When I was a kid I watched the KISS Animalize concert on VHS nonstop and it made me want an electric guitar So. Bad. I even went so far as to not only build a small scale electric guitar with a whammy bar out of my brother’s Legos, but I would also play my nylon string classical guitar I was learning on through one of my walkie talkies and turn up the other one as loud as it would go to attempt to simulate an electric guitar and amp. (The concept was great however it sounded like complete shit.)
‘Twas the summer in between 8th and 9th grade that I detassled corn to save up enough money for my first electric guitar and amp… and then started slacking and got myself fired. I should mention that detassling corn gave me not one, but two gifts: 1. An electric guitar, and 2. the discovery of a band called RUSH. I’d heard them before, but there was a redheaded kid on the bus I would sit next to who had all of their tapes and was constantly cranking them in his Walkman and small spongy orange headphones. After he played me a few of their tracks that weren’t played on the radio I thought Oh yeah. I get it now. I never got to formally thank you, redheaded kid, but wherever you are now, T H A N K S.
I ended up converting my detassling earnings into a lovely brand spankin’ new 5 watt Gorilla practice amp and a black Kramer Aerostar ZX20 electric guitar. I absolutely adored that thing. As soon as I was done playing it I would polish it, gently set it on top of my dresser, and stare at it. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do with my life. The electric guitar was the answer to everything.