today, I had to fill out a form for my high school reunion - I'm going with my best friend lynn. we had our own reunion easter weekend, when we got together at my folks' place down in gulf shores, alabama. anyways, I had to answer two questions and send in a check for $75 (who knows how much I'm gonna spend on clothes and a complete, panic-driven make over before the reunion itself rolls around a month from now). the questionaire was tough - it's hard to write an answer that's not alternately too humble or braggadocious, and one that still manages to sum up the last 20 years of life. I left out the thousands of beers I've drunk, the heartbreak, and years of banging my head against the wall, and somehow came up with this:
Q: what have you been doing since high school?
A: I didn't get to graduate from crestwood, because my family moved (dragging me, kicking and screaming, the whole way) to memphis, yennessee in october 1985. suprisingly, I never left elvis' hometown. after graduation, I dropped out of college after a few weeks, working at various record stores and music labels until I embarked on a career as a freelance journalist. since 2000, I've written about music, food, and southern culture for such magazines as blah blah blah. when I interviewed duran duran a few years ago, my first instinct was to call lynn ellis, julie wolffe, and kelley turner! my first book, waking up in memphis, was published in 2003. I occasionally work in the film industry - I've gotten credits for work on movies like black snake moan and 21 grams, and I just finished production on a documentary called respect yourself: the stax records story, which will air on beulah and mingo.
Q: what are some of your favorite memories from high school?
A: partying with leslie marsh and lisa and erika przybylinski in eighth and ninth grade, and hanging out with lynn and the gang at metroplex and 688 club every weekend in tenth grade. going to hear bands like ban k.a. camping out (without a car, because we were too young to drive) for U2 tickets with erika and christen montgomery. coach gann!! bringing a copy of iron maiden's "the rime of the ancient mariner" to english class. living down the street from tori pater. the great letters and photos julie, kelley and lynn sent after I moved.
2 comments:
you should take those scrapbooks you showed me.
omigod I get the beulah and mingo channels too, now that I downgraded my cable to the Andria's backyard package!
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