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Newsletter - August 1st, 2007 update
Newsletter - June10th, 2007
High School
My life changed a lot as I tried to be accepted by succeeding in track and football and academics. During summers I spent as much time as possible on the lake in our 16' runabout ski boat. One of my happiest memories is the feeling I would get pulling the tarp off the boat on a Saturday morning with the whole day ahead and the boat all to myself. I would spend all of my weekly $2.00 allowance on a tankful of gas and oil and tow it to the boat in my Radio Flyer red wagon. The feeling was palpable, like a lump in my breast, of expectation and freedom. I would go out to the exact center of the lake, turn off the motor and just drift, listening to rock 'n' roll on my transistor radio and polishing up the boat perfectly for the day's activities. There would be water skiing, swimming, games with my friends, and boat rides for all the girls who appeared at the local beaches.
Waterford Township has over 400 lakes within its 36 square miles. You cannot drive a straight line for very far because you are constantly winding among them. One night I drove five of my high school friends to a dance at the old Walled Lake Casino where we saw the famous pretty boy Elvis clone Fabien Forte. Driving home afterward it was so foggy I had to follow the car in front of me very closely just to keep his tail lights in view. I was puzzled when I noticed the lights radically bouncing up and down, but soon we were all bouncing up and down as the Corvette ahead had missed a turn and driven straight off into a cornfield with me blindly following. Another car full of young guys followed me off in the same way, so there was plenty of help pushing all the cars back out of the mud and onto the road.
I hosted some record parties for my friends in the rec room, and I even remember going ahead with a party on a Friday night after President Kennedy was assassinated, and just thinking that life goes one and it didn't really affect me very much. One of the girls at the party said she thought it was in poor taste to not cancel the party to grieve, but I figured she didn't have to come if she didn't want to, and they ate all my hot dogs and drank all the Coke, and we danced until after midnight. Once my dad came down to get something out of the refrigerator by the bar and there were four couples making out on the one couch. He said, "Go ahead with whatever you are doing; I'll just be a minute." Later the legs broke off the couch from the pile of kissing teenagers.
The first working band I joined was a trio with two young country guitar players who sang classics like "Send Me the Pillow" and "I Got Stripes." We had matching jackets and string bow ties and were probably a pretty cute act. Our first gig was playing at a furniture auction in between sales while men moved the sold things off and brought out new stuff behind us. We were supposed to share five dollars for our work, but one slow night we got stiffed and only received a dollar each. I told them I would never play there again, and that has been my policy to this day.
Throughout high school I played sock hops with my peers and senior proms with the adult musicians. I have a clear image of setting up atop an A & W Drive Inn one sunny afternoon while a parade of customized cars circled below. Playing music was as natural to me as boating and sports, and I didn't take it very seriously at that time.
The senior trip was an eye-opener for me that may have influenced some future decisions. Our school and two others from the area chartered a steamboat to tour the Great Lakes, and on the second night there was a talent show. I had brought my father's old tenor banjo and some of my buddies agreed to sing with me. We all had army helmet liners painted bright colors and called ourselves The Mothra after a monster movie. The dining room was packed and there was a rock band for dancing later. When we broke into the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" the band picked it up right away and made us sound like pros! Afterwards, a pretty girl from another school showed some interest in me and I took her to the upper deck for some kissing under the stars among all the other couples I knew from school. I hadn't been very successful with girls in high school, and it was very satisfying. This was my first awareness that playing music could be a special attraction to women.
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