Track 3- Rock N Roll High School- The Ramones

Okay, so this is way out of order, this is actually the 6th or 7th story in the series, but since Hilly Kristal just passed (RIP) then i figured i would post my Ramones story, as they changed my life!!! No Hilly =No Ramones, so I will always be thankful to you Hilly, you were one cool cat! So here it is....

Okay, so a year has passed and high school has started. I pretty much am over the goth scene and on the prowl for something different. I still loved the music, but the scene was not for me. I was aboout to be yanked out of my musical coma with a swift kick in the ass though. I pretty much loved my mom's old records and treated them like gold: The Who, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Byrds and othe early 60's stuff. That was the sound I tended to like, but was at a loss for finding anything new that I had a real passion for and that I could relate to. I knew a lot of punks, but I guess I was kind of put off by it and assumed it was crazy and too aggressive. This all changed one day at the Yorba Linda Library. My friend Patty and I were looking through their old records, when we saw this crazy punk guy checking us out. I was mildly curious, but Patty was downright scared. She was just getting into this music thing and was still a 'good girl' who wore matchy outfits and took and hour to get ready. Besides, she thought he was a pervert because he was so old. He had to be at least 20 (ha ha). Anyway, she wanted to go outside and wait for her mom because he was creeping her out. Of course, he followed us out and approached us, with a knife by the look on Pattys face. "Hi! I'm Casey" he said. It turned out he was the lead singer for a Fullerton based band called D.I. I had seen their stickers around. He noticed the records that I had checked out from the library and we began to talk about music. It was hard to focus since I thought he was so cute, but that is such a girl thing so I will move on...It turned out that he was heavily influenced by the same early 60's music and California surf music like Dick Dale and the Ventures. He gave me a copy of Ancient Artifacts that he had in his beat up car and told me to check out his show that weekend. I never made it to the show, but I wore a hole through that record and made it my mission to collect all the punk records I could find. I was still a baby though, and I really didn't know what to look for. That is when I met Jenny at school. She was so cool because she had platinum hair and had spikes on her leather jacket. We met in history class and formed an immediate bond. I went to her house after school and watched "Rock N Roll Highschool" with the Ramones. Please insert your Ramones tape now..She made me a bunch of mixed tapes that I have to this day that filled my head with the sounds of the Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Agent Orange, Fear and Bad Religion. It wasn't long before I was running around Costa Mesa, hanging by the bowling alley around the corner from where Mike Ness lived, hoping to run into him in a psycho stalker kind of way :) I loved Social Distortion! I had yet to go to a real punk show though, and I imagined it would be like Riff Randall and her friends in "Rock N Roll High School". Yeah, right! We went to see DRI of all bands. They were a little too hard for me, but I decided to sneak out and go see them anyway. Punk rock turned me into such a delinquent ;) So, I wore Jenny's DRI shirt with a flannel and black jeans. Yes, I was that dork that wore the shirt of the band they went to see..so what. I didn't know better since this was my first time and all. And no adult to speak of to watch me. I guess that is the reason the night turned out like it did. Halfway there I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach and I tried to make excuses to cop out and go home. The carload of punks did not seem to want to stop and enjoy a nice cup of tea, nor did they want to catch a movie, or go home and have a slumber party. They didn't want to do anything I wanted to do- they wanted to go to the show. Punks can be so non- Democratic like that. I probably bugged the fuck out of them and they probably wondered why Jenny had even brought me along. Anyway, we parked and as we walked to the door I thought I was going to have a panic attack. I was not in Kansas anymore, Toto. All of these people looked so knarly and I looked like what I was, a punk show virgin. In front of us were some skin head girls, their fringe bangs dyed blood red. I told myself to calm down, don't be scared, be Riff Randall. After all, I had been through this similar situation when I first went to Cloud 9 and that had turned out good. So, I started to bounce around like Riff would do "C'mon everybody" hee hee. I learned quickly the difference between goths and punks as I stumbled into one of the skin head girls and gave old fringy a flat tire. I said I was sorry. Now a goth would be so wussy they would apologize back even though they didn't do anything. They are very passive aggressive that way. Apparently a skin head just starts to fuck with you and mark you as their target all night. First it was the old trial by test, like asking me what my favorite DRI song was when they know damn well I couldn't name one. So, I tried to distract her by pointing out the line was moving. I thought I was safe, seeing as how we lost her when we got inside. Not so easy, my trial by ordeal was about to start. When the lights went down and the music started, so did the pit. I tried to stay back, but people try to drag you in. Well, red bangs not only tried to pull me in, but proceeded to keep pushing me down and each time she circled she got more and more pushy. I really wanted to keep my cool. No, what I really wanted to do was run to the old trusty bathroom, cry and hide out until the show was over, but I had matured and I was willing to tough it out. By tough it out I mean try and move to the back of the room, but at this point it was impossible. Let me tell you that I have never been so scared in my life. Not only did I have Attila after me and lost my friends, but I looked around and noticed everyone had a problem with everybody. People would just look at each other and start to throw punches, or so it seemed. Just then the show was broken up and I thought that was just swell, being that I was about to start crying like a little bitch at this point. Fear gave way to elation as I realized that we could go home now and everything was going to be all right. I had made it. I know you don't believe that or why would I even bother with this story, right? As I found Jenny and started to walk out with her I was pushed from behind. I thought it was just the crowd, when I was pushed again even harder. I must have been releasing some kid of pheromone, because this girl could sniff me out of a goddamn vat of fish guts. What did I do to deserve this?? No time for questions because the next thing I knewI was on the ground. I had never been in a fight before in my life, except rough housing with my sister. However, I must have had enough pent up rage from my shitty home life that I gathered up the courage to try and fight back. I use the word try quite literally, because she was twice my size and I could not wrestle her off of me. I could really make myself look like a hero, since you weren't there to know the difference, but I know you wouldn't believe it for a second if you have been faithfully reading these tales of woe of mine. The truth is security pulled her off of me. I didn't even get one punch in, but she really didn't either, and so I was at least a little cool by sticking it out and not running. So what did we learn today kiddies?
A. Trust your instinct.
B. Turn the other cheek.
C. Things aren't always what they seem.
If you chose A, than you are wise. If you chose B, then you are a chicken shit. If you chose C you are the lucky winner. "Rock n Roll Highshcool" represents to me the difference between reality and fiction. It is funny how you think things will be one way, but in reality they are totally different. I thought punk was going to be all noise and full of hate, but when I gave it a chance it became my favortite type of music, and the only type I can relate to. I thought shows were going to be all po-going and fun, like Riff Randall and her possee, and I got my ass kicked. That movie lied. All jokes aside, that was the only show that I have ever been to that was like that, they are usually fun with the occasional bad seeds. But the pit will always be the best place to let out all your aggressions!