Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, Installment #1

Installment #1:  John P. Strohm, Jenn Halter Prenda, Karen Balcom

We all have memories of high school that are inexorably tied to music, right?  (Hey, I’m pretty sure about this one–wrote an entire book based on that idea.)  So, I’m starting a new feature on the blog, five questions about music and high school, answered by anyone who wants to take part.  I’ll be posting these in blocks of three.  Let me know if you want to take a stab at it or if you know someone who should take part.  Just send me an e-mail at karen [at] karenbalcom [dot] com.  And since I’m going to be a good sport, I answered the questions in this first installment.  Have fun!

John P. Strohm

Bloomington High School South, Bloomington, IN, Class of 1985, Currently:  musician, entertainment lawyer

Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: TV Party by Black Flag.  When I first got into the punk scene in my town, there weren’t any all-ages shows or other organized events.  We had parties.  I started going to punk parties when I was in ninth grade.  The parties were thrown by older kids – juniors or seniors in high school – but they were mostly in my neighborhood so I could walk there on my own.  Usually I’d go without my parents’ permission, but my older brother was usually around to rat me out.  Nevertheless, these parties were so much fun I’d have risked being grounded forever.

I remember hearing Black Flag’s Damaged album at one of these parties.  I picked it from a dozen or so LPs scattered around the floor.  I’d heard of the group, but I’d never heard their music.  The first song I played was TV Party.  “We’re gonna have a TV party tonight…ALRIGHT!”  When I hear that now, it’s almost as if I can smell the spilled beer – it’s transporting.  It’s not that it’s a particularly good song; there are plenty of punk songs I like better…plenty of Black Flag songs I like better.  But that song just works that particular magic in my brain, no matter how many times I hear it.  I can feel the excitement of being young and finally finding my place in the world, my people.  It brings back so many amazing memories.

Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) from high school: I have a Minutemen T-shirt I had in high school, but that’s about it.  I’m lousy about keeping things from those days.  My favorite post-high school memento I have is the test pressing from the first Blake Babies album.  Holding that in my hands for the first time was such a thrill.

Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: U2.  I don’t so much hate U2 now, though I never really caught the bug.  But there was this guy named Oly in my high school who I thought was a total asshole.  And he liked U2, so I associated them with Oly.  Also U2 seemed so self-important and humorless.  I loved REM, but for some reason I felt like U2 was the anti-REM.  I can kind of see that now.

Best high school make-out song: One of the first dates I went on with my first girlfriend (Freda, we were together 8 years) was to the movie Valley Girl.  We both loved that song I Melt With You by Modern English.  It was obscure back then – didn’t become a “hit” until years later.  That sort of became “our song,” and we’d listen to it often when we managed to find time to be alone.  That did the trick.  The first time I made out with a girl – summer before 8th grade, 1980, was to “Time” by Alan Parsons Project.

Most memorable show or concert you saw in high school: I almost exclusively went to punk shows in high school, with the odd exception (lots of Police shows early on, Psychedelic Furs, Stray Cats, Go-gos, etc.).  We used to have these punk/hardcore shows in rented rooms – an empty loft above the Salvation Army store, an unused church in Indianapolis, the old library in Bloomington (the unused building across the street from the new library, built in the mid-70s).  But although we had national touring acts, the same one or maybe two hundred kids showed up every time.  You’d see a little polite slam-dancing, lots of bro activity.  But it wasn’t really violent.

While visiting schools in D.C. during my senior year (late 1984), I went to see a show at this place called the Wilson Center.  Government Issue and Marginal Man, a couple others.  I swear there were 800 kids there, and they were going berserk.  I associated D.C. with straight edge, but many of these kids were drinking and getting high.  As soon as the first band came on, kids started stage-diving, one after the other – a dozen for every one-minute song – into this massive pit.  I stood along the sidelines for the first hour or so, finding my courage.  Then I totally went for it – jumping in the pit and stage diving during the Government Issue set.  It was a huge rush.  Strangely, that was one of the last hardcore shows I ever went to.  After that night, I’d sort of had enough.  But man that was fun.

Jenn Halter Prenda

Kings Mountain High School, Kings Mountain, NC, Class of 1993, Currently: Mommin’, Marketing and Advertising

Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: Yes, 
Pearl Jam, Matthew Sweet, Peter Gabriel, haha the Black Crowes (Shake)

Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) from high school: gosh I have no idea, I didn’t save much music wise from then…I have a Yes poster…I’m sure there’s others but nothing stands out

Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: Barenaked Ladies or maybe Sugar Ray

Best high school make-out song: In Your Eyes (Peter G) seems about right

Most memorable show or concert you saw in high school: The only 2 shows I saw live while in HS were Yes (10th grade) and Lollapalooza w/Alice in Chains, Arrested Dev….(12th)

Karen Balcom

Park High School, Cottage Grove, MN, Class of 1986, Currently: writing, being mom

Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school:  I would have to say U2, anything off of the Unforgettable Fire.  I used to go to school early every morning my Junior year, and I would sit on the floor in front of my locker, with my Walkman, and listen to that tape over and over.  I was not a very happy camper that year, not completely sure why, and that music left me suitably depressed and feeling like there was good reason for it.

Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) in high school: The thing I wish I still owned more than anything is my black Suburbs t-shirt (lost in the fire).  One of my fave Minneapolis bands, and such a cool shirt.  That was the first band I would regularly go into “the pit” for—mostly because there were lots of cute guys in said pit, but they weren’t dangerous like they were at the “real” punk shows.

Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: Everybody in my school loved REO Speedwagon and they made me feel like throwing up.  I can’t even look at dude from REO without feeling sick.  My friends and I used to call them Oreo Chuckwagon.

Best high school make-out song: Hmmmm…”Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” by the Smiths (although I suppose “Reel Around the Fountain” is more appropriate…fifteen minutes with you, I wouldn’t say no…) or “Girls on Film” by Duran Duran, but these would only be if I could go back and orchestrate the circumstances.  I don’t remember any good music and I certainly don’t remember being given the option of picking something to listen to.

Best show or concert you saw in high school: Violent Femmes at First Avenue with my BFF Jane.  She and I were so into it—dancing around like crazy and everyone else was so lame.  At least it felt that way.  Some guy flicked a cigarette ash and it went in Jane’s shoe.  I remember the day Jane bought the first album, her mother was absolutely horrified by the lyrics.  I think she actually stormed out of the room crying or maybe that’s my overly-dramatic adolescent memory.