Thursday, August 28, 2008

I'm not wearing any pants

A couple of weeks ago, Lindsay over at Rock and Roll Mama was giving away a copy of Stephanie Kuehnert's I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone. Readers had to leave a comment on this post stating the name of your all time favorite band. On Friday, August 15th she would use the random number generator to pick a winner. That's it. Easy-peasy. I left my comment—The Beatles (with Pink Floyd coming in a close second) and mentioned that I should win since the drawing would be held on my birthday.

Well, apparently the little gnomes that run the random number generator felt the same way because my number was picked! This morning when I checked the mail there was a package from the USPS leaning up against the house. My book had arrived!

As soon as I had the package in my hand I knew I had to blog about winning. And aren't all posts better when accompanied by a photo? Why, yes they are, so here is a shot of G-tot, me, and my prize taken with Photo Booth moments after checking the mail. It may not be the most flattering shot of me but I don't care. This is reality at its finest people.


I hadn't showered yet, my hair is all funky, I've got a stupid look on my face, and I'm wearing the oldest shirt I own (that I still wear). It just happens to be the perfect shirt for this post.

It's my Pink Floyd concert shirt from their 1994 tour. It's full of tiny holes and is so ragged looking that I only wear it to bed—but it is one of the most comfortable shirts I own. Plus, it has sentimental value. Over the years I've owned dozens of shirts from concerts I've attended. And over the years those shirts have disappeared. Gone is my Motley Crue shirt from the Dr. Feelgood tour. Gone are my Anthrax shirt from the Headbanger's Ball tour. Gone are the Bulletboys, Metallica, Poison, Skid Row, Pantera, Tesla, and Faster Pussycat t-shirts—along with so many others.

I have just three concert shirts left—a Ted Nugent shirt from my very first concert (I was just nine years old with my Dad at Cobo Hall in Detroit), a Tom Petty shirt from a concert JQ & I went to in 2002, and my beloved Pink Floyd shirt. Which I wear all the time. I fear the day when I pull it out of the dryer and it's in shreds.

So, up there in that picture I'm wearing my Floyd shirt 14 years after I bought it. Oh…and I'm not wearing any pants.

I don't hang on to the shirt merely because of it's comfort factor. I hang on to it because of the memories entwined in its fibers. Memories that are full of music. Music has this amazing ability to touch our lives in so many ways. So many important moments in my life have a soundtrack connected to them. It sounds like that's also true for Emily in I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone. According to Lindsay, "Stephanie Kuehnert delivers a raw, pitch perfect story of a daughter longing to connect to her mother through music." I can't wait to start reading. Thanks, Lindsay!

Happy Birthday to me!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should have saved them all, and made them into a quilt. Like that episode of Rules of Engagement.

I guess it's never too late to start...

Holly {ArtistMotherTeacher} said...

shades—My oldest (as in years known not age) friend had a quilt made for her out of all of her shirts. Most of them I went to with her so if nothing else, I can live vicariously through her quilt. I do wish I would have saved them though. But how much stuff can we really keep through the years. We grow up and memorabilia gets tossed. I still have the memories (and probably pictures somewhere of me wearing the shirts).

Blogarita said...

I used to go to concerts but almost never bought the t-shirts.

But I once found a Bulletboys t-shirt after bringing my laundry home from a laundromat. Guess it was in the dryer I used or something. I wore it until it fell apart, but I'm pretty sure I never heard one of their songs. LOL!

Rock and Roll Mama said...

Wow! It's so crazy to see a book I held in my hands on the innerweb.:)I'm really glad you won it on your birthday, and so glad to see you loving on your musical heritage. I love looking back on where I've been. Shine on you, Holly Diamond! xoxo, L

Holly {ArtistMotherTeacher} said...

blogarita—That's hilarious. Good thing they weren't some sort of cult. Or were they…?

r&r mama—I never thought about it that way. Seeing something you sent to another state from the comfort of your home. Gotta love the innerwebs!

naynayfazz said...

I have to check out that book. It looks interesting. That is cool that won something off a blog. We never did anything like that. Oh well. Maybe we can start now.

I was cracking up when I was reading about all of the bands you used to like because I don't talk to many girls our age who liked that kind of music. I LOVE rock and roll even to this day but only rock from like 1998 and back. None of this new crap. Anyway, glad you see you receieved a nice birthday gift. Enjoy!

Holly {ArtistMotherTeacher} said...

janine—I loved hairbands. You name it and I probably listened to it. That Bulletboys show also featured Great White (headlining) and SteelHeart. How rockin' is that?

Anonymous said...

HOLY CRAP I THINK I WENT TO MOST OF THOSE SHOWS WITH YA! ROCK ON BABY LOVE YA DAD

JQ said...

Bravo! A well written post honey!

I never bought any concert t-shirts, couldn't afford them. All I have are the memories...and those are a little hazy too.

Cupcake Blonde said...

shades: That was one of my favorite episodes!

pixie: I know what you mean about old concert t-shirts. I have some that I can't even fit into any more but can't seem to make myself throw away. They hold too many memories. I don't go to many concerts any more. It's sad.

naynayfazz said...

I never heard of Steelheart but I liked Great White and heard of Bulletboys. I was mainly into Extreme but I liked Poison and Motley Crue. I was more into classic rock and then eventually Seattle grunge and then it progressed from there. My favorite album of the 90's (one of them anyway) was Coverdale/Page. I still have that cd and LOVE IT.