So you wanna be a Rock Star "The Clock Radio"

We moved from southern Texas to Minnesota in January 1972.  For a southern boy, January in Minnesota was just not so much a change in weather but a WTF moment.  Starting a new school in the middle of 1st grade, adopting a new culture, (you talk funny) and travelling from the gulf coast to snows Ville was quite a shock.  I went from "Howdy" to "Hi", from "Coke" to "Pop" and "Ya'll" to "what's Ya'll?"  Minnesota is worlds apart from the southern coast of Texas and if its winter, Its Cold!  The first point of business was to get outfitted with the proper snow gear.  In the early 1970's the fashion was a snowmobile suit and snowmobile boots. (What's a snowmobile?) Since we were from the south mom made sure we were properly outfitted. You remember the kid from "A Christmas story" the one that couldn't move, walk, or well do anything but yell "Help me up!" that was me. Talk about sheer shock, a southern boy in cowboy boots and shorts getting stuffed into some sort of moon landing gear.  Well enough on the weather, I still live here and it's still cold.  Spring could not come quick enough for this Texan but spring sprang then came summer, then the lazy, hazy, days of a hot humid summer, (now that's more like it).  August saw my birthday and after scoring some cash from relatives I had enough money to make a large purchase. 20 bucks large. I can't quite remember where my mom and I went but I remember making a purchase, my first music device.  You might think a guitar, or guitar amp, but no, this was a device that would have more effect on my life than any of those items combined, a device that would soon fill my nightstand with music and time.  Time? Yes I said "Time".  I purchased a clock radio, and this thing was cool! It had an AM FM radio along with a sleep timer, alarm buzzer, and lightly illuminated clock flipper that had a small incandescent light that was warm and inviting.  The two-inch speaker pumped out all the hits of the time, "Don't go breaking my heart", " With a little luck", "Dream on", what an amazing little box.  This was the device that told me Elvis has died, "sorry seems to be the hardest word" and expect a high of -20 today.  This one simple device made sure I woke up every day for school and pumped my ears full of dreams and memories.  Every night I would reach over to my nightstand, set the sleep timer and fall asleep to the glow of the small light and the tick of the clock while listen to "Kung fu fighting" or "Rhinestone cowboy."  Many years later the flipper thing started slowing down, the 2 inch speaker didn't work as it should, and disco was dead. Like most things, technology started knocking on the door which meant it was time to replace its dated display and electronics.  I'm not sure when me and Mr Emerson parted ways but Elton John, Chicago, Aerosmith and many of the other 70's bands were a part of my life thanks to a two inch speaker mounted in a plastic box with a tiny flip display sitting on a wire nightstand illuminating not only the night but my future.

So you wanna be a Rock Star, the beginning

In order to understand where my future lies its important to understand where I came from.  The Mayflower was a ship that carried the pilgrims from England to America.  The captain of the ship, Miles Standish, was a....ok ok that is a little too far back.  I guess I could start with my Parents, without them I literally would not exist.  My parent grew up in two different towns connected by a central school.  Dad was from Mantorville and Mom was from Kasson.  They married in 1962 and 3 years later 2 boys were bouncing off the walls in a small home in Florida.  Dad was in the navy and had transferred a few times so Florida was our current home.  I don't remember much but I do have a lot of cute pictures.  If I could have stayed that cute I think I would have had a career in the movies.  (Eat your heart out Macaulay.) Growing up in Florida was a fun hot humid childhood. I do remember one day my dad bought me a toy machine gun and my brother got a pirate hat, patch, and plastic knife.  I always wanted to be a swashbuckler so I begged him to trade for a bit, me giving up my gun and he loaning me the hat, patch and knife, but I quickly learned that trades are not always fair, and no way was he going to part with the knife.  I begged and cried but no way was that knife coming off his side, so I got to run around saying "Aye Matyey" and swinging a stick and he got to keep the goods.  (Knowing my brother he probably still has the outfit in a box.)  I shouldn't degrees since this is about my music career and not pirates and GI Joes.  At three years of age I was not into music yet, I was still honing my tricycle skills, and searching for my blanket that I constantly misplaced but one important song that I do remember is not really a song but a TV show.  Every time the speaker on the TV blared out the song "Flipper" I would come running like a bloodhound after a convict.  If you don't remember the show, go ahead and google it, I've got time.  Flipper was the first show or song I can remember.  Few things stand out in my mind but flipper will always hold a spot in my heart.

 I don't remember my parents listening to the radio, stereo, or really anything musical.  They never played and instrument, they never sang in the shower.  Matter a fact quite a few years later I discovered an album collection in my parents attic space which absolutely blew me away since I never thought of them as music lovers or hell even listeners.  More on that later.  Where did all this love of music come from?  My brother didn't listen to the radio, or start and album collection I could pilfer from. My parents never had anything but the TV on.  I did have a grandmother that played the piano and and great grandfather that sang at hundreds of weddings and funerals, but if I keep going backward we will be back on the mayflower sailing back to England.  I guess the question should not be where I found the love but that I found the love, a love that has endured eight presidents and counting.

 

So You Wanna be a Rock Star "Chasing the dream"

I have decided that it is time, time for what your say? Time to write about a passion that has consumed me since, well since I can remember.  Its a story about a fire that started when I was a young teen living in Kasson Minnestoa and has raged for more than 40 years. Its a story about many people, fun times and frustrating times.  The good, the bad, and the ugly. The ups and downs, times of feast and famine. The drive to become a Rock Star! Play guitar, tour the country in a bus, have girls chasing me down the street.  I have been at this quest for many years.  Do I still have the Dream!! Can I still become that "Rock Star." I might still have a dream but I am also a realist, at age 54 I think the only chicks chasing me down the street are going to be grandmothers. If my story is entertaining enough maybe I will get a book deal!  Once again I am a realist, but you never know, right? Maybe publishers will be chasing me down the street.  Maybe grandmothers will be chasing the publishers, walkers in hand. "Give that man a book deal" as they pop there dentures back in their mouths.  I love to entertain and my life as a musician is very entertaining.  At least my life is entertaining I will let you decide on the music part. So here we go, bad grammar, bad writing skills, horrible composition but a story no less.  Please don't grade me on my poor use of comma's, or lack of quotes but grade me on the humor I bring to the pages.   This is a story, (there are many stories like this one) but this is my story. A story about chasing a dream to be a rock star that has actually been more fulfilling than ever becoming a rock star. At least that's what the other rock stars tell me.