose in the next election. So, it’s a high-pressure day.
For a long time in my life — from interview prep to tough days at work to training for half marathons — Metallica was in the background.
Loud, angry, kicking some ass. A juxtaposition of the quiet man in the suit and low key car — the man who knew his job and performed it well.
