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Jesus
- where to begin? I just read that Dave Araca died at the age
of 26 and I'm still reeling from this sad bit of news. Wow -
ok. Most of this stuff all rolls into each other in my head,
The Guns, Pestilence, The Dark, Starvation Army, The Plauge,
Knifedance, The Pink Holes, the Underground with its stripper
poles on either side of that stage, with that odd tall lanky
cop with the mohawk (Spike?) that used to work the door, the
old coffins laying in that fenced in yard next door, the creamatorium
with the tall smokestack down the road with the ambulances that
used to pull in and out all night, everyone out in the parking
lot all the time, getting arrested one night for spray painting
"The Guns" on the side of the building with Dave after
it closed and being caught by "Diamond Jim Brady's"
drunken wife who may have owned the building and new her boyfriend,
who pulled up in some cadillac-type-thing, pulled a gun on us
and and called the cops after snatching up the car keys so we
couldn't leave, The Lakefront, right on the corner, next to
the men's bathhouse, walking outside between sets and having
someone ask if I wanted a job as a stripper dancing at the "Gigi
Lounge", The Lakefront's pressed tin ceiling and stand-up
fridges behind the bar like you were getting a beer out of your
own fridge at home, Robert Richie under the table, Floyd's vest
made of ties, so much more that I can't remember...
It must have been like, 1982 -1985, taking Dave Araca downtown
to The Guns gigs from his house on Winslow in Shaker Hts. because
at that time, he was like 14-15 years old and of course he didn't
drive, but this is what we did week in and week out, the same
great bands, the same people hanging out, I lived nearby and
we would drive down to the shows together every week. He was
a kind, funny person and an amazing drummer, ask anyone. I remember
going to a practice space somewhere on W. 25th, above like this
little deli/convenience store down the road from the westside
market where The Guns were recording that day and he was teaching
me how to play drums, I sucked but he didn't care and encouraged
me anyway (then they played it back and I realized how badly
I sucked...)
There was that time when The Pink Holes came to play at some
dive in columbus and Kevin broke the fucking stupid disco ball
that was hanging from the ceiling of the club and the owner
made them pay for it out of the money they made that night,
so they were all kicking this mirrored disco ball to shreads
in the back alley behind this club on High Street, because,
well, they had just bought it. So many other shows, the night
in Kent (JB's?) that Cheese remembers, too with the sheet curtains,
but I remember that Kevin was actually throwing up while he
was singing, so maybe he really did drink out of that tasty
pitcher.
All of this stuff just melds together but I'm trying to pry
apart all those stories from 1982-85 in my head and was reminded
of it all last night when I went to see the Pagans and the Pink
Holes and at the rock hall and it all came back - pretty much
20 years ago, but in some ways it almost does seem like yesterday,
so much great music all the time, boundless energy, funny and
ridiculous times, there's nothing that even compares to that
now, I don't even think we knew how great it was at the time.
(Gabrielle) |
