Despite the Puppy Bowl/Kitten Halftime show being awesome, I pretty much realize that almost everyone in the world has "Super Bowl Fever" right now. I kept thinking it was a holiday or something today, the way people are acting. I went to the grocery store and it was almost empty -- not that I am complaining. Anyway, this has a point: I bet a lot of people who are into emo, punk, hardcore, and metal feel like I do today -- "who the hell cares about a football game, and all the new commercials?"
Which leads me to think about how I found my place in the world -- in the scene.
I was about 13 or 14 when I was introduced to punk rock. There was a small music store not too far from my house, which was in Queens, NY. I was kind of alone in life, but I had three friends, all skater boys. We'd goto the store and buy unutterable crap because we didn't know better. But there was a guy who worked there -- who never told us his name, so we just called him "the little man," because he was short. He was like the fucking Yoda of punk. I guess he knew the four of us weren't like the rest of the people buying Top 40 stuff because it was "cool," and he actually said, "you know, you don't want this. Buy this instead. Trust me." So we did. I mean, he was older and cooler and had a hot girlfriend, he must have known something, right?
So he gave us new music. The Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Misfits, Ramones, Sex Pistols. I mean, it wasn't remotely new at the time, but it was to us, and that was all that mattered. He gave us The Cure and Joy Division. Pushed us in new directions. They Might Be Giants. The Dead Milkmen. Rites of Spring. Check out Fugazi! Check out the Pixies [who, for the record, I am not named after.]
It was life-changing. Not only did we discover music we actually liked, but we also realized something: other people think like us. Other people feel like us. When you're the only "freaks" around -- and at the time, we were -- you're amazed to learn you're not psychotic and unacceptable... you're just different from the people around you. And it's not even a bad thing!
My first-ever concert was The Cure, at Nassau Coliseum, in Long Island, NY. May 1992. It was amazing. I bought myself a pair of fishnets and a thick, black eyeliner. I put on a black dress. I was so excited, as [I've mentioned this before, I grew up in a house without music. Despite that, it was still a passion for me. I went to that show with my three skater boy friends, and as we walked towards the arena, we saw him: The Little Man. With his incredibly hot girlfriend, who looked like Siouxsie Sioux. He said hello to us, and said he was really happy to see us there. We felt like the coolest kids ever.
And to this day, I thank The Little Man. He was awesome. He gave me a foundation to discover more punk, emo, goth, hardcore, and metal music. He taught me that I wasn't alone in the world. He did so much and probably has no idea what kind of impact he made on people's lives.
So... what brought you to all of this?
P.S. Why is there a picture of a dog sneezing on this entry? Because I am celebrating my dog, who is too old to be in the Puppy Bowl, but likes watching it with me, even if I choose to work during it.
