I’ve stated it more than once, my belief that music can “take you back in time”. Well that’s not where I’m going here. But rather, I simply wish to touch upon the reflections I have of what stepping out meant at different times over the course of my life, and maybe share a memory or two. “Hey, it’s Friday night, and I wanna rock n roll”, which meant most Fridays you could find me at the skating rink with all my other Junior High classmates when I was a kid in Austin Texas.
Well at least that’s where weekend nights would start out from for the next couple years, as me and my friends started venturing out to more lively spots as we moved into high school, before any of us had cars or driving licenses. I rode my bike and walked all over the city of Austin, mainly in search of either a street dance, or some other open air music event or party. There were tons of bands and performers to check out and it was a great time to be a part of the music scene and night life. For me and those who helped expand the horizons of my young life, being where the bright lights and excitement were at, became an obsession I still feel very much today.
As I got older, stepping out often meant showing up at a party or gathering with guitar in hand, and proceeding to play as long the booze and weed held out. Or various dive bars and venues where I knew the musicians and could sit in for a song or two. Maybe for just long enough to impress a particular young lady who had caught my eye, or the chance of jamming with one of the guitar players I looked up to. Sometimes, though not very often, I got a little recognition from all my exploits and at those times, stepping out felt like stepping up on to cloud nine ! As I write this, Gerry Rafferty’s “Right Down The Line” is playing on my radio, Yacht Rock right on time, so let’s turn our talk over to that subject for a bit.
Miss April Adair, all my best to you where ever you are !! Driver’s Ed, you and Billy Joel’s “Glass Houses”, our big date at the “Broken Spoke”, and all the mishaps. Please chalk it all down to a kid who didn’t have clue, but had the biggest crush on you instead. “You maybe right, I maybe crazy, but it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for….” , I can still hear Christopher Cross’ “Sailing”, and Lipps Inc’s “Funkytown”, and Jackson Browne’s “Boulivard” when I think of you, ah to be young.
To the sounds of Bob Seger’s “Like A Rock”, comes the sigh, the catch in the throat, as the line echoes “twenty years, where’d they go? twenty years I don’t know, I sit and wonder sometimes, where they’ve gone ??”. Music, it’s the soundtrack of my being, and I sing a song, ever how I feel, to deal with what’s real, to remember our parting and our meeting again someday……………till then sweet dreams baby .