Rock Hammer

Sometimes, something will just catch me off-guard, and I am stunned by my reaction to it.  Tonight, as I sat trying to come up with an idea for my Bike Stories blog, I had the iPod playing on Shuffle.  Then, a song came on which totally took me out of the moment, and put me in a completely different place.

The song was a little ditty by the name of "Rock Hammer", by a group called Dick and the Gonads (my shot at a punk band, back in college).  On this particular cut (which I wrote as an homage to Joan Jett, by the way), I am playing lead guitar, Johnny B is playing rhythm, my sister is playing "drums" (actually Tupperware, but it got the job done), and Taylor Davis is singing.

Long-time readers may remember that Taylor died a couple of years ago.  He had a heart attack, and it was a sudden and unexpected passing, which made it that much harder for me to process.  I still feel bad that I didn't get together with him, while I was home that summer.

Anyway, I was sitting here, surfing the net and wondering what to write my story about, when I heard Taylor start in on "Rock Hammer", and it just froze me in my figurative tracks.  I sat, motionless, and listened to my friend, 30 years ago, belting out the lyrics I had written, and it struck me hard just how lucky we are all are to still be around...still able to sing, and live, and love.  And, it struck me, how sad it is that so many of our loved ones are gone.

Enjoy your labor day weekend.  I hope you are able to be with those you care for.

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