It was a religion going to the record store and seeing all that I couldn’t buy. And a purchase was not an easy decision. Because if i didn’t like it, I was stuck with it. On a lot of occasions, the record shop wouldn’t have the album I went there for. So I would buy something else because there was always a back up buy list.

And i played those records until i knew every lick by heart. When I had equipment that could slow the music down or speed it up, I would use it. And I got lazy afterwards, so I was happy to hand over money for guitar transcriptions books. I even purchased the transcriptions for albums I had already learned, so I could have em. You can get all kind of fan transcriptions online today and for free.

And I would write down the lyrics on an A4 page and then I would write the chords above the lyrics. I had a folder of transcribed songs like that.

And then life gets in the way and decisions are made. Band members leave because they discovered they weren’t quite good enough or decided they didn’t want to put in the same commitment as the others.

During breaks my gear gathered dust. But the music is still there, i am still addicted.

And others I knew would do everything they could to get closer to the music life. They would work as a roadie, work in a record store, do some work for a label or promoter. And it wasn’t because they wanted to get rich, but because everyone wanted to be closer to the party and the lifestyle.