Speaking of the Seventies

I think I was in high school during the coolest decade around. Well, maybe some of you would argue that, but I sure loved it.

Some of the things that happened to me during those high school years:

I transferred from a really awesome high school on the coast, surfing, skateboarding, ditching school to go to the beach to a high school in a farm community. I thought my life had ended. Speaking of the coolest high - one of my friends, a huge crush, and of course, a friend of my brother's - grew up to be a record producer. He has produced people like the Pet Shop Boys. Sigh.

I spent two years dating, well maybe two months. I was a social dork, much like today. I can entertain a crowd, yet cannot make small talk to save my life. So dating was horrific. I dated mostly friends of my brothers, and some of them I wouldn't go out with more than once. I have too many heartbreaking stories about this one guy. Oh the horrors!

I majored in french, minored in german, and took social poetry. Social poetry was the best. It was a seniors only class and all we did was listen to rock music, some folk, and analyze the lyrics. My favorite was Simon and Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair with the canticle. Excellent for a Vietnam era childhood.

We had our first earth day in 1971. We all got the afternoon off from school to see what we could do to impact our ecological futures. Most of us had never heard the word Ecology. We picked up all the trash around the school and piled it high in the quad. A good friend decided she'd wanted to go to college and become an ecologist. She also dated the foreign exchange student from France. She even went to France with him after school.

High school was beginning to be a bore for us. Many of us graduated early. If you ahd the credits, they'd let you go. Many of us would double up classes so we could get extra credits. I had all the credits to graduate as a junior, but I didn't have a license, so I decided to stay. Get my license and then bail. Senior year was classes until noon, jump in my car and go somewhere else. Anywhere esle.

My brother was hanging out with some guys in a band. He asked if I would go to a dance at the Demolay building with him so he could see the band. I went and saw this great looking guy. He was the lead guitar player and suddenly I had a crush. I started hanging out with the band, a lot. We went to their shows and dances and had a good time. Funny thing though, the lead player never spoke to me. I was just a kid sister. However, the bass player started up a conversation with me. He was cute in his own way and my friend Janna had a huge crush on him. well, ended up he had a crush on me. We started dating and we haven't looked back since. We got married in 1975. I still dig the bass player.

Being a band girlfriend had its ups and downs. Girls just don't get it when you say "he's with me". I had to take some steps and couple of times. Not fight, but make it clear who he belonged with...

Music was great back then. I went to so many concerts! Jimi Hendrix being the first and then others in very rapid succession. The Beatles were one band I missed seeing as they were having all kinds of trouble. The Rolling Stones? Had tickets three times, scalped them each time, made some bucks and went elsewhere.

Saw shows at Santa Monica Civic, The Orange Show, San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego Civic, Long Beach Arena, California Jams 1 and 2 and various other venues. Most cost us between 5 and 10 dollars. Didn't do drugs. Didn't drink. I was the straight man. I drove everyone else once they were wasted (not the band guy though). I spoke with Bill Graham on the phone, arranged for my sister to meet Rod Stewart and met Alice Cooper and his band. Saw Eric Clapton at almost every other show, crashing the concert, and it seemed he'd play a set with anyone. It was wierd. I never saw Cream.

More on life in the 70s later. It was fun. I was happy! Married the guy in the band, what more could I want? Pics of the band tomorrow.