What RR Means to Me

[AndrewT1976]

Kind of a crazy story about what RR means to me...

I started playing bass guitar around 1988 (at the age of 12) and after a few years I heard Tribute and was mesmerized by the guitar work of Randy Rhoads. I live in California now, but grew up in a suburb of Chicago, and I always remember being very terrified of the cover of an Ozzy songbook (which features him in a black cape, but he has either a noose around his neck, or maybe a devil horn coming out of his head??). I used to see this book at the "Flip Side" music store in the Woodfield Mall in the mid 80's. Anyways - it always reminded me of the evil guy in Time Bandits (the movie) which always seemed very DOAM to me. Well, to make a long story short, I got really into the whole BOO DOAM and anything with RR over the years and purchased several bootlegs at record shows (these were the cassette days) and listened to Tribute, BOO, and DOAM over and over and over again.

I found myself having some success with my music career around 2008 when my band received a record deal with a small Independant label in Chicago. We toured throughout 2009 (you can look us up under "Holding Mercury" on My Space - yes, I am/was the Nikki Sixx looking bassist with the long black hair) and I always found myself thinking about how guys like Randy must have felt on the road. Obviously, Randy achieved an "official" rock star status, but there were moments when my band would do radio interviews or perform in other cities for bigger audiences than we expected, and I thought - "is it possible that someday I might be able to drift away after a tour and (through my "rock star" connections) maybe try and meet some folks who knew Randy and receive some inspiration from their words?" I envisioned holding one of RR's actual guitars someday and being able to see if it could give me some special powers! lol.

It was thoughts like this that brought the legacy of RR to a closer place in my life. For one particular show, I found polka-dot cloth and completely covered the front of my bass cabinet with it (it looked really professional too). I remember looking back at my cabinet and thinking that RR would think it was funny.

When my folks moved out of their house about 10 years ago, I remember finding an old library book in my closet (a Dr. Suess book actually) that had a check-out date of 3/19/1982 (I never returned it to the library - oops) . How weird is that? On the day RR died, I was at a libray as a 6 year old kid and checking out a Dr. Suess book. Of course, I had no idea who he was at the time.

BUT....., by far the *weirdest* thing ever for me was when I went to see Eric Clapton in concert in 1990 at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin, and a man by the name of Stevie Ray Vaughan was the opener (actually, Robert Cray was first, then SRV, then Clapton). But I remember waking up the next day and my friend Jim O'Toole (who went with me to the show) said that Eric Clapton had died in a helicopter crash and I was like "Huh??? What????"

But I reflect back on that now, and can't help but wonder if me seeing SRV's last concert kind of "links me in" to some other dimension where RR once existed. It's very weird, I know. Here I am an RR fan before I see SRV, and leave the Clapton/SRV gig and now I've just seen the last show of another legendary guitarist. I am willing to post pics of my Clapton ticket stub for those who do not believe me.

I am no longer a "rocker." I left the band in early 2010 and even though I still own a ton of gear, I never really play it. But every now and then I see a pic of RR or hear a tune on the radio and think - how sad that this kid had such a small catalog of music to share with us.

[RR-ElectricAngel]

Great story AndrewT1976. I've had those kind of "Twilight Zone" moments as well with getting unedited footage of Randy's crash site AFTER it happened. Nothing extra you need to see but far more serious in tone than what was viewd on TV.

[DMRX]

Thanks Cool Stry man!Out of Curiosity what Dr.Suess Book was that ????? I think that could/would be signifigant to your story?Ive often felt the same way about Touring & various venues throughout the Midwest that Ive played.Ive never (Yet) played a Venue Randy did but am Looking forward to it someday.I mean to think that Tribute was recorded about 15 Minutes from where I grew up & spent a Majority of my life!!! Unfortionatly believe it or not...the Cleveland "Music Hall" is a Venue that Honestly doesnt get Very many Rock/Metal Bands there (mostly Orchestras & Plays of the Broadway Type) but to imagine Randy Playing there & it being the Tribute recording that Counttless Millions have heard takes it to a Whole new Level.!!! I Actually saw Ozzy there on the Smaller "Theater of Madness" Tour in 92 when I was like 13 or so.And I saw Marilyn Manson there on the Mechanical Animals Tour (in I think 1999??) And Coincidentally alot of Footage from that show appeared on Mansons "Dead to the World" Home Video.Theres a Part where Manson sits on John 5's Face & they later cut to him backstage talking about (how Mansons Ass Tasted) lol Anyhow I often wonder (when I see John 5 in the Last Train Home Trailer) if John 5 puts that Connection together???
Manson sat on his Face on the Same Stage that OORR Tribute was recorded?

[AndrewT1976]

Well, I just tried copying/pasting a pic of my Clapton/SRV stub, but I can't figure out how to do it from the camera on my IPhone. Dumb phone. I will have to email it and upload it from there.

Anyways, to answer your question DMRX, I can't remember the title of the book, but the Cat in the Hat character was on the left of the cover, and then the name of the title was like 3 words all along the right of the cover. Yeah, I should try and read that book again - also knowing that it's a few hours from the 19th of March. So sad. I am listening to DOAM right now, but the crappy one without Daisley and Kerslake. How lame was it that Ozzy chose to re-record those albums?

I hear you on the whole - seeing a show at a venue where Ozzy/Randy played. I've seen a lot of shows at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, and I know that Randy played there in 81' or 82.' Also the Allstate Arena (which used to be called Rosemont Horizon). Saw Van Halen there for the Balance tour and thought "Darn! Eddie is standing probably where Randy once stood." That was pretty sweet!

[GUITARIDOL5682]

Well, I just tried copying/pasting a pic of my Clapton/SRV stub, but I can't figure out how to do it from the camera on my IPhone. Dumb phone. I will have to email it and upload it from there.

Anyways, to answer your question DMRX, I can't remember the title of the book, but the Cat in the Hat character was on the left of the cover, and then the name of the title was like 3 words all along the right of the cover. Yeah, I should try and read that book again - also knowing that it's a few hours from the 19th of March. So sad. I am listening to DOAM right now, but the crappy one without Daisley and Kerslake. How lame was it that Ozzy chose to re-record those albums?

I hear you on the whole - seeing a show at a venue where Ozzy/Randy played. I've seen a lot of shows at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, and I know that Randy played there in 81' or 82.' Also the Allstate Arena (which used to be called Rosemont Horizon). Saw Van Halen there for the Balance tour and thought "Darn! Eddie is standing probably where Randy once stood." That was pretty sweet!

Fuck me its Romeorose in disguise Again!!!

[AndrewT1976]

http://www.myspace.com/my/photos/photo/58020676/Album

This is my Clapton/SRV stub. Check out the date in the upper left-hand corner.

[AndrewT1976]

Darn! Still not working. I uploaded it to my MySpace, and now I click the link and it doesn't show. I can't figur this out. All this technology and it's more difficult than ever to get a picture posted correctly. I give up.

[AndrewT1976]

okay, this might work..

http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspaceco ... s/58020676

[AndrewT1976]

It worked! Check out my Clapton stub from SRV's last show. I know it doesn't say SRV on the ticket, but it also doesn't say Robert Cray's name. But yeah, August 26th, 1990 SRV played at Alpine Valley and he died that night in a helicopter crash. Still remember the show just like it was yesterday. Vaughan was wearing a lot of purple. I was on the lawn area, and couldn't see to well. But I was there!

Anyone know how much I could get $$ for my stub? Rough estimate?