By the time 4th grade came around a bigger group than Quiet Riot had entered the cross-hairs. They were quite possibly the biggest band in the world at the time, so it would only seem only obvious that they would become my new obsession. Thanks to the guitar styling's (and guitar) of Eddie Van Halen, I now not only thought of rock and roll as something that was 'cool' and something I had an urge to be part of, I now longed to have a six string strung around my own neck.
Finding the task of convincing my parents to purchase me a guitar a tad daunting at the age of ten, I opted for the next best thing...a 'play rock band' called ARIEL (a name swiped from my neighbors’ brother’s ‘actual’ band / a name also taken from the lead female in FOOTLOOSE). We played in my front room. A ghetto blaster full of cassette tapes, tennis rackets for guitars, pots and pans for drums, and a stair case banister for a microphone. We even scotch taped plastic straws to our rackets for whammy-bars (ah-la EVH). Rock and roll was no longer something I dreamt about, it was actually (sort of) becoming something I did.
For those few years growing up, VAN HALEN meant so much to me I was literally sick with anger when someone broke open my school locker and stole a post card I had hanging there of the band in their live glory. From 1983 to 1986, VAN HALEN was all that mattered, to me and to the world.
After VAN HALEN infected my bones I slowly grew into a phase that would be the center of my musical existence from that day forward, for a lack of a better term, we shall refer to it as, ‘hair metal’, although I have never liked nor agreed with that term. This new style of music I was slowly getting into was the same rock and roll I had fallen in love with in elementary school, however this rock and roll came with a twist. It had a spark of excitement and evil all wrapped in one fine and delicious package. The first band of this sub-genre to grab a hold of my bones and not let go was TWISTED SISTER. They were like nothing I had seen before, a little vulgar, very loud, and catchy as all get out.
My mom approved of their videos (as they were comical), however I loved their 'head-banging' rock and their 'whammy-bar' inspired guitar solos. The world suddenly made sense when I could finally call their breakthrough album, "Stay Hungry” mine.
It was a Wednesday night, as usual I was attending the Wednesday Night church service with my mom. My sister (who worked at the mall) purchased the cassette for me, brought it home, and had it waiting my return on my desk in my room. Upon 'our' return from Church, my mom picked up the cassette and eyeballed Dee Snider 'chewing a meat bone' closely. My heart almost stopped, fearing she would see the song, "Burn In Hell" labeled at the bottom of the cassette cover. Whether she saw it or not, I will never know? Thankfully, I was allowed to keep the cassette (which I believe is due to the band's 'comical' music videos). However, long story short, little did my mother or myself realize at the time, TWISTED SISTER'S lead singer, Dee Snider was nothing near the dangerous looking front-man he portrayed on the album cover. In fact, he was also completely clean (writing an anti-drug book a few years after the “Stay Hungry” release. A trivial fact I could have used that night in my room, should the circumstances called for it.
Sadly (at the time), I never even gave the song "Burn In Hell" two thoughts back in 1984. It only took 26 years for me and my Ipod to realize how cool the song is...sometimes things get better with age...
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