It's a silly thing and I've probably written about it before, but I remember the sticker vividly. It was there for years and I saw it multiple times daily. I often wondered if a rival band (Marz, Night Witch, Friction etc...) put it there as a statement like "We must STOP Dirty Looks!" That's the stupid shit a teenage mind comes up with. The truth is probably less sinister. Some asshat stuck it there walking home from school as a gesture of rebellion (probably).
I've traveled far from Erie, PA in my adult life. 35 years ago I thought the city was a Mecca. Hindsight tells me it was not unlike any small rust belt city. All of the usual suspects were there: unions, minor league teams, deer hunting, beer drinking, and car hopping. A "marry your HS sweetheart (quickly!)" kind of place. The town was a melting pot as well. Very strong Polish, Mexican, German, Italian, African American and Irish traditions graced the land inside it's borders. A wide assortment of worship attached to each heritage still peppers the city. The ringing bells of the Catholic spires, the gold caps of the Orthodox church, and the mystery cornerstone of the Temple Anshe serve as friendly reminders of the city's roots and diversity.
I was home last weekend and attended a backyard party in a small blue collar suburb of Erie very close to the former General Electric Choo-Choo plant that anchored the workforce and economy for many years. I started up a conversation with a guy I've never met before, but knew all to well, He was wearing a Pro-Pain t-shirt and lives in Erie, PA. That's enough for hours long conversation in my world. Alexa was spinning jams from Vinnie Vincent, Savatage, Tesla, and Skid Row (among other various Hard Rock treasures from yesteryear). It was as warm a feeling as I have ever had. The familiar feeling of home, the one place where I am never a stranger and always belong.
These days I reside in North Carolina on the popular, yet scenic, Lake Gaston. I don't shovel snow anymore, and am not sure I would ever want to again. I am surrounded by cotton in the fall, tobacco in the summer, 40 degree days in the winter, and my backyard is a lake. If life is lived as an adventure, and I am racing toward my third act, this is not a bad launching pad for the next big crux. I am not alone in being an outsider transplanted to Lake Gaston, but just a few miles in any direction I am considered (and called) a Damn Yankee. It's cool though, strength of personality outperforms ignorant prejudices and unwarranted bias in most cases. Despite no one being able to tackle my last name, I walk in like I own the joint in every situation that allows it. Living well and not giving a flying turd tends to radiate good vibes. Once people get over the NAG-OR-SKI pronunciation annoyance (it's said exactly as its spelled) I am typically well liked. I married a local, it is what it is.
Yet, sometimes I miss just fitting in without effort.
I am reflective as of late due to my inability to travel for work. I am coming off of the longest stretch in one place in over 16 years. History will not judge 2020 kindly regardless of what side of the stupid political isle you fall on, but for me personally 2020 has been a year of re-connections because of my reflective state. I am reaching out to the non-toxic people in my life I've neglected or lost touch with, and spending time in my hometown is proving to be good for my soul. I've rediscovered my love for my roots in music and even started riff writing again in hopes to record a new Metal album someday in the near future.
It's been 18 years since I left Erie, and I may finally be missing her too. It's easy to have the feelz for the town you grew up in. Nostalgia is ever present when separated by distance and years. It allows one to forget the bad juju of everyday past. But this is something more, she (Erie) and I are connected through generations, common history, family and mindset. My first everything happened there, my father & grandfathers first everything happened there too. It was the place I couldn't wait to escape, and now it's the place I miss most. Irony in its simplest form?
Getting back to Dirty Looks, I still feel like "Cool from the Wire" is an almost perfect LP from the 80's metal genre. It's up there with White Lion's "Pride" as one of the few hair metal LP's I listened to front to back every time. It's sequenced perfectly. The fact that they hailed from my hometown was a big plus for me to pay attention, but they ruled in their own right and were a horribly overlooked band. All the right pieces were in place: a major label deal, a top producer and great songs. I never understood why they didn't get the big push from Atlantic they deserved, especially when shitty bands like Band Tango and Danger Danger broke medium-big around the same time. The media accused Hendrik (Singer - Guitar) of being a Bon Scott soundalike (a detail that led to the cowards at Atlantic releasing "Oh Ruby" as the single, I'm sure) but they were much better than some of the shit bands of the day that got the push. Someone still needs to explain to me how a Cinderella homage (Brittney Fox) ever got airplay? It must have been a favor for a friend or some shit. Even the executives at MTV were like "Really?" Full disclosure: I watched the "Girls School" video with the sound off quite often.
I hope you all enjoy your weekend. I am smoking a pork shoulder and have a lunch date with my daughter. There's a Morkie in my lap and a Goldendoodle asleep at my feet. In the background I can hear the wake boarders coming to life on the lake. It should be a good day.
Nago
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