Bowie's Spit

As a kid growing up I was, like many, really into music. I not only enjoyed nearly all kinds of music, but I also played and studied music(classical)quite seriously as a violinist. I also happened to like writing and so in high school was encouraged to pursue journalism.

It didn't take long for me to combine my two passions and begin to write about music. I quickly realized that music writers -- even cub reporters for the local high school newspaper -- could easily get free tickets and backstage passes to all the concerts that came to town.

The first big-time concert I went to as a reviewer and got to go back stage and meet the band was David Bowie's Glass Spider tour. Peter Frampton opened the show so I was twice blessed. It was amazing... not only did I hang out backstage...stand on the buffet line with Frampton no less...but as a one man team (reporter and photographer) was able to spend the first five songs of both Frampton's and Bowie's sets right up at the foot of the stage. I was so close...their spit was literally raining down on me. No wonder those security guards wear jackets.

Anyway...it was a really memorable experience and one that I was lucky enough to repeat for the next 10 years -- through the rest of high school, college and beyond -- for countless concerts in a number of major cities and for a number of newspapers, covering artists including everyone from Clapton, The Band, The Stones, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Joe Jackson, and virtually everyone else who toured in the late 80's and throughout the 90's.

Writing about music was never so fun...until of course this website came along.