Russ is on the left. Our German friend Mario is on the right. That's a photo from 1995, when Russ and I met in the Black Forest of southern Germany. On that trip, Russ and Mario introduced me to cigarettes (awful), beer (thankfully, a step up from cigarettes) and Brit Pop (I can't imagine life without it).
The summer involved no romance. I was a newly-minted teen, petrified of boys. Russ and Mario showed more feelings for Coolio than they did for girls. We became pen pals though and sent one another letters with mixed tapes. My letters to Russ grew progressively more adoring ("Russ, I think you have a really cool accent. You are really cool and funny."). Russ' letters to me grew progressively more aloof ("Shannon, you have great music taste. Enjoy the enclosed mixed tape."). An omen? Yes. Meeting Russ marked the beginning of a lifelong penchant for men with accents.*
Imagine now, 15 years later, catching up with an old crush.
It lasted about an hour and went like this:
me: So tell me the story of your life. Or maybe just the last 15 years.
R: Hmmm. Well, I just got back from paddling.
me: Paddling?
R: Yes. It was great but the water here is rubbish.
me: Ohhhh, like kayaking! In England? You can kayak in England?
(here we launched into a chat on kayaking, surfing, San Diego, southern California, a bunch of places in Southern England, retirees and British surfer-chic)
me: So back to the last 15 years, how has it been?!
R: Oh! For my 30th birthday party, I had a fancy dress theme ... "dead musicians." I assigned everyone a celebrity.
me: Awesome! Who were you?
R: Shannon Hoon!
me: SHUT UP!
(this began a conversation on Blind Melon, mixed tapes, MP3s and the concurrent demise of mixed tapes, Ash and the Smashing Pumpkins. We concluded that best feeling in the world - particularly to a 14-year-old - is to receive a mixed tape with letter from the other side of the world.)
Russ called me a "fecker" for stealing his favorite tee-shirt in 1995 and a "nutter" for making fun of Gavin Rossdale and Bush. I mentioned that I completely |explicit word deleted| hated him for seeing Radiohead and Neil Young perform recently. I may have also injected the words shithoused and asswipe (beautiful American contributions to the lexicon of English slurs) into the conversation.
Russ has every letter I sent him from '94 to '97. Sadly, I don't have even one from him.
How have Russ' last 15 years been? I have no idea. My last 15 years? Who cares. How did it feel to catch up with someone from so long ago? Positively wonderful.
Shannon
*Alex, honey, you are the next chapter in that book, obvi.
12 comments:
The year before Kurt Cobain of Nirvana-(I later learnt) had committed suicide and Rwandese and Burundian Presidents were assasinated-something taken as a pretext to start the genocide that preceded. That (1995)was the year of srebrenica massacre(in then Yugoslavia). A year later I would be joining (I was in class 8) Secondary school. It was the year Nigeria'sani Abacha hanged Ken Saro Wiwa-the Ogoni activist, the year of Windows 95. Early in the year the year before Clinton had given initiated health care reform. 14 years later today Obama faces charges of 'socializing medicine' 'mandating circumcision'-according to Rush Limbaugh and creating 'death panels' as he tries health care reform.
I didn't follow politics at that time.
Me too except what clinton was doing, he seemed involved in alot of 'things' at that time so was always in the news and the Rwanda thing(for obvious reasons) and of course the Ogoni man-I, then, thought he was a very great man. On the contrary I knew almost nothing about and no one in pop-culture and music, except Elvis-with whom we share a name, Cobain-liked by elder bro, MJ and Whitney Houston.
Seriously............the best/only photo to put up was of me sitting in my boxers cuddling a half naked German :) Stay tuned for for 15 year old photos wearing said stolen T shirt!!!! Was amazing to hear from you though Duuuude and agree that todays youth have been robbed of a special period in there life......The word "DOWNLOAD" must be struck from the dictionary and lessons in the lost art of "the mix-tape" must be instated into school curriculums!
Ah RUSS! I wondered if you were going to find this page. I swear, that conversation had me in a great mood all weekend. I really need to get a hold of Herr Frey.
He's based in Hamburg now @ officer school, just moved there from Dresden! Have actually been out there quite recently to see him.....Id liken him to Peter Pan, the boy just cant grow up :) It was just like the summer of '95 all over again....well apart from we didnt have any young impressionable Americans with us hah He is on my FB friends if you can manage to find it.
I remember hearing edited stories about your '95 adventures...still smiling to learn you've "re-connected" with your pen friend.
Hugs,
AP
Yep, AP, this is the boy that I was gaga for at 14. But, Russ. Let's get back to a more important point: the German populace is paying Mario to defend it?
I still remember a great mix tape you made for Russ that we played while driving around Germany and the Black Forest in '96. It included songs from John Hiatt, Alanis Morissette, and Jewel. I hope it finally got to him!
Take Care,
UT
Oops!
I meant to say "Germany and Finland" above.
UT
Yup, he is now indeed employed by the "Deutsches Heer".....I still cant believe it. Frey...the least likely person Ive ever met to get a job let alone join the freakin' army :) But he seems to love it! Now this mix-tape you guys made, I do remember one with Jewel on actually.....but unfortunately unlike all the letters these have disappeared over time, or possibly even recycled into newwer improved mix-tapes(which is most likely) :)What was the girls name you stayed with out in the Schwarzwald....its not this travelling partner "UT" is it, im sure her name began with a V???
Mario just 'friended' me on facebook. He looks exactly the same! Same crazy, semi-maniacal facial expressions!
Yes, UT, this is the one. You know, I still remember that drive. It was pretty incredible cruising into the forest after a long flight. We should do it again sometime.
Russ, UT is not Verena- good job remembering the V! I'm not sure what she's up to. Thoughts? AP? UT?
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