CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The two years I spent in Columbia provided me with a lifetime of good memories. I will never forget all the good times I had and all the great people I had the pleasure of knowing. One night I went to a party with some friends, but I soon got bored and ran in my flip-flops for over three miles, partially on a freeway, back to my condo. That was one of the craziest things I’ve done. I was bored and the music they were playing was not my cup of tea. I will always cherish my time spent at places like Shakespeare’s Pizza; Tellers; the Blue Note; Deja Vu Comedy Club, where I enjoyed many comedy shows; the Fieldhouse (which used to be called Bullwinkles, and where Mizzou graduate Sheryl Crow used to play in a band called Cashmere on weekends, though I didn’t know that at the time); Shiloh Bar & Grill; and many more restaurants and bars. My memories of playing basketball in front of our condos and drinking Natty Light with my friendly neighbors Scott and his sister Mary, with their dog T-bone running around, will always stay with me.
The city of Columbia offered great live music and I tried to enjoy it the best I could while living there. I had an amazing time watching some of the local talent at the Penguin Piano Bar downtown (where my cousin sometimes played drums), but I also got the chance to see some big names like Elton John at Mizzou Arena and caught a show by Everclear, whose music had gotten me through a lot in the mid-’90s, while I was living (and struggling) in Sonora.
Their album Sparkle and Fade had come out in 1995, and I played the hell out of it, along with Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins. Songs such as “Summerland,” “Heartspark Dollarsign,” and “The Twistinside” held great personal meaning for me, and there was a time when I could sing every track on the record by heart. So when Everclear came to Columbia, I had to go see them. By then Melissa had decided to move to Columbia, and being a big music fan herself, she came to the concert with me and my cousin. After the show, Melissa and Sercan waited patiently with me by the band’s bus, and I was somehow able to talk the lead singer, Art Alexakis, into coming to an Irish bar called McNally’s with us. Right off Broadway on 6th Street in downtown Columbia, McNally’s was one of my regular hangouts at the time. By this time my little cousin Sercan had become a talented drummer and had accumulated quite a few stories, having spent time around a few famous musicians at concerts. Between me singing the song “Summerland” out loud and my cousin’s broad and precise music knowledge, Art felt he was in good hands.
Art had quit drinking alcohol by then, so he enjoyed a soft drink while I had a pint of Guinness and we talked about life a bit. He was a very humble guy who appeared to have gone through quite a few life experiences that would affect anyone. He always reminded me of someone who had a difficult youth and some tough experiences but was now at a place in his life where he was using all of his own dark times to help him be a better person. He seemed calm and relaxed. I also met the band’s keyboard player, Josh, that evening, and he struck me as a very kind guy. Josh and I kept in touch for couple of years via email, but then I lost contact with him. I hope both of them, and all of Everclear, are doing well these days.
I will also never forget the night I went with a couple of my classmates, Missouri natives John and Chris, to a medical school graduation party in Kirksville. Chris was driving his truck as we jammed to Billy Idol’s “White Wedding,” and as I looked to my right I saw a sign that read “Gatlin Brothers Tonight” at the beginning of what looked like a dusty dirt country road. By then I was very much into many of their songs, such as “All the Gold in California,” “Houston,” and “What Are We Doin’ Lonesome...” I really would have loved to see the band, who I first heard hanging out with Peggy in Sonora, in what I imagine would have been a small venue in an intimate setting, but we had to keep on toward our destination. The night turned out to be amazing, and I met some great people at the graduation party sharing their joy of feeling lighter because the weight of medical school was now behind them.
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