Dear Friends,
Happy Saturday. There are a few things on my mind this morning, so I am going to jump around a bit. This last week was an interesting one, reflecting on Pinky, and thinking about how much I simply don’t remember when it comes to that band. It has made me want to take a look back at my own behavior and it has made me wonder how much I have missed out because of drinking too much.
Sobering thought.
I’m guessing I did play the occasional Pinky show where I didn’t consume alcohol or get high, but maybe not. We played a fair number of shows, too, but only a few of them I can easily and instantly recall. It’s kind of a bummer, really, because a lot of what I want to do here at Ergonomic Mischief is tell stories about what happened in my life. I have much clearer memories of other bands and other experiences.
Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to dwell on today.
*****
Today I get to be part of a few celebrations. The first of which is celebrating my man, Quentin, and his 12th birthday. The big day was actually back on Tuesday, and I didn’t realize it when I put Tuesday’s post up, so I am bummed about that.
As a teacher, I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of great young people in my life and my hope for the future is truly bright. There are so many good-hearted, thoughtful kids out there and a ton more with the potential to be if their parents stop fucking them up. Fortunately, Quentin falls into the first category.
I feel very fortunate to get to spend time with him often. Quentin joins his dad and I for our morning walks during the week. He’s been taking Luna as of late and doing a fine job. At first, I thought I might be infringing on his walking routine, but he seems to enjoy it and she walks better for him than she does for me.
Quentin is also incredibly creative, and I envy how his mind works. We have spun a fairly elaborate story surrounding their family dog, Bella, and her alter-ego, Danger Tail. I can’t wait to see what he does with this story. Again, the future is bright because of young people like Q-man.
Happy birthday sir!
*****
This evening I will also be attending the memorial get together for a guy I wish I would have gotten to know better. Steve played in the bands Junior Achievement and The Harvest here I town when I was younger, and I admired his skills a lot. I feel like it was a missed opportunity to not have spent some time with him and getting to hear stories of those days. In our few discussions, I found him to be thoughtful and kind.
I look forward to hearing more about him tonight. I don’t know if I will ever compile all the information I have about the early punk rock scene in this town, but if I do, it will be impossible to do so without mentioning the influence of his sound and style. I had a cassette tape in high school of the Junior Achievement songs, and I shared it with a friend at one point. He thought it was me and two of my other friends who were playing the music and he looked so impressed, that for a minute, I was almost proud, too, but then I let him know that it was not us. Would have been cool to jam with Steve, though.
For me, seeing The Harvest was just spectacular. I never got to see Junior Achievement, but I certainly have listened to their record many times. The influence of those guys was strong and I am honored to be a part of the scene they helped grow.
God speed!
*****
I feel like I’m going to be super social tonight. I don’t know that I want to be, but it is for a good cause. The last stop of the evening will be a goodbye party for my friend, Amy. I am sad to see her go but the opportunity in front of her is an excellent one.
Amy and I got to know each other through both the music scene and writing for the New Times. We also have many mutual friends. She’s a gifted writer and editor and has thrown me lots of work over the years, so I feel her loss in our community on many levels.
Amy plays drums in several bands including French Girls and Sturdy Ladies. I know her bandmates will miss her fiercely, but I’m guessing this move will be good for her most recent band, Canyons and Locusts. The more I listen to that stuff, the more I like it. It’s kind of like Sonic Youth, Sebadoh, and Superchunk had a baby full of low-fi deliciousness.
A few years ago, we were at a gathering for friends at the YabYum house (well, Carly and Mark’s place) and they asked if we would like to do a radio show for them through radiophoenix.org. We said we would and for a year, we got to do a bi-weekly radio show. It was so much fun to work with Amy in this way and I miss it a lot.
Since it stopped, we’ve talked a lot about how to do something similar, maybe a podcast or something, and we just haven’t gotten it together. With her moving across the country, it would have been difficult to consider trying to still do something like this ten years ago, but now, it is still quite feasible, so who knows? I suspect she will be really busy with her cool new job, but maybe one day we can do interviews and have a show again?
Phoenix is losing a great writing voice in this move, too. Amy could be counted on to tell it like it is and her take on artists and music coming through town was always refreshing to read. Inspiring, too. Amy has consistently made me want to improve my writing skills and I thank her for that. I doubt she’ll have time to contribute much to New Times anymore, but I hope she occasionally does so. I will miss her a lot and I know Rhondi will, too.
The good thing is that she will not be too far from us when we are on the East Coast. I’m sure more fun will be had next summer. I wish her the best. Bon voyage, my friend.
*****
Saturdays, man.
See you tomorrow.
Such a good record, Fade to Black...
Here's a youtube with the whole record:
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