Keep on till you reach the Higher Ground

 Mtv V.J.'s kept me informed on the News, Music, History, Events and pretty much every style and fad that was taking over in the 80's. Swatch Watch, yea... I had nine. Wide laces in my High Top Shoes, yep got that too. What can I say, I loved the 80's! The Fashions, The Music, The Technology... Everything! A proud member of the "Mtv Generation"(I will never embrace Generation X, sounds like a cop-out, sounds like the Generation that fucked it all up! No thanks, not us... no way.) I was hip, hooked on Pepsi and just like in every "Cory and Cory" Movie, I ran through the halls of my school, or wherever I was getting to... just seemed like that's what you did as a kid. Everything was always so important.

 So any how, in continuance of my last BLOG entry, By the Way... I hate "BLOG" makes me want to BLARF. So I like to think of this little thing that I type and post here online as a "E-Log" or perhaps an "iLog", wait can I use that? Does Apple own it? Whatever... Back to my story. So there was this Brand New Red Hot Chili Peppers Video getting ready to show on Mtv!!! I was going absolute Ape Shit! New Song, Meant there was a New Album... Meant there was a New Guitar Player! Damn, that reminded me that Hillel Slovak was dead... Can't think about that now. The New Video is about to begin!!!

http://redhotchilipeppers.com/videos/14-higher-ground

HOLY SHIT!!!

 Not only did they have a new, friggin' AWESOME Guitar Player, but a New BEAST of a Drummer Too!!?!?!?!?!?!?! Oh My God!!! This was like a whole new Band! Alive and Loud kicking ass! I was so stoked that it was coming on I prepared for it by recording it on a VCR, yea not only did I make mix tapes to listen to, I made them of my favorite videos too.

 Now, I'd like you to know that at this time in my life, my only escape from real life was my music. I could go to my room, crank my stereo up and drift away. 1989 was one of the worst years of my young life. Without going into much detail, it went down like this... I broke up with(AKA dumped by) my First Girlfriend, Saw my Priest get sent away from our Church, My Parents Separated only to go through one of the messiest divorces in history, I lost my Faith in God and was informed that we were moving away from Sunnyvale, my School, all of my Friends, everything I knew... To a town called Fresno, that I really had no clue about, except that my Grandparents lived near there in a place called Clovis.

 I first got to watch the "Higher Ground" video on my Grandparents Television in August of 1989, this was a high point for me since here I was living somewhere that I barely knew, had no friends and had to travel miles to find any form of Civilization... if you could call it that. I looked forward to my trips to Long's with my Grandmother to pick up her prescriptions and other things. She could tell I was having separation issues and asked me if I would like t go to the Mall? "With my Grandma?!?!? No offense Grandma, I love you... but I don't know if that's a good idea, I had been going to the Mall in Sunnyvale without my Parents for a couple years already." So she said, "Ok, how bout I drop you off, you can do a little school shopping and have some Lunch." And that is just what she did. She gave me $40.00, dropped me off out front of "Fashion Fair" at 11:00am and came back to pick me up at 3:00pm. It was in the middle of the week and pretty much flooded with Teen's looking to do the same as me... Well, not quite the same as me. I was on a mission, the New Album had come out the week before and I didn't have it yet! But I found it at Sam Goody Musicland, cause "Goody Got It!" I, like most kids my age was well prepared with my Walkman on my hip, I popped the tape in and hit the play button!

 For the next 45min I walked around that Mall, never taking my head phones off... I saw Cute Girls, Stoner Kids, played video games in the arcade and even ducked into a changing room when I needed a little time to cry cause I missed my friends and everything back home. This Album touched every part of my soul and still caries strong emotions for me. To this day I can put it on and drift back to when I was 13 years old, pissed at my Parents, Pissed off at God and struggling with my emotions and the fact that I was growing and changing... Teenage hormones are a bitch! Especially when compounded by the fact that I really had no one to talk to or even just hang out with.

 So after listening the the entire cassette twice through, I took a little break at the food court. I remember tripping out that this Mall had a Burger King inside it! So I ordered a Whopper with Cheese and a Dr. Pepper, my new favorite soda since switching over from Pepsi. So as I sat and ate alone, this kid Seth came over and asked me my name. Rob, I said with a mouth full of burger... "You skate Man?" Of-course, I replied... To this he tells me that he and a few of his friends were gonna go hit the back lot for a session and maybe have a couple smokes. Two of his friends walk over and sit down... Now, these are the first kids I have met since living here and I'm kinda having a hell of a day emotionally, but I decide to go with them and see whats up. You can not believe my relief when we all head out there and we actually skate! What a release!!! I ollied some parking blocks and stalled on some car bumpers(one of my favorite things to do). We had a great time... and then, I got introduced to what was going to become one of my best friends for the rest of my teenage years. Mary-Jane! Man, I had been smoking cigarettes for about a year by this point so when Seth passed me the Joint that his brother had rolled I hit it like a cigarette. Now, I have friends who have told me that the first time they smoked they didn't get High... Well, that's just cause they didn't do it right, cause I got straight up loaded that day! I looked at my watch it was already after 2:30 and my Grandma was coming soon... "Hey guys, I gotta get back to the front of the Mall, my ride is gonna pick me up... you think I could get some weed to take with me?" Seth's like, "You got five bucks?" "Sure", I reply and he hands me a little brown and green nugget of herb(it was hard as a rock I remember, hahaha Brick Weed). I wrap it up in a dollar bill and stuff it in my back pack. Side note, I never went anywhere without my Back Pack, so if you saw me back in the day it was always with me or near by. Kept all my essentials in it. O.P. Wallet, Oakley Frogskin Shades, Sk8 Key, Walk Man, Tapes, Thrasher Magazine and sometimes a Hoodie, but mostly, and I don't know why... every receipt for anything I ever purchased. Like the Sam Goody receipt for the Tape I purchased that day. I had Seth right his name and number on it so I could get ahold of him again, since I didn't even know my Grandparents number yet.

 So there I am, loaded... eyes red as the Devils Dick, sitting out in front of the Fashion Fair Mall with a Gigantic grin on my face. Seth leans over and tells me I should put some sun glasses on cause I look stoned as hell... I laugh, "Dude I am!" We both laugh and I put them on. Just as my Grandmother pulls up. Wow! Life Saver! Hahahahaha! I didn't notice at first that my little Brother and Sister were in the back seat of my Grandma's car. I get in, say Hi to everyone and we drive off. "Did you have a good time?" "Yes, I did! Thank you for dropping me off Grandma. I met some new friends, got some new music and had lunch." "Did you buy some new shorts for school?" she asked... "No, I didn't see any I liked, I don't know the stores here all that well." "Well, we will just have to go to Millers Outpost then. Maybe we will go after your Grandpa get's home." "Cool" I reply as I put my headphones on and listen to "Knock me down" on the car ride home...

 I am now realizing this posting has become more about a day in the life of a Teenager and less about the music. However, This memory is so deeply ingrained in my brain and tied to this Album that to me it's all one and the same. Well anyhow, if I wasn't before, after this day I truly was a Chili Pepper Fan for LIfe!