After posting the blog about Johnny Ramone, and just today hearing from a friend from PA that I haven't heard from in over 15 years, and my band rehearsing Plasmatics songs for the Dead Rock Stars show on halloween, I've been feeling sort of nostalgic.
So, I thought I'd relate another story of a show I went to years ago in PA.
My friends and I found out the Plasmatics were playing locally. It was in a made-over movie theatre in Sunbury PA.
My friends Chris and Ellen and I got permission from our parental units and made the hour trip to Sunbury. When we got there, there was a small line of "punks" standing outside, and across the street from the theatre was a park. The park was loaded with religious protesters with signs saying shit like "Satan is coming to Sunbury", etc... Along with the protesters were a small army of tv reporters aiming their cameras at us while the protesters screamed at us about what sinners we are. Geez, we just wanted to see a rock show!
At one point, a reporter came up to me and asked me what I thought about the protesters, why I liked punk rock, shit like that. They took my picture, too. I gave them the quote "We're not on drugs, we don't like to drink. Just wanna dance real fast, get sweaty and stink."
Jumping ahead, my picture was in the paper the next day with that quote underneath it, much to my parents' horror. Why they were horrified that I announced to the world that I don't drink or do drugs was never satisfactorily explained to me.
But, I digress...
The show itself was amazing. I got right up front in front of Wendy O. At one point, during one song, Wendy dragged a 6 foot step ladder out and placed a small tv on top of it. It was turned on, and the screen was just snow. She pulled out a sledgehammer from somewhere, and while the music continued, she held the hammer up over her head, using all the theatrics she could muster. She turned around and swung the hammer and it crashed into the side of the tv. It landed on the stage about 5 feet from me, exploding in a ball of sparks, glass and smoke. The crowd went nuts! A while later, I wiped the sweat from my forehead, and looked at my hand. Blood! My head and face were covered with blood! I felt my face and head to see if it was mine, when I felt a small bump above my hairline. (my THEN hairline, not my NOW hairline). I picked at it, and pulled out a half inch long piece of plastic that matched the color of the tv. Plasmatics shrapnel!! I kept that piece of plastic for years, along with my Ramones pick, but I long ago lost it.
Sometime during the show, Wendy reached down to shake my hand, and when I grabbed her hand, she pulled me up on stage with her! She started dancing at me, so I danced back! After a couple seconds of that, she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and pushed me backwards into the crowd. My first stage dive!
After the show was over, I left with the best after-show glow I've ever had! As we left the theatre, the protesters were still across the street screaming "Have you been saved???"
I thought to myself, "Fuck yeah, I have."
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3 comments:
And you haven't washed that cheek ever since... :)
Good story! You had told me about the shrapnel, but not the dancing and kiss.
That quote is great and you know I can relate. Plus you made it rhyme and flow well on the spot. Unless you'd been praciticing that line in front of a mirror in case you were ever confronted by a reporter.
I didn't know about the shrapnel or Wendi O. experience though!
Actually, that was a line that my friends and I made up as sort of a "mantra" for our band. I didn't make it up on the spot, but thought it was good enough that it might get printed. haha!
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