Personal Narrative: The John Bonham Way

Grateful Dead band around as a groupie, it became personal. He struggled many years with his

Alan Brito is a friend of mine from childhood. When we were young, he and I, along with a bunch of other kids from my neighborhood, used to play tops, marbles and “twenty-one”. We had a top contest in which those who could spin the top in the air with the string, pull it back and place it on top of the palm of their hand, was the winner. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I was almost always the winner. For that reason, they nicknamed me “Toppy”. Two of my other friends, Gilly and Billy were rivals. They were very good at playing “twenty-one.” They were unbeatable. Every time we played together they beat me. I was always afraid of playing against them, because I was quite sure that by the end of the game, I would be left with no money in my pockets. In time, Gilly and Billy got married and left the country. They moved to Saint Maurice, a small paradisiac island in the Pacific Ocean.

I am an enslaved African American bought by an army surgeon. My owner’s name is John Emerson. Emerson bought me in Missouri, but took me and his family with him to an army base in Illinois. Illinois is above the North latitude 36 degrees 30’N, so it is a free state. We did not stay very long in Illinois because Emerson was called to Wisconsin Territory which is also a free slave state. I can’t believe that I have been in TWO free states, yet I am still be counted as a slave. Once Emerson was done in Wisconsin he packed up his family and me, and went back to Missouri. Soon after we returned Emerson passed away. Emerson was a loyal owner. Since I am property of Emerson and he is now deceased what am I? Free? Still a slave? So back in 1846, I sued for my freedom from Emerson’s wife-Irene.

I relate to David story. I was the same way in school, couldn't stay focused, hard to learn. He was lazy and was just trying to get by. Once he got off to college he gave up. Growing up I did a lot of the same things David did. I was always wprried bout how my peers thought of me and I just wanted to fit in so I started falling behind. Did the minimum just to get by, Honestly I was lazy. Only difference is I didn't finish high school. Before senior year even started I was pregnant and couldn't complete. I was so sick it wasnt funny. I went back and got my GED thats the first thing I can say I accomplished. Went to college afterwards and its like history repeated its self. Wasnt focused, was worried about all the wrong things, eventually I dropped

The explosion of Rock n’ Roll in the mid-1950’s helped bring to the forefront of American society the idea that social, cultural, and musical change was deeply needed. By 1959, the initial success and jolt of the Rock n’ Roll era, that took the American youth by storm three years earlier, had officially fallen apart at the seams. The late 1950’s and early 1960’s marked a period of decline for the Rock and Roll genre. The parting of Elvis Presley for the military in 1958, the death of Buddy Holly and two other members of The Crickets in 1959, and the departure of the other members of Rock and Roll’s “Big Five” throughout much of the late 1950’s had devastated America’s hope for social and musical change (Ashton Lecture). With this breakdown of Rock n’ Roll, came an era that was once again dominated and mesmerized by the Jazz, Pop and Country Western genres. The Rock and Roll flame that captivated so many American citizens throughout much of the 1950’s was slowly beginning to dwindle back into the darkness. As all hope seemed to be lost, a new dawn for Rock and Roll was gradually appearing. In 1963-1964 with the introduction of a small British band from Liverpool, England, the dawn that everyone was waiting for had finally arrived and with it would change Rock n’ Roll history forever.

I love to fish it is really fun. It is 1:00. I grab my fishing poles and my fishing bag. I get an my bike and ride down to my pound. Throw some bread on my hook and cast it out there. My brother said to bait the water so I threw some bread in. All the fish were eating the bread. The bobber twitched a couple times. I set the hook the fish is on the hook. I get the fish on land grab the fish get it unhooked. Then I cut its gills and it dies.My brother said eiw thats grose. Then i wash it off in the water.Then i cut the bluegill into three pieces.When i cut the guts The fish eat the bluegill just for the guts so I put a piece of bluegill on the hook and guts and cast it out. My hands smelled like fish they felt all slimey and they

I chose to break the norm of either smiling at strangers or giving them a neutral look when you make eye contact. I decided to give every stranger I passed a confused look like they had just spoken to me in another language. I must admit, this made me feel a bit goofy. I was on the fence as to whether or not to do this in the first place but I decided I just had to. The responses I received were quite comical. A few people asked if I was alright, and one person even asked if I had a problem with them.

An invitation was extended one evening for an opportunity to see a well respected Grateful Dead tribute band playing at a local venue in Los Angeles. The interpretation of cover bands I understood was lacking in seriousness. My perception of a superior concert experience being groups that had composed and performed their own music. The audience would be expected to have a melancholy air, refusing to confront a reality that members they idolized no longer performed. They would have some nostalgic attachment to the music being shared that night which would surpass any faint childhood memory I might have had listening to Ripple in the car with my father.

It became normal. I started to believe these names. If somebody called out, Tree, I would look around. In the barn scene, Kunta was getting ready to escape, and Fiddler was helping him after he was singing that lullaby. Kunta had asked Fiddler his name, his real name, and I have to admit, that moment was really emotional. Fiddler seemed to come to an understanding of how unbreaking Kunta was. I feel Kunta wasn’t built for a slave, his roots, his mindset, and his resilience wouldn’t allow it. This leads to him escaping, or trying to escape, many times. The first time he was bought by Samson, and the other times, he was caught by dogs. A very disappointing moment for me, because my nerves had built up while he was running, so when he was caught, I was extremely disappointed. It seemed to me, when he was escaping the second time, he was doing it not only for himself, but to Fiddler, and his family. Maybe even Jinna. At the end, where he was losing contact with his parents, was absolutely heartbreaking to me, because he is giving up. He was giving into his new identity, losing his

Led Zeppelin were never afraid to try new musical directions, drawing inspiration from such styles as blues, rock, folk, country (and everything in between!) to create a unique sound that almost defies description, probably the most appropriate way to describe their vast repertoire is simply as "Led Zeppelin". During their reign they created one of the most enduring and diverse catalogues in modern music and firmly secured their status as one of the most influential groups ever (probably second only to The Beatles!).

The wardrobe band members wear is a little different from what is trending in the modern society. Ripped skinny jeans or shoes, hoodies in the dark shaded colors are common type of clothing members wear. Additionally, many seem to understand that band individuals have poor hygiene due to how many men have long hair and not a clean cut hair. As said before many of the stereotypes are not fully wrong. According to Makewaves,in the article Misconceptions About Rock Music, by Maddie Smith and Talia Alvarez who both stated, “Will not try to defend the fact that some artists in the industry, like Danny Worsnop and Ronnie Radke, are recovering addicts.”

What is really interesting was the future rockers were learning from American rockers like Cochran. It was at a garden party that John Lennon first met Paul McCartney and taught him to play Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock”. Later on Lennon invited McCartney to join his band The Quarrymen. It was Beatle George Harrison who saw Cochran in Liverpool on his final tour.

Almost anybody who remembers the exposure Jim received when the Doors were at the pinnacle of their success circa 1967/'68 can attest that the screaming revolutionist who challenged crowds and vibrantly jumped, tumbled, and threw himself across a stage was not even remotely the same reserved intellectual we were introduced to away from the spotlight. Long-time friends, family members, and reporters alike dubbed Jim as a unique, soft-spoken, shy intellectual who at times had an innocent wild streak to him. His performances were so unconventional to his off-stage semblance, in fact, that at times he seemed as if he was a phony, leaving behind his wits to play insane during the concert.

Believe it or not, on January 1st of 1962, the group known as The Beatles flunked their audition at Decca Records in London, England. The label’s executive, Dick Rowe, brushed them off like they were nothing. He simply stated that “guitar groups are on the way out.” Little did Rowe know, The Beatles would soon conquer modern society and alter the course of pop and rock music. There have been no other entertainers in the history of music that has been so popular, influential, or as groundbreaking as The Beatles. In the early 1960’s, their popularity was often called “Beatlemania,” as thousands of screaming fans would crowd their concerts and sing-along with the Fab Four. They sold over 600 million albums internationally and had 20 Number One hit singles – a Billboard record that has yet to be broken. The band took over the entertainment media with music videos and films, but also influenced sociocultural, political, and fashion movements throughout the sixties and seventies. From experimenting with several different genres to incorporating classical elements into their melodies, The Beatles still reign as one of the most creative and successful bands several decades later. Today, fifty years later, The Beatles and their music are still engraved in the hearts of many.

Believe it or not, on January 1st of 1962, the group known as The Beatles flunked their audition at Decca Records in London, England. The label’s executive, Dick Rowe, brushed them off like they were nothing. He simply stated that “guitar groups are on the way out.” Little did Rowe know, The Beatles would soon conquer modern society and alter the course of pop and rock music. There have been no other entertainers in the history of music that has been so popular, influential, or as groundbreaking as The Beatles. In the early 1960’s, their popularity was often called “Beatlemania,” as thousands of screaming fans would crowd their concerts and sing-along with the Fab Four. They sold over 600 million albums internationally and had 20 Number One hit singles – a Billboard record that has yet to be broken. The band took over the entertainment media with music videos and films, but also influenced sociocultural, political, and fashion movements throughout the sixties and seventies. From experimenting with several different genres to incorporating classical elements into their melodies, The Beatles still reigns as one of the most creative and successful bands several decades later. Today, fifty years later, The Beatles and their music are still engraved in the hearts of many.