I’m planning a road trip later this summer and as I was shuffling through my deep catalog of music to create a playlist to accompany us along the way, the memories of my adolescence came back to me in soft ebbs. I’m still as avid a music fan at nearly 50 years old as I was at 15 years, and it was Miguel, my cousin, that sparked this youthful passion.

I spent most of my childhood as the sole male in my family and had always longed for a brother. Miguel was that adored older brother, even if he was only a few months older than me.

I remember our calls, swapping commentary about the latest music videos on 120 Minutes, MTV’s Sunday evening program which would become hugely influential on the budding alternative music scene that would blossom in the nineties.

Really when you boil it down, Miguel was the biggest musical influence upon me even if he never played a lick of a note. So, in honor of all that I stumbled upon during his unbeknownst tutelage, here are a few of my favorite songs that Miguel turned me onto. You rock, dude!

• “Spirit of ’76,” by the Alarm: It was 1985 when I first heard of this Welsh band with the epic sound and revelatory songwriting. The lyrical content and its sweeping narrative are the most appealing qualities that struck me about this band.
• “What Difference Does It Make?” by the Smiths: This was the perfect outcast song for moody, unpopular, and eccentric adolescent males. Miguel introduced me to the Smiths and I still think of the cover to Louder Than Bombs when I think of that seminal 80s college rock band.
• “Destination,” by the Church: In high school, I talked a good story about getting a part-time job but usually ended up flaking out after a couple days until I got my job at a now-defunct record retail store, Sound Warehouse, and it was there that I become totally immersed in the Church. Most of their early albums can’t be found any longer and most folks know them for their “Under the Milky Way” breakout song but the album itself was truly their masterpiece.
• “Bastards of Young,” by the Replacements: Man, I loved the snarly title of this song which was the first attraction, but it was equaled by the grinding guitars pushing along Paul Westerberg’s lyrical prowess. The title sounded so scandalous as a teenager that there was no way I couldn’t play it within earshot of my parents.

• “April Skies,” by the Jesus and Mary Chain: Again, the title and lyrics had a magnetic pull for the cantankerous teenagers of the 80s. It felt dark and it became a fitting escape from the pain and violence of the drug life from yesteryear. This is still my go-to album for a rainy day attitude.