BIG IDEAS

OK, so back to those stories about my old rock band and where folks go when they stop (sort of) rockin’…

Chris is way too well known these days for me to embarrass him with old photos, so because of that - and the fact that I don’t have any - I won’t be posting pics of the first iteration of the band with the original lineup. But pictured above is the second iteration (circa 1985) from a concert at DC’s Nightclub 9:30.

Again, with bands come women. At the local level, you’re not talking groupies, though. Mostly you’re talking cool women friends who like to hang with the band, or girlfriends who become extended band members of a sort. And it does change the dynamics quite a bit. You can be happy go lucky without the women around, but women fuel the ego and change your priorities.

Aside from the general competition of everyone wanting the same women, which tends to work itself out, the bigger problem is that with chicks come responsibilities. Meaning that it’s hard to live the budding rocker bohemian lifestyle when you have a girlfriend. There’s dinner, there’s movies, there’s somebody watching to see if you can afford rent and take the bus versus driving a car. And when your average wannabe rocker tries to live up to that — goodbye Rock and Roll, hello real job.

That’s pretty much what caused the band’s first breakup when Chris Anderson left. He was dating a gorgeous girl - who we all wanted - and Science magazine came calling. He took the bait and the rest is history - Science, the Economist, and now Wired editor and  book stardom.

Things changed pretty dramatically after that. Chris and Brian were our Lennon & McCartney, a great songwriting team with Chris’ flair for catchy melodies and Brian’s weird but interesting vocals. Jeff and I improvised the rhythm beneath all that.

But after Chris left, the writing dynamic changed. I started writing music and Brian continued writing but with different writing partners, so the music morphed into more experimental rhythmic patterns, heavier back beats, more Hendrix and less Johnny Rotten. But it took a year to find a new guitarist. We burned through blues players, Southern rockers, Pat Metheny types and finally found a fit with a guy we found in a guitar repair shop, Ric Molina…

See the next post for more.