I ran into an old friend...

drummer5359 · #1 02-23-2011, 09:26 PM

When I was a teenager a lot of us from the area worked together at a local hotel/resturant. I was a busboy and I had a buddy named Bob Patterson who lived nearby and was a dishwasher there. We worked together from 75 to 77.

I had screwed around on drums for years, but never owned my own kit. Bob had an old set of beat to death "Del Ray" drums. I had a "Tel Star" bass. We traded them even up.

That was my very first kit. I haven't seen Bob since I left that job in July of 1977.

I moved back to this area last spring, I had moved away in 1979.

Today I parked my car in a local municiple parking lot and ran some errands.

When I got back to my car there was a guy about my age looking at the "Got drums?" plate I have on the front.

"Is this your car?" "That's a cool plate."

I stopped and we talked for a minute and determined that we both played and had both recently moved back to the area. He said, "I used to live down this street." I said, "You must have known Bob Patterson." He took off his glasses and looked closely at me. " I am Bob Patterson."

Amazing.

So we talked for a while. He just got back into the drums a couple of years ago and still plays some bass as well. He's very involved in the local blues society that I also belong to.

I told him that I have 8 kits, over 80 cymbals and over 30 snares... and it's all his fault.

He has a lot to answer for.

How cool is that?

Jeff K · #2 02-23-2011, 10:20 PM

When he took off his glasses, I thought maybe he was about to punch you in the head for dumping that Tel Star bass onto him!

(Hey, it IS Pittsburgh! That's okay though - I grew up in Johnstown many many moons ago...)

Actually, that's really cool that you guys ran into each other after all this time.

MJ5150 · #3 02-23-2011, 10:24 PM

Johnstown? Johnstown??? Altoona is waaaay better.

To the OP....did you stop and get a Primanti Brothers cheese steak today?

-Mike

MakiSupaStar · #4 02-23-2011, 10:39 PM

When he took off his glasses I thought you were going to say he was Superman.

Kwesi · #5 02-23-2011, 10:42 PM

sandmangeck · #6 02-23-2011, 10:49 PM

YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

Jimbob Jones · #7 02-24-2011, 03:05 AM

Awww, beat me to it sandman!

Relic · #8 02-24-2011, 05:20 AM

Cool story Bro! (for real)

On the other hand...
I am Bob Patterson

drummer5359 · #9 02-24-2011, 07:03 AM

He thinks he still has that Tel Star bass. He needs a new drum throne, so if he can find the bass we may work a trade and I can take it back off of his hands.

I know that all of you must wonder why I'd want a forty year old bass that was bought in a five and dime store and was awful when it was new... It would just be cool to have the one and only piece of music equipment that my parents had bought for me. (My mother died when I was 16 and my father died when I was 20.) I'd just clean it up and hang it on the wall.

It would be my "Rosebud". (The younger members on here will have to watch "Citizen Kane" for that reference.)

Relic · #10 02-24-2011, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummer5359

He thinks he still has that Tel Star bass. He needs a new drum throne, so if he can find the bass we may work a trade and I can take it back off of his hands.

I know that all of you must wonder why I'd want a forty year old bass that was bought in a five and dime store and was awful when it was new... It would just be cool to have the one and only piece of music equipment that my parents had bought for me. (My mother died when I was 16 and my father died when I was 20.) I'd just clean it up and hang it on the wall.

It would be my "Rosebud". (The younger members on here will have to watch "Citizen Kane" for that reference.)

I can absolutely understand that!
I sold the guitar than my folks bought for me back when I was in high school, and I really wish that I still had it

drummer5359 · #11 02-24-2011, 07:21 AM

I thought about this later...

I took the time to clear the snow off of my car (finally) instead of taking Jackie's car, which I had considered. If I had taken hers, the "Got drums?" plate would not have been there to cause the conversation.

I don't normally park in that parking lot, I normally park at one down the street that is closer to the errands I was running. I can't even explain why I chose to park there.

I had stopped at three different places within the shopping district including the library to get a new library card. That was a spur of the moment decision to stop there.

Had I done any of this different we would not have been in the parking lot at the same time.

Relic · #12 02-24-2011, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummer5359

I thought about this later...

I took the time to clear the snow off of my car (finally) instead of taking Jackie's car, which I had considered. If I had taken hers, the "Got drums?" plate would not have been there to cause the conversation.

I don't normally park in that parking lot, I normally park at one down the street that is closer to the errands I was running. I can't even explain why I chose to park there.

I had stopped at three different places within the shopping district including the library to get a new library card. That was a spur of the moment decision to stop there.

Had I done any of this different we would not have been in the parking lot at the same time.

Crazy isn't it? I've had stuff like that happen before and it really makes you wonder if 'fate" "predestination" or 'destiny" whatever you want to call it, is an actual thing.

A bit of a depressing story that I'm still sort of struggling with - I had a childhood friend of mine, also a musician pass away under very unfortunate circumstances about a month ago... the freaky part was that just before I found out that he had died, I had found a photo of him in a stack of old school pics that I was going though and was wondering how he was doing at that moment..ugh

Jeff K · #13 02-24-2011, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Johnstown? Johnstown??? Altoona is waaaay better.

I had a good friend in Vietnam from Altoona. After coming home, he developed delusions of grandeur and some severe mental health issues. I always attributed those problems to his being from Altoona...

(JUST KIDDING guys. Nice town, and I've known some great folks from there.)

sneha1965 · #14 02-24-2011, 08:37 AM

Great story. I have a similar one. I found my old jam buddies from High School online. I hadn't seen them in 24 years and they still lived in my home town. We had all moved away in our late teens but they had moved back and I moved to the East Coast. Anyway, we got back together in 2005 and jammed and it was like a day had never passed. Just wish I had found them sooner.

Anyway, on another note. The glasses comment got me thinking about this guy.

Some people need to be protected from themselves.