My Musical Heritage In Video Form–For Adriana

*I wrote a lost, angst-ridden entry a few hours ago. If you haven’t seen it, it’s back one. This entry is primarily for Adriana Mole, but the rest of you are invited to walk down memory lane with us. 🙂

The first album I ever owned was DRESSED TO KILL by Kiss. I was around ten years old at the time and thought they were the greatest band alive. About a year later, they released their respective solo albums and Ace’s “New York Groove” freakishly became a hit. Once that riff is in my head, I can never shake it loose.

But I was interested in a lot of different kinds of music right from the start. My Dad loved country music and my mother had a very eclectic collection of 45s that had everything from Ricky Nelson to The Who in it. I remember hearing Walter Egan’s “Magnet And Steel” at the roller rink when I first learned how to skate. At the time, Bruce Springsteen was still largely an East Coast phenomenon. And Tom Petty was just starting to break out.

Around this time, I was discovering girls on television. Coincidentally, I was discovering the joys of masturbation, too. Yvonne Craig, Angela Cartwright, and Kristy McNichol were some of the formative faves. In music, though, it was Suzi Quatro, who played Leather Tuscadero on HAPPY DAYS. I was probably the only kid in Amesbury, MA that owned Suzi Quatro records. And she singlehandedly fostered my love for women in leather. Women like Pat Benatar. Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, and Cyndi Lauper would all come later.

My half-brother introduced me to:

The Clash

and

Robert Gordon

On my own, I found:

The Cramps

and

The Beasts Of Bourbon

In 1985, I discovered Americana through John Mellencamp’s SCARECROW album. From there I jumped onto bands like the Georgia Satellites, Boston’s own Del Fuegos, and Nashville’s explosive Jason and the Scorchers.

In the early 1990s, Beth and I were together for a bit and just hanging out, drinking a lot of wine coolers and making some tasty, hot love. Two songs on the radio a lot at that time were Urban Dance Squad’s “Deeper Shade Of Soul” and Stereo MC’s “Elevate My Mind”. I was starting to write poetry in my own voice at that time, so I paid a lot of attention to the free flowing lyrics. (Whenever I wasn’t making out with Beth, that is.)

That kind of experimentation carried over into the early days of my marriage to Lynn, when we were doing a lot of poetry readings and such. So I was well prepared for the likes of Beck and The Fun Lovin’ Criminals.

The 1990s were good for hot rocker chicks. I loved the early, roughness of Liz Phair, but also like the kooky sweetness of Lisa Germano (John Mellencamp’s original violinist). It wasn’t until I recently discovered the red-headed Neko Case that I found a woman who married all of those qualities.

Liz Phair

Lisa Germano

Neko Case

I really didn’t pay much attention to music this decade. Bubblegum princesses and phony punk bands pretty much took over the airwaves. But I did find The Drive-By Truckers, a band that seems to have put everything I love about music into a blender and then poured it back out into something original. And that’s where I’m at these days.