You say "Groupie"...I say "Music Appreciator"

"They don't even know what it is to be a fan. Y'know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts."Sapphire, Almost Famous

So, my husband and a handful of friends accuse me of being a groupie. I say that is just not true. For those who don't know me, here is a brief history. In 2007, I won tickets to see The Police at Dodger Stadium. This is one of those bands I never had a chance to see in the 80s and was always sad I missed out. This was also one of those big name shows that were out of my price range. So, winning tickets was a huge bonus! What I didn't realize was that after going to the show and seeing the Foo Fighters open, that my life would change.

I didn't even know I was a FF fan until seeing them live that day. Every song hit me like a ton of bricks. By the time they were done performing, I thought "forget The Police, I want more of this..." Dont' get me wrong, The Police were awesome and I had a blast seeing them, but by the time I got home that night, I was online searching for anything and everything Foo. So began the obsession. Nearly 3 years later, I have seen at least a dozen or more FF shows, along with a handful of various side project shows, including Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, Jackson United, Chris Shiflett (acoustic), Chevy Metal, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, Sunny Day Real Estate, and of course, the huge sensation "super band", Them Crooked Vultures.

Does this make me a groupie? Well, first off, according to wikipedia, a "groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity." I can safely say, I am not a groupie. I truly love music. Given the opportunity, I would have traveled the earth to see The Doors, Led Zeppelin, or Pink Floyd.  All bands I am passionate about. But the fact is by the time I became old enough to go to concerts, these bands no longer existed. The Foos and all things branching off from Dave, Chris, Taylor or Nate have become my Zeppelin.

I guess what it all comes down to is this is what makes me happy. I work hard and am a faithful wife and dedicated friend...I pay my bills and obey most laws. And dammit, I will continue to love my rock and roll.

"We are not Groupies. Groupies sleep with rockstars because they want to be near someone famous. We are here because of the music, we inspire the music. We are Band Aids." ~ Penny Lane, Almost Famous