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.