Before I delve into the world of Paradigm, I figure I would
give a background of my love of music and my personal beginnings as a
musician. I will make an effort to keep this short, however, anyone who
knows me realizes that at this moment that is a near impossible task.
As
far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a gangster. Oh, wait, that
was Henry Hill's opening in Goodfellas. Try that again...As far back as
I could remember I wanted to be a rock star! That's right. Full blown,
thousands of people around me cheering my name, ROCK STAR! So, needless
to say, I spent a lot of time alone imaging myself as Vince Neil from
Motley Crue singing to stadiums full of people. (I still do this with
funny, fictional songs, just not as Vince Neil anymore, but in some
instances as a rabbi. For real.) If I had to put my finger on it, this
is when my love of music and entertaining started.
I
didn't actually play any instruments at the time but I knew I wanted
to. Fast forward about 5 years to Christmas 1988 when my parents bought
me (upon request and, man, was I stoked) an electric guitar. It wasn't
quite like the one I play now (or ever) as it had a speaker smack in
the middle of the body. I guess my parents figured, "Hey, a guitar AND
an amp all in one!" This was their idea of saving money. I don't blame
them considering I didn't take it that seriously for another several
years and I wound up taking the guitar apart like so many other things
back then. Yes, I was made fun of slightly for it but more for the
"song" I came up with at the time. It was played on one string and
basically went up and down the neck. The melody for the lyrics simply
emulated the notes played on the one string. Here are said lyrics:
We're not the kids of yesterday.
We're here to rock today.
So listen to what I say.
'Cause we're not the kids of yesterday.
Brilliant,
I know. I did show incredible promise, however, not so much to my good
friend Steve Napolitano, who ridiculed me for years to come (in a
friendly, funny way, of course). It was probably for the best that one
of my good friends at the time busted my chops about the song as opposed
to gaining some blind confidence and thinking I was good enough to play
in, lets say, something like a talent show. That could have been a
nightmare of ridicule for a high school student. The only people that
don't get made fun of after that are the students who actually were good.
Mostly the kids who played piano and violin. Not the kids that play
songs like, "We're Not The Kids of Yesterday"(copyright 1988). So there
is that.
Skip to the following year. Freshman music
class. Ms. Crawford. She really knew how to belt songs out on the piano
but she had hairy armpits, hence, to a freshman boy not many musical
lessons would be absorbed. I am very thankful for this class because
through the sweaty swamp of furry pits I did manage to learn the basic
chords: D, C,G, A, the bar chord, parts of Motley Crew's "Danger" and
the immortal beginning to Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive". So, thank
you Ms. Crawford and I hope I wasn't too mean about your pits. Sorry if I
was. Truly.
Let us move on to my senior year in high
school, 1993. Variety show, winter. Baring witness to Jimmy Coyne's
real electric guitar (no speaker in the center, full sized) plugged into
a real amplifier with (drumroll)... a distortion pedal. This seriously
blew my fucking mind! No joke, it was one of the coolest things I have
ever heard. EVERYTHING sounded awesome with this combination of
electronic devices. So, after a demonstration of finger tapping and
"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" by Jim, I came to the conclusion that I might
be able to play the guitar as well. That didn't really work out at the
time either as I was too immersed in "high school life" and trying to
hook up with girls that there really wasn't any room for an electric
guitar with distortion in my life. Our relationship would have to wait
until the following year. See you in the summer!
