I've found myself in situations lately where I've been made to remember a lot of things from my past; both distant and recent. Now this isn't a post about 9/11 per se, but the events of the day certainly factor in here.
Recently a friend sent me a YouTube clip of U2 playing live somewhere circa 1984. I responded by asking him how crazy was it that my mom was actually at Wembley Stadium in 1985 for Live Aid and witnessed first hand the now classic U2 performance of "Bad". Not two seconds later did he hit me up with that very clip, and man if I wasn't instantly transported back to my living room on Euclid Heights Blvd the morning of July, 1985. My good friend Harry Richards had come over just to see U2 with me then we were heading down to WRUW's Studio-A-Rama on Case's campus. It was the best college radio station's (sorry Berni) all day outdoor live event and Harry and I, both 16, had a plan.
After thinking about that specific day, I thought about 1985 in general. Summer '85 still to this day, is my favorite summer ever. My best friends and I skateboarded all day and then drove around all night looking for parties or new skate spots. It didn't matter if it was as far east as Chesterland or as far west as Elyria. Amato would drive and we would skate, laugh, crack on each other and eat a lot of really bad food. Alpha Park and Denny's always seemed to factor in somehow. We were the "Heights kids". But we never drank. And we were always together; most of us had gone to the same grade school. Our parents all knew each other and they knew that we were pretty responsible kids (for the most part). We were generally left to our own devices until all hours. Not because our parents were irresponsible, more because we were good kids who could be trusted to make the right decision. I remember Rob Gilmore, Jim Amato, Pat Whelan, Mike Jones, Charlie Garriga, Mark Konopka, Sam Nigro, Robbie Stevens (my best friend for all of that great summer of '85). I remember swimming at Thonton Park and having a huge crush on Katie Moore (she lived on Townlie!). Some of the guys are no longer with me (Rob, I'll miss you always) and some, like Charlie, I see and talk to frequently. But for one summer, it was all there for us. All it took to bring it flooding back was a simple U2 clip from Josh.
The other night I was working the door at a club in the city. For any of you that know me, it's always something I've enjoyed doing in addition to having a full time job. Somewhere around 12:30 a familiar face approached the door with a group of similar looking kids. It wound up being a kid named Itchy who was on the road with A Static Lullaby when I was their tour manager during the summer of 2003. I said hello and asked how he was and if he still talked to the guys. He let me know two of the guys quit and formed their own band while Joe and Dan are still in ASL. I quit grilling him and let him hang with his friends.
Later that night, as I lay in bed, I began to think back on those eight weeks I spent on the road with ASL. I was 34, they were all between 18-22. Some nights I wanted to kill them, other nights they wanted to kill me. We were in a van with a huge equipment trailer hitched behind us. I remember every venue we played. From Denver to Quebec City, from Vancouver to Baltimore. I remember getting to know the other bands on the road with us, Strung Out, Eighteen Visons, Form of Rocket and The Kinison. There was a legitimate bond between bands by the end of it all. I remember being a big brother, a cop, a dad, a mom, a maid, an accountant (and not a very good one), a negotiator and a tough guy. I remember driving more miles across Canada than anyone ever should have to. I remember my best friend, Dean meeting me in Pittsburgh and providing one night of sanity in a posh hotel. I remember Joe asking if he could hang out with my friends and me in Chicago and being flattered he'dwant to hang out with a geezer like me. I remember getting everyone to stay at the Sheraton in Saskatoon because it had indoor water slides. I remember thinking that might not have been the best idea as the boys decided to climb up the supports of the water slides to the top. Dealing with the promotors at the venues was always fun. It certainly helped to have a solid booking agency behind the tour; less chance for those local lizards to fuck us. All it took to remember those eight weeks in that van with Joe, Dan, Phil, Nate, Ben, Eric and Itchy was seeing Itchy for about ten minutes outside the door of a club.
Bed time. For those that care, I promise part two will not take me a month to write.
