1986 - Pittsburgh Punk
My Best Friend Jim Lawless (for real, that was his last name) - 1986
This was the smartest kid I knew in high school. He was in the "gifted" program and his IQ was way off the charts. By the time I met him in 1983 he was running the school districts computer systems. He even taught me Latin! He had a really wild streak though, and together we crashed into the late 80's punk scene, which make living out in the sticks very "interesting."
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Jim - Owner of the Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986
Half Life Performing at The Electric Banana
Half Life plays to a very full throttle slam dance pit. We'd drive down from the sticks north of Pittsburgh to go to these shows. I remember how thrilled and anxious I'd be as we’d get closer. I always expected to get in a fight, and sometimes did. The pure adrenaline of trying to deal with the fear of getting my ass kicked kept me coming back for more. I found a place where the music beat to my own frenzied soul and I could "war dance." It was the most chaotic period of my life as I tried to define the right direction I should take in life. While I left the slam dancing and the pit behind it built within me a steel core of defiance and a will to push onward. In the earliest days of my career as an artist, when I'd starve my way to 145# trying to get a toe hold on life, this hardcore would sustain me. I didn't need a funny haircut, or cool tattoos to mark me. I was going to try to make my own mark instead.
I'd just graduated high school in Butler, PA. We lived on a rural road towards Chicora back then. I don't recall for how long we'd been there when this was taken. It was the house of my former step-father, and we were still learning how to cope with one another. Fun times that! That's Cindy Dumi with me. We were good friends for a while until I acted an ass one night. I've not seen her since then, so Cindy, if you ever stumble upon this, know I am truly sorry for the way I acted.
Half Life @ The Electric Banana
Pittsburgh - 1986