It was 1972 and I was 12 years old. This was a formed band when I joined and they could actually play together. We would rehearse in Frank Stroshol's basement, and a lot of really funny things happened in that basement when we invited girls over and turned the lights out.
We were real misfits compared to the rest of the kids but we had the band and that was very important to us. We could sit and play "Jumping Jack Flash" all day.
Frank had the coolest guitar with all these buttons and pickups. We thought the more the better.
One day there was this band playing at our school. The guys in the band were a year or so older than us but ultra cool. They were the greasers and considered the top of the food chain, they even smoked pot. When I saw them playing in our school, I thought nothing was as cool as they were and to be walking down the same hallway as them was a rare privilege! (God, what a geek I was).
One time they were playing in the music room and my whole grade was watching. They took a break and I went up to one of their guitars that was standing on a stand. I had never played a guitar, just looking at it made me nervous. It was such a sultry and sexy instrument. It was hip and cool and too good for me. This gives you an idea of my lack of confidence at that age, I really had a low self esteem and was embarrassed to be seen even next to the guitar because it was so cool. I'm trying to relay what it felt like from an insecure 12 year old's point of view. I was afraid of the guitar in a weird way.
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