I took this pic of "The Man" in 1985

The Kelster in 1988

I remember it like it was yesterday...

I was laying on the floor at my grandmothers house when the guy on the radio started talking about the Scorpions concert that was coming up. A light flicked on in my head and I pictured myself strutting around on the first day of school with my scorpions concert shirt. I could be cool!  Chics would dig me and guys would stop hazing me. What a plan!

I got tickets and the day of the concert finally arrived. I got to the show, went in, bought my shirt and found my seat. I was so excited and I was absolutely freaking out! The lights went down and the opening act, some group named Bon Jovi that I had never heard of, got ready to start. They started jamming and it was pretty cool.

And then it happened...

Jon Bon Jovi came out on stage and said something and I remember thinking to myself - that is the coolest thing I've ever heard. At that exact moment I was instantaneously transformed. Thru all the noise and smoke and darkness I had just had just experienced a moment of supreme clarity.  I knew at that second that I had a purpose, a reason to be, a mission in life. And that's how it happened in the summer of 1984, the day I decided to become a rock star.

Well I did wear my Scorpions shirt the first day of school and as I expected people started thinking I was cool. Girls started liking me and it was at this point that I knew rock and roll was my thing. I got a set of drums and tried to learn but, I got frustrated and sold them to buy a guitar. Girls liked my guitar so, I knew I had picked the right instrument. The only thing that didn't go as planned was that guys wanted to really kick my ass then. Somehow I survived.

Throughout high school I continued playing rock star. I messed around with my guitar and went to lots of concerts but, I was still just a wannabe. I got to meet Bon Jovi and that helped to reinforce my dreams. I met Whitesnake, Paul Stanley, Warrant and G.E. Smith from the Saturday Night Live Band to name a few. I met a lot of famous people and I realized that they were just people like me. I reasoned that if they could do it - I could do it too.

Anyway...

After high school I started playing in bands and I got pretty successful in a short time. When I was 19, I was playing clubs regularly and recording and I learned about smoke machines and hairspray. I survived the whole glam metal thing and when most of my friends hung it up I trudged on. Then I had to endure the whole grunge thing which I thought pretty much sucked although I did wear a little flannel myself. Eventually I decided to quit following trends and to write and play the music that came from my heart. I loved it and never looked back.

So here I am - still trying to "make it" as they say.  I should be a millionaire by the end of the year.