STELLA
STELLA
I
can't pinpoint the precise moment that made me want to play the
guitar but as I recall it was after seeing a television commercial
advertising a KISS concert. It makes me think of a statement made by
Sex Pistol's guitarist: Steve Jones. Jones described how Rock Stars
seemed to be entities that fell from outer space after seeing The New
York Dolls and T – Rex on television. Its easy to see how Ace
Frehley invoked a similar emotion in me plus I liked his platform
boots best.
Being
the only child of two only children in a small town country home, I
spent much of my time daydreaming about being something bigger. Now
that I've made a statement like that, this should be the part where I
tell you about my slow rise to fame but I can't. Instead, this will
be my love-hate story with the guitar, my fascination and challenges
with the guitar that still obsess me and haunt me today.
At
some point, in between kindergarten and first grade, I told my mother
that I would like to play guitar. Now, If I had possessed my now
amateurish expertise, I would have known to ask for a Cherry burst
Les Paul with 3 stacked humbucker pickups and smoke generator but
instead in my childish undeserving way, I just asked for a guitar.
Now,
My parents, especially my mother has always tried to give me what I
wanted which I am very grateful for. At the same time, It's hard to
suggest that you'd like play guitar like a DEMON in a small southern
town. So, My mother took me down to the local music store to pick out
a guitar. Even though I didn't know what they were, Visions of
Gibson explorers and Cherry burst Les Paul's danced in my head. It
wouldn't go quite that way at the music store.
Wertz
music was a tiny store with some music stands, some records, some
books and a lot of sheet music. On the left wall just past the
entrance was a wall of acoustic guitars. I remember my mother
explaining that we wanted a guitar to learn on. I still remember Mrs
Clara Wertz saying that a Stella was a good instrument to start on.
Even though I remember the strings being a little lower on some of
the other models, I picked out the sunburst Stella. Likely, It
reminded me of the Cherry burst Les Paul. Now, Stella and I would begin our
Journey and we're still friends even though she pissed me off a lot.
These
guitars have found a resurgence today. I still have Stella. She
still watches me from the closet and she is still nearly impossible
to play.
