Well, hello there. How are you? It’s been a minute.
Yep, I am still here. My personal life went to hell in a hand basket. The divorce gutted everyone. And now? We are regrouping, healing, trying to make sense of it all, and rebuild. As anyone who has gone through a divorce can attest to- it hurts. It hurts everyone. Every facet of it is pain. The regrets, the what-ifs, the if-onlys can drive a person insane. In the end, no matter what your rational, your grievances, your heartbreak, in this one thing you are not alone. The other party has theirs, too. You are united one last time in shared humanity, shared suffering, and, hopefully one day, in shared rebirth.
So, I am picking up where I first began. Start a blog they said. So I did. So, in the words of the one and only Inigo Montoya, “You said go back to the beginning. Well, this the beginning, and I am waiting for Vizzini.” Now, to be fair. Inigo was stinking drunk when he slurred that line. I am not. Also, I am not waiting for Vizzini. Because, as with Godot, I do not believe that a fictional character will show up. So… onward.
It started with a blog, so I am returning to a blog. Hopefully a few of you are willing to come back and check out some fun tunes.
It turns out that I am not the only child of the 80’s picking up their life and moving forward. Some of our compatriots have been busy. I am more than a little proud of them because the music is pretty great. Let’s see what we have.
In no particular order, here are three sets of musicians rebuilding their lives and careers in wonderful ways. These are not “new releases” in the strictest sense. They are new-ish in the last couple of years and all came my way in the last month, almost like a writer’s prompt.
First off, “Bitter Taste” by Billy Idol. Yes, that Billy Idol. He’s older (aren’t we all?), but the voice is there. So’s the swagger. Kind of a bloody, but unbowed thing. He’s still beautiful to me and his music reflects a lifetime of experience. “Bitter Taste” was co-written with Idol’s long-time guitarist and musical partner Steve Stevens. It’s a song that took thirty years for Billy to write. In 1990 Idol was in a near fatal motorcycle accident when he ran a stop sign and his Harley collided with a car. I can remember (I was in college at the time) him with a cane for a while there. He fractured his arm and had a steel rod in his right leg. In an interview Idol shared this, “”A little bit of me got left on that roadside, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the end. It was a wake-up call. Maybe on that roadside, I left behind the irreverent, youthful Billy and opened the door for a more attentive father and a more sensitive musician.”
Idol recorded “Bitter Taste” for his The Roadside EP. The title stems from that perspective altering experience. “It’s a little bit like ‘what did I learn in that accident?” he said. After spending decades processing the event the song was mixed during the Pandemic and released on Dark Horse records in 2021. (Incidentally, for those paying attention, yes, THAT Dark Horse Records. Originally launched in 1974 by George Harrison, the label has been revived by the late Beatle’s son, Dhani Harrison.)
Next up we have The Cult. (I know, THE CULT! How fun is that?) There I was, at the gym, totally into my air-pods and the mix I have going and I glance up at one of the TV’s in front of my StairMaster. I do a double-take. I think to myself, that looks an awful lot like Ian Astbury. I start watching with more attention. Next I think, and THAT looks like an older Billy Duffy. There they were, large as life, on a screen at 24Hour Fitness. It was a good day. The single “Give Me Mercy” is from their 11th studio album, Under The Midnight Sun released last October. It’s classic Cult yet, modern. Billy Duffy might as well be signing his name in song, in fire, that riff is so quintessentially Cult. Long may they sing. Loving this. Loving how they’ve held up. Can’t wait to see what is next for them.
Lastly, we have a supergroup of seasoned musicians. I’ve been digging the supergroup phenomenon of late. Think Avantasia, Black Country Communion, Chicken Foot, that sort of thing. They are called The Dead Daisies, a self-described “musical collective” of rock musicians with formidable chops. They were founded in 2012 by an Aussie musician named Dave Lowy. Over the last 10+ years alumni from GNR, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, even the Stones have dropped in to help make music. The current line up consists of: Glenn Hughes (vocals and bass), Doug Aldrich (shredding lead guitar and eye candy), Dave Lowy (rhythm guitar), and Brian Tichy (drums). I absolutely love this lineup- Glenn Hughes is referred to as “The Voice of Rock” for his soulful range and epic understanding of the nuances of the genre. He may be in his 70’s, but the guy isn’t slowing down and is still for my money one of the best bass players alive today. Oh, and? Pipes for days- his voice hasn’t lost a thing. Doug Aldrich just keeps getting better. Plus, he played with Dio so, kinda my tribe. Dave Lowy provides the continuity and shows what a community of musicians, a collective, can do and how well they can do it. Last, but never least is Brian Tichy, sort of a modern day Cozy Powell, only American. The guy studied at the Berklee School of Music and has played (well) with Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Foreigner, Sass Jordan, and Ozzy Osbourne among others. Here is “Face Your Fear.”
All three of these selections have persevered and continued making music. I hope to draw inspiration from their example and continue writing, maybe get this book gig back on its tracks.
I have no ability to change how this chapter started, but I can do my best to see that it ends well, ends better. Life goes on and so do I.
This post was written by Erika Gardner. She’s a native Californian, lifelong lover of fantastical adventures, and a dedicated Whovian. If you enjoyed it, please sign up to receive updates on www.erikagardner.com Or you can follow Erika on Twitter @Erika_Gardner, “Like” her Facebook page Erika Gardner- Writer and Storyteller.
