The Friday Fives

1. In high school, which group of kids were you part of?

I was generally a geek – part of the speech and debate team not the jock crowd. I was the AV guy who ran the lights in the auditorium and I was the school MC for any rallies or all-school meetings.

2. What was awful when you were a kid but amazing now?

Asparagus and Brussel Sprouts. Hated them as a kid but they are kind of a staple now.

3. What’s your story about seeing a celebrity out in public?

Kind of a shared story with many of us, but stumbling upon Kurt Vonnegut at an art show of his drawings. He was in a little courtyard smoking and teaching as a crowd had gathered around him as he explained his paintings. Alos my Lou Reed show. We were in a student bar in Germany near a university and just having a few pints and the bouncer came to ask us if we were staying for the show and it was Lou Reed solo just playing the hits in a little itty bitty tavern.

4. Do you remember the first time you went to a record store?

Growing up in a very small town the record store was either the JC Penny store or the Kmart. It really wasn’t until I was at college in Bould when I got to go to Albums on the Hill – a great, classic of the genre, record store. Stacks and stacks of wax.

5. Do you remember the cassingle?

I missed that whole thing. It must have hit while I was in the army in Germany because I remember coming back to the states and doing college radio and there were these stupid one-song cassettes that made no sense to me – why not buy the whole album – that’s where the gold is.

3 Replies to “The Friday Fives”

  1. 1. Band geeks and National Honor Society geeks. I was hellbent on having a good looking college application and getting out of that town.

    2. Hard alcohol.

    3. First that comes to mind is seeing Kelsey Grammer outside of a Broadway theater. He was looking pretty rumpled, but he was basking in the attention from autograph seekers.

    4. JC Penney and K Mart were the only two record retailers growing up. However, one town over there was a wondrous record store called All that Jazz. Eclectic, small, a little bit of everything. One rarely left empty handed.

    5. I do. I may have purchased one maybe? It was a stupid product at a bad price point.

  2. !. Freshman and sophomore years I was part of the nobody and theater/music. Junior and senior I came into my own and became friends with a much larger group and some of the old clique walls went away.

    @. Having nothing to do and relaxing.

    #. At one of my friend’s wedding in St. Louis I played a round of golf with Stan “the man” Musial, legendary St. Louis Cardinal player. I had no idea who he was when I met him, played the whole round of golf and had a good time, then at the lunch afterwards for all the groomsmen and such, he got up and gave a little speech and toast. I leaned over to my the groom and asked him why was the guy I just played golf with speaking at his bachelor golf party. My friend looked at me bewildered and said “Because he is Stan the Man.” Since I had no idea who that was, I asked him. He again looked bewildered and said “You played a whole day of golf with Stan the Man and didn’t even know he was a legend like Joe DiMaggio or Babe Ruth?”

    $. Big Valu Tapes and Records in Cinder Alley at Cinderella City. Loved Cinder Alley.

    %. I don’t remember the name “cassingle”, But I remember getting some of those at the college radio station and a piece of tape was put over the notch on the top and they were immediately recorded over with air checks.

  3. 1) I was friends with everyone and yet had no real friends. In school I could be seen with jocks, theater kids, debate team, it didn’t matter who. Then on weekends or after school I was never invited to any parties or hang outs.

    2) Staying home all weekend and going to bed early.

    3) I was riding in the elevator at Coors field with a stretcher full of EMS equipment, to go to the position behind home plate. There was this short little Hispanic guy in a aztec pattern shirt, too tight jeans and gawdy cowboy boots looking up at me . I just kinda gave the head nod to which he went into some bizarre little man shadow boxing routine that was like ten seconds long. The doors opened and I rolled my stretcher to its position thinking about the weird display I’d just witnessed. The Coors field rep. said well that was cool. I asked what he was talking about. Apparently the short Hispanic guy was Héctor Camacho. I had no clue.

    4) My dad was one of the co-owners of The Musicland group, so those were the stores I first went to. I do however recall the joy of my first trip to Wax-Trax.

    5) I’ve heard of them but by the time I was aware they were cd singles. I had tons of promotional not for sale cds and cd singles.

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