Karen Booth
With Kerry Cantwell’s RNRHS entry, we explore the high school girl tradition of wallpapering bedroom walls with posters. This is an art in which I was very talented. John Taylor and his delightfully messy sun-bleached hair was my muse, but that’s the beauty of this pursuit–any male object of desire will work. I’m not convinced from Kerry’s answer that she thought of Robert Smith “that way”, but she DID have his poster on her ceiling, which suggests a certain, shall I say, intimacy. I love the Cure, but Robert Smith never really floated my boat. Such is the fickle heart of an adolescent girl. The heart wants what the heart wants. It is very important when plastering your bedroom with posters that there be a minimum of white space. It will ruin the effect. You want to be enveloped by the presence of your dream guy, even if that means you’re doing your homework with fifty pairs of eyes on you. To a lot of guys (and Kerry’s mom), the whole concept is beyond creepy, but they don’t understand that the hobby serves two purposes very well. It creates a retreat from the reality of just how sucky it is to be a teenage girl AND it makes you feel like you are the center of attention, something every girl needs at a time when you can’t quite figure out why the world doesn’t revolve around you.
Kerry F. Cantwell
Paul VI Catholic High School, Fairfax, VA, Class of ’91, Currently: College Success Instructor (I teach college students how to be good college students and decide what they really want to do with themselves); drummer for Actual Persons Living or Dead, Scene of the Crime Rovers
Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: High school, to be brief, sucked. I disliked the school, I disliked the students, I disliked my friends, I disliked everything. My only saving grace was my own self-imposed melancholia. I think the song (and album, frankly) that reminds me the most of high school is probably “Black Celebration” by Depeche Mode. It encapsulated the gloominess I believed I was experiencing. The worst part is that I was a good kid: didn’t drink or smoke or sleep with people. I just sat in my room with my candles and my white Christmas lights and wrote ridiculously tortured poems and listened to Depeche Mode all the time. Geez, even I think that’s so boring!
Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) in high school: This would have to be any one of the 12 Cure posters that I had on my bedroom walls. The walls and ceiling of my room were plastered with so many posters that there was almost no white space left. One afternoon, my mom came into my room and lay down on my bed with me. She immediately started laughing and said that seeing Robert Smith’s creepy face looking down from the ceiling scared the hell out of her. She wasn’t sure how I didn’t have nightmares every night. For the record, many of those posters are still in a poster tube in my closet right now waiting for the right moment.
Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: It’s a three-way tie because, to me, these are all the same band: The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. I don’t know what it is about the Catholic school boys, but they loved the classic rock and the hippy rock. All the jocks would sit out in their fancy cars in the parking lot after school and crank up their “Sugar Mag” or “Stairway to Heaven” and jock it up out there. UGH! I couldn’t get on board with any of it. I just rode home every day on the bus with my Walkman and my Smiths tapes to avoid it all. Those three bands still activate my gag reflex without exception.
Best show or concert you saw in high school: I’m afraid I have two here. After my sophomore year (July 15, 1989), my brother chaperoned two of my girlfriends and I to Merriwether Post Pavilion to see New Order, PiL and the Sugarcubes. I think I still have my New Order t-shirt from that show! It was amazing! The first rock show I ever saw NOT at an outdoor amphitheater was a free show that the Dead Milkmen played at George Mason University. The show was, essentially, in a gymnasium with TERRIBLE acoustics. It was essentially 40 college students and then me and my high school friends in a gigantic WELL-LIT room with eternal echo. The Dead Milkmen HATED the show because the sound was so bad and there was no one there, but we had an amazing time, and I learned that I needed to see as much live rock as I could.
Optional bonus question: Best high school make-out song: This is a tricky question. Is it the song that was playing during my best high school make-out session? That would likely have been The Cure’s “Pornography.” (I only had make-out sessions with one person in high school, and this is all we ever listened to, so it’s a good bet this was our soundtrack.)
RNRHS returns next week with dear friends Jim Wilbur and Kerry Cantwell. In the meantime, I have a short update on writing and the book.
I’m more than 30,000 words into book two while I continue the agent search–one full manuscript out now (although if you asked me at this time last week, if would have been two, which sounds much more impressive), waiting on a handful of queries and submissions to small presses, and still have more queries to send. Each and every day, I wonder, will this be the day when something sticks? When it all comes together? The hours spent writing, revising, researching, worrying, questioning–will it all be worth it today?
When Emily was a baby, I remember going to sleep (also known as passing out) every night (also known as 8:30 PM) wondering if she would finally sleep through the night. Please, please, pretty please let this be the night. I can’t take another night like the last one. As cute as she was, very little is cute at three in the morning. Getting up with Emily was not a quick process–she would get all social and play with her feet, much like she does now when I ask her to clean her room.
When she was about four months old, I decided that we had to move Emily out of our room. I spent an entire week psyching myself up, warning Steve that it was going to be “hell”, making sure we did it on a weekend so that I could have his help in the middle of the night if needed. What a dummy I was. She slept nine hours that night. I was so giddy with excitement, that I woke Steve at 4AM to tell him that I had just slept six hours IN A ROW, to which he asked, “Why in the hell are you waking me up to tell me this?”
Every time I get a rejection, I ask myself if there’s something I’m not seeing. Am I just being a big dummy? Do I need to write a 57th draft of my query (not kidding)? Would I be better off scrapping all of this and going to the job fair at McDonald’s (not kidding)? Should I be making my manuscript sleep in its own room? This is the nature of writing–constantly second-guessing yourself. It’s not a great combo for me. I can be convinced of almost anything if you make the right argument or bribe me with beer. So, bring on the beer. Today, I continue to forge ahead.
Jill with the rock star she ditched her date for.
Today’s RNRHS comes from Jill Tomlinson (now Mango). Jill and I worked together at Mammoth Records back in “the day” and we were also tap dance buddies. Never before had the Chapel Hill Ballet School seen such tap dance superstars. Seriously. Jill and I took turns being teacher’s pet during class and then would practice our shuffle-ball-steps at the fax machine the next day. We had awesome hardwood floors at the Carr Mill Mammoth office and drove our co-workers ca-razy. If you have ever been a tap dancer, you understand that the desire to move your feet is a constant. I love everything Jill had to share about her high school music memories, especially the part about hating REO Speedwagon because that was my answer to the very same question. Not sure about that John Taylor story though. Are you sure you didn’t wake up right after that and realize it was time for school?
Jill (Tomlinson) Mango
North Smithfield Jr. Sr. High School, North Smithfield, RI, Class of ’88, Currently: Independent music publicist and mom of 3
Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: Definitely Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” — not because I was a fan, but because they were the first rockstars (using the term loosely, here folks) I ever met. Wang Chung came to my Junior Prom in 1987. They played a show in Providence and were returning to the Biltmore Hotel, scene of my prom, when a friend of mine spotted them in the elevator and convinced them to come up to the ballroom. I recognized them instantly (the DJ was also playing every single Wang Chung record he had with him), ditched my date and ran up to have my photo taken with Wang or was it Chung?
Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) in high school: I had this awesome Love and Rockets t-shirt from the Earth Sun Moon tour that, like the album cover, had a black and white photo of the band that looked like it was held up by masking tape. I mean, it REALLY looked like masking tape. I thought that was cool for some reason. I wore it well into college. I told my parents I was going out in Providence that night, but hopped a train to Boston to see them with the Mighty Lemon Drops instead.
Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: R.E.O. Speedwagon. I remember hearing a commercial on the radio for their show at the Providence Civic Center and feeling embarrassed for them because I thought there was no way that that many people could like such bad music. Of course, the concert sold out.
Best show or concert you saw in high school: I don’t know if it was the best, but the most memorable was Duran Duran on the Strange Behavior tour in June 1987. My best friend and I cut school and waited outside the Worcester Centrum to meet them. A roadie offered to take our photo with Simon LeBon and when we got the photo back we realized he had gotten both of us in full frame, but had cut Simon’s head off. I also had a moment (it was a moment in my mind, anyway) with John Taylor. He was signing my ticket envelope (didn’t plan ahead and bring anything cool for him to sign) and he dropped the pen. We both bent down to grab it and our eyes met and he smiled. Sigh…
Optional bonus question: Best high school make-out song: I don’t recall anyone being suave enough to set the mood with music back in high school. But I do remember going to see Squeeze at the Providence Performing Arts Center and making out with my senior year boyfriend for the entire show. Like, I don’t think I looked at the stage once.
I am SO excited about today’s RNRHS, featuring one of my favorite writers, Celia Rivenbark. Celia and I are old friends. We go way back. Okay, that’s a total lie. You see, I don’t fantasize about island vacations or hunky men who aren’t my husband–I imagine that I am good friends with people who are exceedingly interesting and crazy talented. Did I tell you about the summer I spent on the Cape with Katharine Hepburn and John Cusack? No? Yeah, well, that never happened either. Celia and I are new friends, brought together by the wonders of cyberspace and a mutual love of Carolina basketball, all of it made better with a sprinkling of foul-mouthed tendencies. We might be long-lost sisters, but if that were really true and I got the mildly amusing gene, she got the punch-drunk funny gene. Her writing is hilarious and insightful and I adore every word, plus she is chock full of valuable real-life-sister advice. Without Celia, I never would have discovered the joy and great sense of accomplishment a girl gets from filling up a Ped-Egg.
Celia Rivenbark
Wallace-Rose Hill High School, Duplin County, NC, Class of ’74, Currently: Syndicated humor columnist and author of six books including “Bless Your Heart, Tramp,” “We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier,” and “You Can’t Drink All Day if you Don’t Start in the Morning.”
Band that reminds me of high school: Derek & the Dominos/Layla. I bought the album for fifty cents from the cutest boy in high school because he was starving and wanted to buy two ice cream sandwiches. I had wanted the album forever but it was too pricey for me. Paul Dixon, wherever you are, thanks for a sweet deal for us both. Best. Album. Ever. Honorable mention: Traffic’s Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys. Delicious. Still listen to it at least once a week when I’m ridin’ around.
Favorite music memorabilia: I had a black and orange glow-in-the dark poster of Janis Joplin. It was oversized and dominated the space over my bed for my entire high school years. I didn’t have a black light but imagined it would’ve looked even more awesome if I’d had one. Second favorite: A poster of Richard Nixon smoking a huge joint. He had bloodshot eyes and it said “Peace with honor” underneath. My parents were liberals so they loved both of these posters, btw.
Band I hated that others loved: That’s easy; Bread. When I first heard “Baby I’m A Want You,” I vomited. WTF does “I’m-A” mean? Nobody talks like that. My friends thought Bread was a soulful band. I thought they were a-holes.
Best concert during high school: Humble Pie and King Crimson, Dorton Arena, Raleigh, N.C, circa 1970. Unbelievable. My boyfriend at the time conned his dad into taking about eight of us in his big-ass station wagon. A few in the party dropped some microdot in the bathroom as soon as we got there. I heard this made the concert more intense but I would have no personal knowledge of that of course. My ears rang for weeks and I couldn’t have been happier.
Best makeout song: Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride.” Epic is all I can say about that.
Visit Celia’s website at celiarivenbark.com.
In honor of Sub Pop’s release of the new Obits records, “Moody, Standard, and Poor” (best album title in a very long time, in my opinion), Sohrab Habibion and Greg Simpson from the band are graciously sharing their high school music memories. This is Obits’ second record and everything I’ve heard from it is great–an effortless and stripped-down blend of garage rock and surf influences. They are also an amazing live band, not surprising given their rock pedigree: a lineage that includes Edsel, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, and Pitchfork. Edsel was one of my favorite bands for a long time and one of the very few that managed to combine mind-blowing music with people you actually wanted to hang around…not a lot of bands can stake that claim. Be sure to click on the links to Sohrab’s votes for the best shows he saw in high school–he dug up some very cool, old flyers. And speaking of cool, who else has a mom who helped them promote a 7 Seconds show at their local community center? Wait, hold on, there’s more…who else had a band that opened the very same 7 Seconds show with Dave Grohl behind the kit? That one will out-cool all of us every time.
Sohrab Habibion
Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA, Class of ’87, Currently: Play guitar and sing in Obits, compose music for soundtracks and commercials, design book covers and music packages.
Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: Rites of Spring. I played that record over and over again and used to recite the lyrics to my mom. Also Sonic Youth’s EVOL was on heavy rotation though, for some reason, I would only ever listen to it on headphones. My mom actually bought me that record after reading a review of it in the Washington Post. I was appropriately dubious when I put it on, but by the time “Tom Violence” was halfway through I was completely hooked.
Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) in high school: A flyer for a Dag Nasty, Rites of Spring, Embrace and Beefeater show at Georgetown University on December 4, 1985. It’s in my parents’ basement, in a box, getting moldy, along with hundreds of other photocopied relics. I’m still bummed my mom wouldn’t let me go to that show. She was usually really generous with letting me see bands play during the school week but, for whatever reason, I couldn’t go to that and no amount of begging, pleading or explaining how important it was to me would change her mind.
Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: Journey, Boston, Styx, Kansas, etc. That music still makes me irrationally upset. When I hear “More Than A Feeling” I just want to spit on somebody. The over-processed distorted guitar playing that awful power chord riff, the rock’n’roll show tunes style of singing and the music school chord changes. I can’t take it. But, oddly, and I have no explanation for this, I don’t mind Foreigner. Go figure.
Best show or concert you saw in high school: Circle Jerks, COC, Marginal Man & Madhouse at the Wilson Center, Washington DC, January 5, 1985
— tied with —
Hüsker Dü & Dumptruck at the 9:30 Club, Washington DC, May 12, 1985
— tied with —
Embrace, Gray Matter & Rites of Spring at Food For Thought, Washington DC, July 1985
— tied with —
My band, Kids For Cash, playing with our friends, P.M.S., opening for our heroes, 7 Seconds at a show I put on with my mom’s help at the local community center, Burke, VA, Sept. 20, 1985. Quirky side note: Dave Grohl played drums in Kids For Cash for this show. And, for the record, he was great then. Totally spazzy, but incredible.
Optional bonus question: Best high school make-out song: Side 1 of UK/DK: The Original Soundtrack. You get The Exploited, The Adicts and Chaos U.K. right off the bat. Sexy stuff.
Greg Simpson
Louisa County High School, Mineral, VA, Class of ’78, Currently: Musician / Graphic Designer
Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: When the Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin
Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) in high school: “Disco Sucks” t-shirt
Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: Bread
Best show or concert you saw in high school: Neil Young
Optional bonus question: Best high school make-out song: Radar Love – Golding Earring
