Someone gave me a cheap plastic guitar for my 8th birthday party at Shakey's Pizza. It seemed like a cool thing to learn. My favorite band at the time was The Beatles. Then later I acquired some small crappy acoustic and started taking lessons. My guitar teacher taught me Blind Faith's Can't Find My Way Home as my first song. At the time Styx's Kilroy Was Here album and Tommy Tu Tone 867-5309 were the hottest things going. Mr. Roboto was one of my favorite songs back then.
I don't remember heavy metal until about 7th grade when every Hesher at school wore a Metal Up Your Ass shirt. Although when I was in 5th and 6th grade and I'd ride my Team Murry BMX to 7-11 to play video games and get a cherry slurpee, some fun dip and some nerds, maybe some Bazzoka gum, the Heshers would be there with there quarter's lined up on top of the arcade game, and they always scared me. I'd lightly put my quarter there next to them and just hope I'd be able to play.
Heshers were pretty much the same. Hair parted in the middle. Jean Jacket, ripped up jeans. Shoes were Vans either red or black checkerboard style. Everyone had either a Diamond Back or a Red Line BMX bike. All carried plastic combs in their back pockets. Everyone played either Space Invaders, Pac Man, Journey Escape, Carnival or Missile Command. Ozzy, Sabbath, Maiden or Metallica T-shirt daily. There was this weird trend in the 80s at one point where all the Hesers wore half shirts which was a very bizarre fashion statement if you remember this.
Luckily I was more into girls and skateboards then being one of them.
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