Wednesday, January 7, 2009

And now for something completely different...


Uhmm...I've toyed with this blog entry for far too long...time to just get it out of my system and move on. And with that...I use to wish I was David Lee Roth. Big time. In fact, I think he was my alter-ego growing up. As in, he did all the things I would never do but, well...never mind.

My very fuzzy memory of being introduced to VH was that I heard their first record at my friend Kevin Ropcham's house. But the love really started with VH II, which included that all-time summer classic "Beautiful Girls" (complete with DLR's smooch at the end of the song.)

My best friend Dave Glass and I spent untold hours having air guitar concerts to various Van Halen songs. My summers were pretty much good or bad for several years based on whether a new record had been released. In fact, I remember when "Fair Warning" came out (the best record they ever did...really.) I was living on my uncle's farm in Washington and I made my cousin drive me like 50 miles away to the nearest real town so I could get it the day it came out. Sorry, Ann.

I did a lot of stupid things with Van Halen as a soundtrack, none of which will be known by anyone except those who may have participated...and they're not talking either.

I do remember working as a DJ for the local high school (I was the news director but so wanted to be the music director.) Our audience (all five of them, probably) were woman at home who were likely looking for something Top 40 when they tuned into KRVM-91.9. So what did I do? One fine day I put on that all-time classic I've Never Been To Me by Charlene ("I've been undressed by kings and I've seen some things that a woman ain't supposed to see. I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me") and let it play for maybe a minute. Then I scraped the needle across the vinyl and started playing "Unchained" in its place. I don't think the class advisor, Miss Cunningham, was too happy with me...

Probably the moment I realized I'd (mostly) grown out of Dave and the band was actually while I was on my mission. I'd heard somehow (a letter maybe) that they had kicked DLR out of the band and replaced him with Sammy Hagar (I'll refrain.) My thought was basically "oh well." Five years earlier I'd probably driven my car into the Willamette.

I must confess, however, that last year I downloaded several of my favorite songs from iTunes...and when I'm alone in my car...air guitaring could be a possibility...

9 comments:

  1. even a man whose heart is pure and says his prayers by night..

    may turn to a wolf when wolfsbans blooms and the moon is full and bright...

    my buddy larry heard that from a gypsy...

    ReplyDelete
  2. you're blowin my mind. and i like it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ahem. I remember those days. And I think I still have an infamous tape made for me by one Dave and Scotty...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for coming clean. Maybe I will confess the red headband I wore while I air guitared lover boy standing on my couch. Im particularly proud to know someone who had the courage to trash I ve never been to me. Keep Rockin in the car

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am laughing out loud- and you can hear me!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Deep down, every one of us has a member (or members) of a hair band lurking. For some, it is just a little closer to the surface than others. But be assured, it's there.

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh that awful song! dear golly! I'm glad you scraped it and saved us all from misery. By the way, I think you passed on some VH love onto me...Remember the jumping on the couch scene at age 5? Who doesn't...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow -- I knew it , I just knew it! I'm usually right about these things and I knew it! LOL!

    ReplyDelete