In December of 1986 I remember sitting in my room on a Saturday night listening to KISS’ “Hotter Than Hell” and getting incredibly sad at the realization that there would one day be a time where I would be old and dying and not able to listen to that album again. Someday I wouldn’t be able to pull that record out of that (fucking) awesome sleeve and hear the click of the needle adjusting to the groove and as the octave/chord/whatever you call it riff of “Got To Choose” came ringing through the speakers I wouldn’t be able to look at the back cover and let the image of Paul Stanley making out with some chick enhance the experience…well, a few years later I scoffed at this notion I once had. I ridiculed myself.
These events have a way of finding their way onto your back and biting your ear. Yeah, I spent years alone in my crappy bedroom thinking I was the only person in the world smart enough to realize the virtues (ok, I wasn’t smart enough to know that word back then) of both KISS and the Beatles, and with help from my tormentive (is that a word) classmates I hid my obsessions of BOTH bands. Now they come onto my iPod and I relish each minute I get. How is it 20 years later I still find the same satisfaction from both “I Am The Walrus” and “Goin’ Blind”?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because I’m fucking smart, and the only stupid thing I’ve really done that caused massive wastes of time and money was listening to tasteless idiots dictate (vaguely…I mean, I did keep listening to KISS and The Beatles alone in my room all weekend for years instead of getting short spiky rich-kid haircuts with OP jams and Banana Republic t-shirts…oh, who am I kidding: if my parents could have afforded them I would have taken them…except for the jams) what I listened to. For fuck’s sake, in February ’86 I saw the video for “Rise” by PiL and got caught by some dumb hick girl singing the chorus to myself. She told me I was a geek and the lyrics were stupid. Great. How many years could I have saved if I’d discovered “Metal Box” at 13?
Anyway. Don’t let Joe-87-spiky-cut-guy laugh at you for buying that copy of “Billion Dollar Babies” (or it’s equivalent). Once around early-’86 these kids in the Peterborough Town Library made fun of me for taking out the soundtrack to the movie “Popeye”. I felt pretty lame at the time, but guess what? The music was by Harry Nilsson and the movie was directed by Robert Altman. Those kids were listening to the shit radio music that only southern NH could offer them (from Boston, actually) while I was delving in dual genius. “He Needs Me”? FUCK THOSE GUYS. A motto for all.
I love you, Ashley.