May 29, 2019:
We drove downtown to see the skyscraper. The Union Bank building on B Street. What we found while in the neighborhood was The Battle of the Bands, a life-changing event.
This was the Beatle era when bands wore suits. This band's in blue: blue tuxedos with blue bowties, blue Fender P-Bass, Fender Showman amps, Gibson ES guitar. They have a truly lovely girl singer in mini-dress and tambourine. These guys must be the kings of San Diego dances: they clearly have money for instruments. This band is red, they're called The Titans, dude has a red Fender Jaguar, second dude plays xylophone on a stand decked with their band name. They all look like Buddy Holly ten years later.
It's the spring of 1966, they're behind in more than clothes. One of the groups plays "The latest Beatles single!", Day Tripper, but nobody here is hip enough to know what acid is. The Beatles themselves are in the studio recording Revolver and reading about Tim Leary. This bunch are throwbacks.
But they're loud throwbacks, and they're playing live music with real instruments, and I want to be them, and I want to do that.
In the future Life and parents will put up every conceivable emotional and financial hurdle. The struggle which continues to define my life.