Memory lane ...

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything except a trip down my own personal memory lane. I'm sure others have similar tales ... feel free to join with your own.

I was a teenager; junior in HS to be exact. I was in Peeples Music shop on Ingersol (the original location) for my weekly album buy (vinyl of course, what's a CD ?). Mr "Long Haired Hippy" himself, Ned Rood, was working the desk. He was playing some really cool stuff over the speakers. I stopped my browsing and just stood there to listen; it was that good. To Ned I said, "Who is that?" He replied "It's some new band from California, just got it in today. It's really good." Me, "Damn, I'll say ... is the whole album like this?" Him, "Yep, been listening to it over and over all afternoon".

I bought a copy and headed home. A couple of hours later I called my best friend and fellow music aficionado Mike L. "Mike", I said, "you have just got to go get this album. It's incredible !". He said, "Who is it?". Me, "Its some new band that nobody's heard of ... just go get it !!!". So he did, got in the store right as they were closing up shop for the day and without even hearing it, he bought the very last copy.

On the very day it was released, my best friend and I both got copies of the original "Van Halen" debut album.

Way, way, way too many years to think of later ... it is still awesome. And they are still trying to reproduce it. OK, not trying to ... Yahoo had an article today about this 14 year old girl who does so, she plays Eruption pretty much note-for-note, it's pretty awesome. Seeing her play that, just brought back the memories; sorry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV6Sm...layer_embedded

I still remember the discussions back then with my buddies (over orange juice and vodka stolen from Mike's parents liquor cabinet) over whether that was a REAL guitar solo. Was it dubbed? Was it a synthesizer? We'd never head anyone play a guitar like that before. And just who is this Eddie Van Halen guy anyway? Of course, he would come to be considered one of the best guitar players in the world for many years. That album would go on to sell over 10 million copies and Eruption is considered one of the best guitar solos of all time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen_(album)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruption_(instrumental)

And now this stuff is being played by a 14 year old kid. Wonder if she will turn out like a another child prodigy, Bonamassa? He turned out alright ...

To my best friend Mike: may you rest in peace.

I offered Ned Rood a job once after KFMG (When they were cool) went away. I was pretty deep in the music biz at that time. Fucker turned me down. I still love vinyl.

In 1978 I got the album and burned it to cassette for in the car. Was following a friend driving a U-Haul to Florida. At one point we switched drivers and he was in my car, in front of the truck. All of a sudden he starts weaving back and forth, then drives off the road into the center median. I pulled over and got out to see what was wrong. He comes out holding his head and screaming, "This is the best fucking album I've ever heard!"

I offered Ned Rood a job once after KFMG (When they were cool) went away. I was pretty deep in the music biz at that time. Fucker turned me down. I still love vinyl. Originally Posted by livn2do

Livn, if you were in the music biz then maybe you knew my buddy Mike; owner of SR Audio. He did the original recordings of Slip Knot with McHahon; MFKR. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate._Feed._Kill._Repeat.). I never did make it out to South River when he had it going. Lots and lots of really good memories though; we did some seriously crazy shit in HS.

Sounds like your friend Mike was lucky enough to live the dream.

And you have some pretty good memories along the way as well.

Makes a pretty nice life in my book.

BTW I respectfully disagree on the 14 yo. Copying note-for-note is skill, not talent.

Livn, if you were in the music biz then maybe you knew my buddy Mike; owner of SR Audio. He did the original recordings of Slip Knot with McHahon; MFKR. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate._Feed._Kill._Repeat.). I never did make it out to South River when he had it going. Lots and lots of really good memories though; we did some seriously crazy shit in HS. Originally Posted by aGuyInIowa

Yep, I've had dealings with Mike, Sean, Sophia all back in the mid 90's. There was a time that I really thought that Des Moines was going to become the next Seattle the local scene was so hot.

Sounds like your friend Mike was lucky enough to live the dream.

And you have some pretty good memories along the way as well.

Makes a pretty nice life in my book. Originally Posted by IABart

Like many who live the dream and live on the edge, there is a tendency to go over that edge at times. Living on the edge is a dangerous thing for ones sanity. I would think being a Provider at times could be considered living pretty close to the edge, btw. How do you know when its time to walk-away like Ms Elena ? And sometimes I wonder if its even possible to completely walk away.

Uhmm, well, ok, how to say this politely. My HS buddy Mike killed himself (a number of years ago); though that was hushed up pretty well in DM. Friends who were close to him at the time and attended his funeral told me what was going on in his life and what actually happened though.

I had lost touch with him over the years because I had moved around the country several times; but have always wondered if perhaps I could have made a difference had I kept in touch. Probably not, but you never know.

That is one important lesson I have learned. When you see other people and think they have it so great ... they rarely do and have struggles like everyone else.

We have one connection in common: humanity

Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes you forget how green your own grass is and don't realize that the other grass might be dyed, cared for by a pro, or turf, or might just be a different variety.

I needed this reminder today-

thx.