Early days:
My life as a child, youth and then student and worker.- The poems from this phase of my life were written in 1980-81 in Hamilton. Other artists of the times that I knew in Hamilton included, musicians, painters, actresses, other poets and doctors.
I grew up a happy child possessing some Moon rock and a gift for playing games and doing theatre crew stuff. I had one brother then two then finally two sisters and three brothers.
I attended Elementry School at Prince Philip and then went on to Dalewood Jr. High School. Eventually, I finished my public schooling at Hamilton Collegiate Institute and moved on to the Faculty of Physics at Mcmaster. I liked to play goal in our street hockey games and learned also to repair a bike. I moved out on my own in 1978 and to a student house.
I learned about dreams and French philosophy as well as getting into Beat poetry. I read Andre Guide, Albert Camus, Jack Kerouac, William Bourroughs, Alan Ginsberg, and Franz Kafka. Where previously I had read authors like Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Robert Heinlein, George Orwell, Jack London, Farley Mowatt, and Arthur C. Clark. So this was my transition process.
I read middle class psychiatry books by R.D. Laing, Carl Jung and Mark Vonnegut. I talked about the book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance with friends.
I had to move on though even at this stage.
Days in the Capital:
My brief experience of Government work, Statistics, and my dear friend Julia Pine.- I arrived in Ottawa the capital of Canada, writing poetry and with three bar shows behind me as bassist. I looked for work, and found a job as a analyst/typist with the government. Everyone at work knew I wanted to write and I wrote a statistical report for that brief summer job. I made statistical theory and speech for the workplace and public. Hopefully improving the business climate for Canadian business people.
My work gave me some money to date Julia and go out to a few clubs. Julia enjoyed playing her guitar with her band and all her boyfriends whom, I also hung around with at the Youth Club. She became a writer too in the 1990's writing the book Wacky Museum's of Ontario. She had to graduate with an honours BA from the U of T. We got on a little better in these years the early eighties, than others.
I wrote more poems and closed my early phase of writing. I had helped with the peace movement and radio and other groups. So I became more social with really no chance for my poetry to be seen or heard by anyone with interest.
* A note here: A professor at school threatened me, his name was Dr. Wilcox of Carleton university. This threat was carried out by criminals acting under orders of jail guards, just after, I had volunteered as a Rally Marshall at a big Peace Rally Dance. Now a days we hope there is zero tolerance for violence in schools and in the streets.
I closed this phase working with lighting systems in theatre and mini-rock shows. The theatre was Comedy and the music was Thrash. The theatre was the Great Canadian Theatre Company and the mini-rock shows were put on by Youth Culture Promotions a poor guitar-youth club.
The Suburban years:
My drinking with the VIC-20 phase- My little family moved to Kanata. I had then come to share a VIC-20 with my brother. We learned about it and played a lot of games and programmed it.
I also began another phase of writing songs and poems, once trying to create twenty peace songs. Some of these peace songs are included on the web site with poems from this phase.
I took up skiing and jogging. I did some baby sitting for my godmother.
I recorded my first piece of original music. Yes, this is when I started to buy books through the mail and still do buy a lot of books.
I played some good games of chess with my brother in this phase but lost love and this was the beginning of a long celebate time for my sex life. I had some troubles within my family as myself I was about to leave home for good and so too was my brother.
My brother met his wife in a band and this made my third sister a reality. The Motown band, The NEW CAPITALS, they played in were quite successful with the local people and I went out to hear the three gals and the guys on instruments a few times getting a little befuddled.
I found time to volunteer with politics and charity runs. So good and bad I was no longer a youth by North American definition.
Settling down to the single life: the end of school, back to performance and back to school once again.
- I moved first to a half way or boarding house with some school going on full time for one term. I failed out of school and got myself a bachelor apartment. I did a little work for my brother's contracting company painting and had a few other painting jobs.
I made some friends through the Quakers and volunteered with the peace movement again. I helped organise Earth Day 1992 here in Ottawa. I also helped organise a drop-in with the disabled and learned more about health and human rights.
I went to work for the National Theatre company as a carpenter and loader and as a B-member of IATSE. A Spanish musician employed me as a bassist for a couple of evenings. I founded the MECHANIC CITY PSYCHOS a neopunk band with Brian Bunt and Nick Rudd. We then played a couple of shows. I also played with a community D.J. Carla Parchelo playing a bass while she sang her new songs.
After all this I signed up with the Internet and wanted to try school again with this new tool. I studied in College and University and started to get great marks which had been rare in the past.
My bands and poetry continue as does my social life. If I can keep it together I might finally get that degree.
Life carries on and I go forward with confidence.
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