JV C ya!

While all these doors are open in my mind I keep digging and digging for old memories that are related to music. Before I'm 100% ready to move onto my days in middle school, I want to be sure I haven't forgotten or left out any key elements of my life. I suppose I could mention a few random facts, like that I was actually a member of the chess club in grade 3 and 4. 

Asides from being an artist I used to do calligraphy in my spare time. I may have written more "lines" than any other kid in my grade ( I will not staple classmates finger tips). In kindergarten I stuck my tongue to a metal handrail, was the best artist in my class, and I was busted playing "house" with twin sisters. I got a very early rep as a "badass" when I stuffed the principals muffler to the max with snow to impress some older kids. The school board wanted me to skip grade 1 but my parents refused. I learned to print and write my loooong last name in grade 1. I had my first video game meltdown playing Space Invaders when I couldn't get past level 35.

I was just like any other kid in that day and age, I played with toys, went to the creek, journeyed on epic bike rides, played hide and go seek & army, went swimming, built go karts and tree forts, I played organized sports such as soccer, baseball & hockey, I went tobogganing in the winter and made snow forts & snowmen, I drew and colored, but the thing I enjoyed the most was strapping the headphones on in solitary and listening to music.

Somewhere around 1981-1983 my father bought a new JVC home stereo. This meant I now got the old stereo for my room, but more importantly we had a massive brand new system with giant speakers housing 12" woofers! If I remember correctly my dad paid somewhere in the neighbourhood of $2000 for the system and I figured we were living large. Looking back we were always a middle class family but perhaps a touch on the upper side, as my pops always seemed to be able to afford whatever new trend or toy was hot on the market. 

The stereo had 2 large speakers, a tuner, an am/fm radio component, a cassette player, and most importantly a turn table! This baby was sweet and I spent a lot of time in front of that stereo growing up. I loved throwing a record on and staring into the cover as the songs stirred images up in my mind. Little did I know at the time that the cassette deck would be one of my first instrumental tools in creating rap music years later...