My favourite band in the world
Jeff Taylor fot. Sławomir Ostrowski
My favourite band in the world since I was eight years old has been KISS. However, this blog entry will not be about that band, which will be the subject for a future entry. Instead for today let’s return to that point in my life when I discovered KISS. Besides having a favourite band, I had a dream as well which has stayed with me to now – to be a rock star.
In those early years, I imagined being in a band like KISS wearing make-up and singing loud rocking songs about love (that’s what “Love Gun” is about, right?) Then, in the 1980’s at the height of glam/hair metal I would pose like Motley Crue, Ratt or Twisted Sister. During the grunge period in 1990’s I could stage-dive dressed up in flannel a la Pearl Jam. However, there was one obstacle to realizing my dreams, I neither sang or play an instrument, at least well.
At least, I finally got a guitar was I was 20 years old. My mom had asked me what I wanted for Christmas and my reply was “guitar.” I said this because I didn’t think I would actually get one. Growing up I never received on Christmas what I really wanted. This does not mean that Christmases at the Taylors’ were horrible and depressing. Every year there were plenty gifts under the Christmas tree, but I don’t recall ever having my hopes up for anything particular. Thus I always assumed if I didn’t wish for anything, I would be happy with whatever I got.
Additionally, I decided to ask for a guitar to match my appearance back then. In college, I sported the hippie Jesus look; friends would yell, “We want Barabbas!” Because of the long hair people would ask, “Dude, do you play guitar?” and I had to answer “No.” So that I wouldn’t waste the hair, it was necessary to play guitar. Ironically, now that I play in a band I’ve lost a lot of that hair.
The first attempt at forming the band BINGE began in the mid-1990s, while I was teaching at Kortowo. My friend Wayne and I decided to play together, he on harmonica and I on acoustic guitar. Our friend Peter volunteered to be our song-writer and singer, and a one-legged Canadian said he played drums. I don’t know if it still exists but 20 years there was a practice room in a Kortowo dormitory. It was located in the basement and was full of speakers, microphones and a drum-set. Despite promising beginnings, Peter couldn’t sing without coughing, and thanks to the Canadian we were kicked out of the studio.
How we were kicked out thanks to him deserves a separate paragraph. After one practice in the practice room, our Canadian friend left his drum sticks there and were never seen again. Instead of buying a new pair of sticks, he just went outside to look for something which could be used in place of drumsticks – two tree twigs. As can be imagined, the twigs tore up the drum heads, and after the expected complaints we were banished from the practice room. Musically it was not a huge loss for the band as this guy couldn’t play the drums anyway, but BINGE ceased to exist, the Poland of bands.
For the next eighteen years, the idea of BINGE laid dormant but it was always there in the back of my mind. Wayne and I would occasionally meet to play a little but it was never long-lasting. Besides my rock-star dreams, I hoped to try again just because the name BINGE was too good to be wasted.
(To be continued)
