There’s a big world out there, and remember, when one door closes, another opens... (Pt.2.)
(Part 2)
For those who know me, they can probably guess which band and what album are part of my DNA; Van Halen and their album “1984”.
My book of sheet music for the album “1984” by Van Halen
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
This iconic album (and its videos) took to the stage a little over a year after my own brief moment in the limelight at our famous (or infamous) Christmas Program of 1982.
Thanks to older friends and their siblings, I became acquainted with the music of Van Halen, along with that of Ozzy, Def Leppard, and AC/DC, a couple of years prior. Isn’t that always how it is? I can still remember my friend’s older brother hunting us down after we broke a string on his homemade version of Eddie’s famous Frankenstrat.
However, it was Van Halen’s “1984” album and the Band’s explosive visuality and performances, that together became my musical “North Star”, guiding me on my journey. For me, the late Eddie Van Halen personified (and was) the ultimate lead guitarist and Rockstar. And, in 1984, there wasn’t anyone cooler than “Diamond Dave”.
Of course, I remember the videos; those “MTV World Premiere” videos featuring the Kramer “Frankenstrat”, a dusty Oberheim Keyboard, the “Jack Daniels” bass, Miss Chemistry, and her colleague, Miss Phys Ed. “Si’ down Waldo!” Fun fact: The actor (Yano Anaya) who portrayed a young Michael Anthony in the “Hot For Teacher” video also played the infamous Grover Dill in the movie “A Christmas Story”.
“Hot For Teacher” by Van Halen (promotional 45 RPM Vinyl Record)
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
I still recall “Jump” being at “Number 1” in the charts, which was surely helped along by me buying a new cassette after wearing my old one out, like millions of us did that year. I vividly remember hearing that famous song on the radio, along with my personal favorite, “Panama”, when both were fresh and new to our ears. I think many would also agree that songs, especially Rock songs, always sounded better on FM radio. It has a certain “je ne sais quoi”.
And then there were the concert announcements… always delivered in a deep “radio voice”. “Van Halen... live. The 1984 World Tour is coming to... Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth... Tickets on sale...”
It was Spring and as us kids congregated around the local Dairy Queen, word was getting around that a few of my friends (and friends of friends) would be tagging along with their older brothers and sisters to the big shows scheduled for later in June. Looking back, I’m pretty sure most of it was fruit of the proverbial grapevine. Nonetheless, I was convinced that what I was hearing was true and I so badly wanted to go. In reality, I was 10 going on 11, and there was absolutely no way I was going to a Van Halen concert. Plus, I didn’t have an older brother or sister. So, put a pin in it already...
But, like a dog with a bone, I wouldn’t let it go. “Come on Dad, EVERYBODY is going to the Van Halen show!” I was becoming a broken record. “No Tony, we’re not going. That’s final!”, snapped my dad, like an overworked phonograph needle.
The shows of June 20th and 21st, 1984, came and went, and from what I heard and read, they were totally awesome. Not too long after that, I found myself heading with my dad to our local mall on yet another boring quest to pick up a few odds and ends. About an hour or so later, there I was in my parachute pants, drifting closer to the Musicland store. However, instead of a new cassette and a poster, my dad bought me a small book full of sheet music and some images from the “1984” album. And within another few minutes, after stopping at another store, we were heading home with a new Casio keyboard. Over the next few weeks, my dad, who wasn’t a musician, showed me how to play the main keyboard riff to “Jump”.
Sheet music for “Jump” by Van Halen
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
Wow! One door had closed, and another had opened. I made sure that I also captured myself playing those memorable chords, just in time for the first week of the new school year. I later shared my newfound keyboard prowess with my classmates and was a “rockstar” for a little while, about 15 minutes to be precise. That being said, 15 minutes of fame was a whole lot better than 10 minutes of shame. I later took to learning a few Christmas tunes, which would serve me well in the future.
To be continued…
Tony’s Takeaways
1984 was when I became a lover of “all things music”, especially its performance, including the related visual aspects. What I didn’t know then, is that it is the performance, the show, those mostly visual aspects, perhaps even more than the aural aspects, that transform a musician into a “star”. Like Diamond Dave said, “It's not whether you win or lose, it's how good you looked doing it!” Ultimately, it is the star (no matter the variety) that leaves the indelible mark on our consciousness.
In business, we also must connect with our audiences, both external and internal, in order to survive, and ultimately thrive; we must be able to effectively present (demonstrate) our talents, skills, dedication, and value to others.
Me shredding in 2022
Photo Credit: Josh Stolberg
In hindsight, I also loved the stories, not only about the artists, the bands, or the music industry, but about how music itself created lasting memories for me, my friends and family, and even strangers. I was a young musicologist; I just didn’t know it. There’s a big world out there; our music and songs, much like cooking and cuisine, have the power to bring us all together at life’s dinner table, even if only for a little while. Explore (the new). Learn (about each other and ourselves). Grow (as a person). Repeat...
It was Alexander Graham Bell that said, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” The lesson was clear; whether it comes in business or life, don’t miss an opportunity. Any of us may soon have an opportunity to try to succeed at something new.
That Summer, Eddie (and my late father) also taught me that rockstars can play keyboards.
My first keyboard
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
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