Dear Friends,
I realized yesterday towards the end of the day that I completely forgot something about 10/2 that had bummed me out on that particular date for the last 19 years. Prior to meeting Rhondi, I had been in a pretty bad relationship (I think I wrote about it in 2022) with a woman whose name I don’t like to mention. Yesterday was her birthday and I didn’t wish her a happy or unhappy birthday in my mind. I simply wished her nothing.
It's nice when you realize you don’t need to be bothered by some person who stomped on your feelings anymore and lied to a bunch of people about it.
*****
I got a lot done yesterday, though, and Rhondi and I ran some errands and took care of some business, too. We hit Haley Pond and talked with Ned for a bit, and it was kind of cold down there. It felt good to be cold, if that makes sense. I’m glad we have another 10 days up here.
*****
I’m going to keep it short and sweet today. I’m feeling like letting my brain, heart, and soul expand out into the universe today and taking it all in. Hopefully there will be some good outside time this afternoon with a hike or a walk in the woods.
Later on, I will be interviewing a guy from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. That should be very interesting indeed. Those guys are wild.
*****
I was 12 years old when “Goody Two Shoes” by Adam Ant came out. It was definitely one of those situations where I loved a song instantly. I was already aware of Adam & the Ants because they were getting some play on MTV and at school dances, too. I liked what I had heard, but “Goody Two Shoes” really reeled me in.
It was May of 1982, and I was just finishing up 7th grade. Adam Ant quickly became my favorite musician. I learned all the lyrics to “Goody Two Shoes” and listened to it as often as I could, which was a lot because it was on the radio constantly. In October of that year, I got Friend or Foe on cassette for my 13th birthday.
This was a big point in my life, I think. Adam Ant was out there and on the verge of punk, so my horizons were being broadened quite a bit. I had been exposed to a bunch of other cool music, but Ant was accessible. He was part of the wider culture and new wave music was beginning to really take over.
At least for me.
Friend or Foe quickly became my favorite record. Songs like “Desperate but Not Serious” and the title track, “Friend or Foe,” were instant favorites and I still enjoy those two to this day. Listening now is kind of a nostalgia trip, to be honest, but I have found that I still like the record.
In fact, I think my favorite song on the record now is “Here Comes the Grump.” It’s really quite a good song. It kind of reminds me a bit of The Damned when they are being charming. I also really like “Try This For Sighs” for the same reasons. It’s interesting sounding and a pretty cool song in its own right.
Now, Ant on the other hand, I’m not so sure about. I interviewed him back in 2016, I think, and it went really well. He was charming and I enjoyed the chat a great deal, but when I wrote the article, his PR person got super angry with me and threatened to sue Tucson Weekly because I mentioned that he had overcome some legal issues.
She rescinded the passes she had offered me to the show and Rhondi and I were impolitely asked not to come. Rhondi is still bitter about this because it promised to be a really good show. I’m a little bitter about it, too, but I did get to see Adam Ant on the Friend or Foe tour in 1983.
My dad and Lori took my friend, Matt, and I to Mesa Ampitheatre and we saw INXS open for Adam Ant. It was glorious and I felt like one of the cool kids, for once. We were about to finish our 8th grade year and we both liked Adam Ant a lot. Matt was my best friend at the time and also the guy who taught me that the magnetic anti-theft devices at Tower Records were BS.
I remember enjoying INXS, who had not broken yet in America, a lot. I had the concert bug from seeing Joan Jett & The Blackhearts earlier that year, but seeing my hero, the Ant man himself, in person was pretty mesmerizing. He put on a great show and even played some stuff from Strip, too, which I didn’t hate.
While the whole record doesn’t hold up, it is still a piece of my youth and a record that I once loved from top to bottom. I might dust it off now and again, just for old time’s sake, but it might just be something I spin when I DJ, especially “Here Comes the Grump.”
Sorry I pissed off your PR person, Adam Ant. Well, maybe not that sorry…and Rhondi says, “Fuck you. Own your shit, man.”
*****
See you tomorrow.
AI version of Adam Ant/INXS concert poster.
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