The Drummer

He was visiting friends and still on tour at the time. When I was introduced to him, I had no idea who he was or what he did... but I was always attracted to the emo band boy looking type so it's no surprise that I was interested. Maybe it's the artistic gift that they hold. Whether it's writing, singing, or playing an instrument there is something so appealing about someone with that kind of talent. Or maybe it's the way they always tend to be so lost and tortured and deep. Throw in bad boy good looks and you've got yourself a pretty good combination if you ask me. He is one of 2 musicians I developed relationships with, but this one was a bit different.

He was in his late twenties, very shy and introverted. It took awhile for him to get comfortable around me, somehow he felt intimidated. He was always out and about when he came in town and he would always stop by and say hi and have a couple of drinks with me. He wined and dined me, and we spent nights talking and getting to know each other. After a year or 2 of keeping in touch and seeing him every couple of months, he decided he was going to stay and spend some time working on a new band and figuring out his next step. We became pretty close, more friends that anything else and I really got to KNOW him.

He opened up and told me that after having millions of fans screaming and chasing after him for so long, he had developed some sort of anxiety disorder in which he was extremely afraid of big crowds and felt uneasy and uncomfortable around people. So he withdrew and focused his energy on all things music, which he really was great at. He had huge insecurities about the future and whether the money he had made from touring and his band would last for awhile and whether or not he would be able to afford his big house and his expensive taste.

The band had decided to disband for the time being and the label parted ways with them as well. It was like now time stood still, he had no job, nowhere to go, and was lost. We lost touch after he started dating a new girl (of course she was Blonde), the calls lessened and text messages came in at odd hours after he'd had a couple of drinks. I heard he moved back home for awhile and then came back. Don't really know where he ended up.

I only have fond memories of him. One in particular stands out, from a couple of years ago. I drove to a music festival because his band was playing in Tampa, I missed his set but met up with him after. We talked for awhile, sitting close together on the grass. Then, he led me to a tour bus and introduced me to his friends. By friends I mean Jimmy Eat World. Oh yes and not only did I meet them, but I smoked out of this huge thing called the "Vaporizer". The cleanest, smoothest marijuana smoking device ever invented. Can I please explain to you how high that contraption got me???

Let's just say my legs and feet felt like they were glued to the floor, I could not feel my mouth at all, my body was complete jello and to top it off I couldn't formulate a single thought. It was like my brain turned off along with the rest of my body. NEVER AGAIN. It was cool for a nano second, then just plain scary. I never made it out that night and I slept for about 11 hours.
I might give him a call soon, maybe he has found his calling or if not maybe he can hook me up with a job in music! That would be just fabulous.