I
have always been interested in turning the clock back and enjoying the memories
of times gone by. Whether they were good times or bad times, it really
did not matter. I enjoyed the respite from the drudgery of the here and
now. Combine this love of my past with
my love of writing and it is understandable I have now written over 50,000
words recording my trips down memory lane.
1977-Philly-W/college friends - ELO Tour
~ The next day- jack knifed my truck into a ravine
The compilation is a hodge-podge collection of stories and tales that follow no discernible timeline and often appear to be nothing but sadly constructed rhymes looking for a reason. But throughout all of them is a taste of what I was back then, whenever then was.
I have always endeavored to write the truth and barring that, mimic it at the least. Some of my stories are fictional narratives based on real events and/or people. But most are written down as I remembered them with only enough embellishment to keep the flow going. I have strived hard to nail down specific facts from my past that really put me in that place, that time, that situation.
In my effort to be true to the stories of my life, I have acquired a taste for researching basic data from my past. Real dates, old addresses, old friend’s names, old schools, etc. I went to 14 schools before college, and lived in 18 different locations before I was out of my 20’s. That’s a lot of crap that was easy to forget back in the day once I had moved on to the next burg on my map. Just locating tangible information of where I existed and with who only helped to add weight to the stories I was telling.
What made me think of my crazy assortment of adventures, trials, and tribulations was the meme from Facebook about a guy who got around. He had a most interesting life and shared parts of it with people worthy of note. As I read the meme, I realized that I too had gotten around. And like him, I also occasionally ran in the same circles inhabited by the famous and beautiful.
So, as I sit here at age 69 and troll my past for some of the adrenalin I wasted and left behind, I realize I had lived a lifetime before I lived the lifetime that is now approaching an uncertain time limit in my future. I have experienced two different lives, one as a solo act; the other as a member of an ensemble cast. And I would not trade one for the other. They are both what made me what I became and for better or worse, at least I got around and have lived long enough to put it down in writing.
Later Gator ...................................................
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(465 words)
3 comments:
Yes! ELO. Philly. ShowCo. This was one of the semi local events you let jump in the cab of your truck and tag along with you. Somehow I sort of remember barely escaping the Philly police who wanted to stomp on any long haired freak they came across in the arena but somehow we/I was saved because I had a magical pass around my neck. I enjoy your writing meanderings. They bring back a bit of the days we shared in our formative years. I’m waiting for the story of our day spent inside the walls of Shepard Enoch Pratt Hospital for the Insane where we somehow almost decided we were actually better off staying rather than jumping back over the wall and returning to our Towson lives. And then there was the time…well, you've got this under control.
Bobalooski- Thanks for your support and that you were actually an integral part of some of those tales I have written. I often think about our journey over to Shepard Pratt. It was indeed a wondrous one day voyage full of self induced magic and wonderment. Remeber that big ass pipe that hung so high over that stream? And we decided to walk it. That was indeed a great day.
when I first started blogging I blogged about me life and music...remember? then about West and the stuff that was happening. People thought I had made it all up...who the fuck has that kind of imagination?
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