Don’t know if it’s too late to share.

Early 2001 I’m
Watching mtv2 thinking rock music is weak. At some point the movie almost famous peaks and I watch it. Wishing there were more substantial bands, similar to the ones that I liked in the industrial/grunge era. I buy a VHS /cd combo called salival thinking it’s about time I give this band tool A chance. I’m Blown away by the live tracks. So I go back to the record store and preorder lateralus. The cd is so good I go back to the record store and buy a nosebleed ticket to the upcoming local Albany NY show. 10/4/2001 arrives and I get in my nosebleed seat. I’m Broke as fuck but made the show. No money for merch or food. I don’t even know enough about concerts to sneak in weed. The T-shirts’ were awesome and creepy as fuck. I bought a couple on eBay years later. My roommate at the time and I watch the opening band. I think it was tomahawk or fantomas I can’t specifically remember. I do remember moments of brilliance intermingled with garbled noises and long pregnant silences. The audience chanting tool tool tool and throwing change at the stage. The lights go down for tools set to begin. At this point in tools career the played arenas with general admission floor. Which me too all seated tickets rushed the floor at this point. My roommate and I head down to join the crowd. We are on the floor making our way up front. We vow to meet back up after the show. The concert is amazing. I couldn’t believe a band would be this intricate and amazing. Electricity bolts charging overhead. Creepy visuals and buses on the screens. At one point the dancers from the schism videos are on stage dancing wtf! A long intermission with adam Jones repeat riffing. More dancers hanging themselves upside down for another song. Guest musicians for disposition reflection and triad? At some point I find a guy with a backpack on smoking a brass bowl. I meet him we talk I only get a beat hit ? but it turns out he worked for spin magazine. He told me how rare this show was (later I’d realize how rare but I was hearing stuff as interludes that would be on their next album fully flushed into songs). I told the guy from spin that I’d like to talk to the band about their newest album lateralus. He laughed and said it wasn’t possible. I knew where the bus was parked I saw it pull up earlier in the day. He said Maynard leaves early and it was my only chance if I left halfway through the last song. We hung out for a few more songs. The spin author shouted for me to sing along (later I realized that was part of his review(audience singing) maybe In November or December issue 2001. So I get outside and wait in front of the bus. This shirt bald guy with a security guy (Todd fox) come to the bus. I’m asked why I’m there and what did I want but sex or something?. I tell the strangely familiar guy that no it’s cool if people are into that but it’s not my thing. I just wanted to thank the band for their super positive message. I felt inspired by the movie almost famous and really wanted to talk to them. I proceeded to talk to him for 20 minutes. I confessed my fear of their first 3 albums through my teen years. I felt the messages were bleak and unsupportive of society’s need to grow in a positive direction. However this new album was amazing full of magic and spiritual awakening. It wos crazy that a metal band would take this as their subject matter. I talked with him About my Wicca experiences and how this book I found (sacred mirrors)was similar to the cover artwork on lateralus. We talked about religious upbringing and it’s challenges. The whole time I had no idea it was Maynard. He thought the entire thing was funny. He’d ask more questions and laugh saying stuff like someday you’ll understand. Eventually the rest of the band returned and I was sent in my way not even knowing who I just met. It took years to realize what took place. I found my roommate, bickered on a price with the bootleg merch shirts guy for 5 bucks!! The shirt soon shrunk and was too short

Truth#4: Guess I didn’t win!

These walls are not private enough for the best rock n roll stories! Hope your nose feels better! #truestory xxoo Happy Valentines, be safe Ben.

Two cool trips I did with my kid, both surprise trips. For his 11th birthday we hit up Boston and saw Pearl Jam (a favourite of mine) while there. For his 21st or so birthday we were to fly to LA and see Blink-182 (his then favorite band) playing in Santa Barbara. Well We hit horrible traffic on the way to the airport and missed our flight. The best we could do was fly into Vegas and drive from there. I am pretty sure the slowest I went was 85 with lots of stretches at 100 mph. Somehow we didn’t get pulled over anywhere on the drive and made our seats about ten minutes before Blink hit the stage. Probably much more memorable than had we caught our flight. A little more stressful though.

True story. I brought my 4 year old to his first concert, drove from Vegas to San Diego just to see the Raconteurs. Best experience ever since I got to enjoy that amazing night with my son! The End

I wrote a poem for a singer, having been inspired by God and his music. Well, I got up the nerve to mail it to him, with a small request embedded in the poem. God gave me favour because he went above and beyond my expectations. He responded by performing not only where I could attend, but afford as well. Not once, but twice!!! The first year was a personal setting, the following year was more adventurous and practically in my backyard. He even made reference to a place I love visiting. It was FREAKIN AWESOME!!!! That is someone that appreciates his fans. And I have seen him on the TMR site. Yeah, at least in my mind that is how it occured. Ha!!!

Truth #3: June 12th, 1980, Portland Memorial Coliseum. Grateful Dead show, after their usual break they come out and play “Fire On The Mountain” the hairs on the back of my neck “stand up”, friends I’m with say, they never play this song live.We head outside after the show and Mt. St. Helens had blown up for the second time and the wind was blowing from the north ash was everywhere and my friend was driving a VW bus (air-cooled engine). We beat ass back to Corvallis after we find out another girl in our party got busted for dancing in the aisles and since she was not 18 they had to call her mom in Eugene to come pick her up!

……then one day, I decided I had to talk to them, and now many many years later, when they come on stage and see my in my usual spot in the front row, I get high fives and nods, then after the show get asked if I’m waiting around to talk and now I constantly stay and talk to them, 3 super nice guys from Toronto who don’t get even credit in the country they are from. That band, Danko Jones, some of the nicest guys on the planet.

Many years ago, I started listening to this 3 member band from Toronto, I would go see them anytime they were close to me, and for many, many shows I never had the guts to ask for an autograph or even talk to the band.

Raised a kid on my own. Raised him right and with music. He’ snow a professional musician and fledgling rock star. The attitude from day one was “If you have a dream to do x, y or z, well someone has to do them. Why not you. Now get to work.”