Just when you thought it couldn't get any geekier around here.... I give you Umlaut's bedroom wall in Sunnyvale, California (Birthplace of Atari!) circa 1983:
From L. to R.:
- Motorhead - Iron Fist poster
- Girlschool / Raven - Newcastle, UK 1982 gig poster
- Iron Maiden - 1st album UK promo poster
- Judas Priest - Huge 1981 promo poster
- Aardschokdag Festival,Holland 1983 gig poster (Venom and Raven on the poster, but I think Mercyful Fate replaced Venom..)
- Satan - Eindhoven, Holland 1982 gig poster
- Raven - Eindhoven, Holland 1982 gig poster (AUTOGRAPHED)
- Venom / Metallica - New York City 1983 gig poster
- Metallica - The Stone, San Francisco 1983 gig flyer
- H Bomb - French Metal band promo poster
Not shown: The albums, 7" singles, 12" singles, and bootleg cassettes on the other side of the room. Also not in the shot is the shelf that held my precious stereo system (Marantz receiver and speakers, 2 Pioneer tape decks, and a Technics turntable) and on the floor were stacks of European Metal magazines (Sounds, Aardschok, Enfer, Kerrang!, etc.) and Metal fanzines from Europe and the U.S. (Metal Mania, Northwest Metal, Metal Forces, Whiplash, etc.). Oh, and my desk that was littered with letters to and from my dozens of Metal penpals / tape trading friends in the U.S. and Europe... Kidz, back then we used something called "The Postal Service" and tools called "pen and paper" to "write" things called "letters" to one another. What? Uh, NO, e-mail hadn't been invented yet...The Metal Days were such an innocent and fun time. Friendships were forged then that last to this day. Trivia: Umlaut sold that Iron Maiden poster on Ebay for some good $$ several years ago.
My Mom rarely ventured into my room, but one time that she did was to find and dispose of my official Mercyful Fate shirt that a Dutch friend had sent me before Fate toured the U.S.. She's never admitted to it, but I know she did it. As I've gotten older I've come to understand why she didn't like the shirt: On the front underneath Fate's logo was a crucified Nun being burned at the stake. I now understand that Mom wasn't Metal.
"Mom, have you seen my Mercyful Fate shirt??!"
"No dear, I haven't..."
Despite all of that, my Mommy still loves me (she told me so again a couple of weeks ago... Awww..).
And just to show that I'm not the only tweaker, here's a picture of Timo's bedroom in San Jose, California (20 minutes from Sunnyvale) circa 1984.I bet you can't guess what Timo's favorite band was.......... NOPE! It was JUDAS PRIEST.
Umlaut and Timo fought in the Metal Wars, but we didn't know each other until years later. However, Timo is way more Metal than Umlaut now. As proof, this is what I've been listening to this week in my room (Actually, on my iPod):
- The Arcade Fire - Funeral
- The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society
- The Knack - Get The Knack
By the light of the moon,
Your glory is shining so bright,
You pray for the day,
Oh show me the way,
The Devil takes over tonight..." - From 'Cry Wolf' by Venom
Postscript: I challenge anyone to find another blog with a posting that quotes both Brian Wilson and Venom. If you do find one please send me the link...
===
ADDENDUM
Added by Old Metal Erik:
My converted attic bedroom on 5th Avenue and Balboa, San Francisco circa 1982-83 (Just down the hill from Rampage Radio!). Yeah!!
Shitty pics, but if you look close there are some choice wall hangings, including Venom, Metallica, Tank, Raven, Girlschool, and Umlaut's old pals Culprit. Some of those gems are self-drawn. How geeky is THAT! The drums used to bum the neighbors out BIG time. Yes, I used to bump my head a lot, and no, I didn't sleep with a cymbal on my pillow.
My old pal Billy Rowe built this guitar in Washington High School's wood shop, before we figured out that Les Pauls were cool.
