Hall of Fame

Last night, I was watching the VH1 Hip Hop Honors for two reasons: Whodini and A Tribe Called Quest...not because these are two of the greatest hip hop groups for all eternity....but because because of the experiences associated with their music. So I've decided to induct them into my hall of fame. In addition to Whodini and Tribe, I'm also inducting Fugazi. circa 1990 I've discussed my love for Whodini in previous post...so here's the back story for Fugazi circa 1990 and Tribe.


Honoree: Fugazi circa 1990
In my sophomore year of high school, a kid named Joaquin transferred in . He got sick and missed a lot of school. Since he lived near me, and we took a lot of the same classes, I began tutoring him when he got better. He was so awesome. Very much an alt/punk kid with his Doc Martens and blue hair. Very much a contrast to me and my buttoned up conservative nerd appearance. And his girlfriend Dominique was even more fab. Joaquin introduced me to a whole new world of music. Fugazi was my favorite. "Shut the door/so I can leave"...I wore the tape out. It broadened my musical tastes and my personal horizons.

For graduation, he took me to a Fugazi concert. It was so much fun, so different from anything I had experienced. When I dressed for the concert, I had on ripped jeans, a ripped tee, a skullcap and some combat boots...my MOTHER and GRANDMOTHER made me change into dress pants and this purple silk shirt. When I got to the concert, security didn't even bother to pat me down. They just looked at me with a mixture of confusion and pity and said "Have a good time". It was my first (and last mosh pit). Other people at the concert saw the way I was dressed and were protecting me from getting hurt. At one point, I was standing at the front of the stage and it was wild. I had gotten separated from Joaquin. Elbows were flying left and right. Next thing I know, this arm came out of nowhere on my left side and landed on the guard rail, then another came on my right side and landed on my guard rail. I turned around and there was a gargantuan guy (at least 6'5" and very muscular) with a huge mohawk and multiple piercings standing behind me. He leaned in and whispered, "Enjoy the concert, I'll make sure you won't get hurt". So I did. After the opening act finished, I realized that I lost my earring. I dropped to the floor to look for it. He was right there "Are you okay? What's going on?" I told him I lost my earring. My guardian angel got on his hands and knees and crawled around until he found it. I never got his name and he never was inappropriate with me. He stayed with me the whole concert and made sure that I found Joaquin when it was time to go.

I need to find some Fugazi. I haven't listened to them in years.
(Monica or Natalie - based on this entry, would you please recommend some new bands for me? I feel the need to expand my musical horizons. I'm going to go ahead and investigate of montreal because you both raved about them SOOO much. :) )


Honoree: A Tribe Called Quest
Ay has been a great friend from jump. I remember how we met. We were in a pre-frosh summer program at school and had to partner up for an activity. She was wearing an orange shirt, so I chose her to partner up with. That's it...just because she was wearing an orange shirt and I liked orange. I figured she must be a cool person if she was wearing an orange shirt. The funny thing was that I didn't know her from Eve. Plus, there were other people in the program that I knew. She was my introduction to hip hop, and in particular, A Tribe Called Quest. Benita Applebaum, El Segundo, and the whole Low End Theory album. In fact, Low End Theory was the FIRST hip hop album I ever bought. We were fortunate enough to see A Tribe Called Quest in concert in a small venue during our first year of college. So awesome.