You know.....as musicians and such, we're sometimes exposed to some of the enticing "bad sides of rock and roll" so to speak. That makes it so easy to make big mistakes.
Just a little piece of sincere, heartfelt advice - if you're ever in a situation where you feel like you're going down the wrong path (drugs, alcohol, whatever), take a minute and ask yourself: *** am I doing!?? And step off that path and back onto the right one. Please.
Case in point - my friend Jimmy.
I went through 9 years of school with him. We started together as two nervous 5 year olds in a strict catholic school kindergarten. Grew up being smacked on the arse by nuns, playing pranks and talking about how we were going to grow up and be rock stars. In fact, I looked up to Jimmy because he was so sure of himself that it was impressive - one time in 6th grade, we had this "career day" aka "what do you want to be when you grow up."
Me? I wanted to be a musician but I was afraid to say it. I didn't want the other kids laughing at me
So I said something like "I want to be a marine biologist and study life in the ocean when I grow up" I then went on to give a 10 minute BS presentation on why I wanted to do that.... What a bunch of crap...made the nuns happy though and got me a great grade. Jimmy? He walks up to the front of the class, just straightens up and says "I'm going to be a famous rock star when I grow up, and that's all I need to say about it.." and walks back to his desk. That was it. The class laughed at him and the nuns were mortified, but he impressed the hell out of me that day. One day he even went as far as to wear these silver shiny Kiss boots with platform soles - can you image the nun's reaction to that??
I can still see him - this 11 year old kid with long hair and in Kiss Ace Frehley boots in a school uniform.
Then one glorious Christmas in 8th grade, I got a Les Paul from my parents. They didnt have a whole lot of money so that guitar was super-special. All white with a black pickguard - sweet. I tell Jimmy about it and he bursts out laughing - that same Christmas his folks bought him a Les Paul too - all black with a white pickguard.
Anyway, we jammed a few times, hung out, discovered girls, stole some beers from my dad, and did all the other shenanigans that teens do... then like childhood friends often do when they enter high school, we drifted apart.
I saw him a few times in high school and hung out, then afterwards I lost track. I did see him once or twice in college, even stopped and talked with him in the hallway one time for about an hour... then lost touch again. I had heard after that, that he had gotten into a pretty bad car accident at one point, really messed him up but he eventually rebounded. I had also heard though that he ended up addicted to some bad stuff..
Saw him working in a local liquor store about 2 years ago and stopped to talk with him briefly, man did he look bad.... you could tell that he wasn't taking care of himself. It's funny though - he STILL wore his hair the same way as he did when he was a kid - the guy never changed his hairstyle as though he never gave up the dream of being a rock star.
He was a good guy, and way back in school, a good kid. never picked on anyone, always friendly to everyone...never a problem.
Well..
Jimmy died last week, homeless..all alone in a parked car somewhere in Trenton during the last snowstorm. Even the local news write-up showed him no respect with probably the crappiest most insensitive write-up ever. He didn't deserve that man, and didnt deserve to die that way.....didn't deserve it at all. I'm hurtin..
RIP Jimmy
http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2...2927215293.txt http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2...a584873126.txt
he wasn't a f****** "homeless man"
he was
Jimmy Howard - the kick-arse guitarist, the guy who would form the band that would make Kiss look like amateurs, and the one kid who you could always count on to be a friend.
ROCK ON JIMMY!
