Hey Band.... You Know "Born To Be Wild" ????

After about a year of rehearsals in my parents basement, my band Glaze were actually on the roster of Peoria Musical Enterprises and being booked regularly for weekend gigs. PME was a local booking agency back in the day when there actually was a music scene. Where live entertainment was brokered out to surrounding towns, cities and states in the Midwest.

I can't quite remember how we hooked up with PME, but I seem to remember another group backing out of a contract and PME scrambling for someone to take the gig. We did, and we must have done a good job, because we were beginning to get calls often. However, since we were a young and inexperienced band, we usually got the crappy, lower paying gigs, many times, many miles away from home. We didn't really know any better so we took the jobs with open arms and wallets.

I turned 18 in June of 1977 and driving long distances was a challenge for a kid with no sense of direction or GPS. (WHAT'S THAT?) I could have used one then. The first trip to Streator Illinois was a tale indeed. For the life of me, I've been trying to remember the name of the bar we played. I'm pretty sure it was called Harry's or Harry's Stone inn or something like that! I spent hours on the internet in hopes of finding pictures or the exact name of the establishment. Let's put it like this.....IT WAS ONE ROCKING BIKER BAR !!!!!

We were just a three piece band and played music by Montrose, Kiss, Aerosmith, Blue Oyster Cult and a handful of oddities including, Wild Thing, Good time Charlie, Baby Blue and Smile Away. We hardly knew where Pekin was let alone Streator Illinois that fateful Friday night after school, but we found the city pretty easily. However, we did have a hard time pin pointing the actual bar. After driving around the block three times, we all said to ourselves that we were glad it wasn't that seedy bar with all the motorcycles parked out side. After a few more orbits around the block it dawned on us that...yes....that was the bar we were contracted to play and in a few minutes, our skinny asses would be walking in there to introduce ourselves and ask how to find the stage.

If you've ever seen the PEE WEE HERMAN movie, PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE...that scene where Pee Wee walks in the bar? Well, that pretty much sums up our entrance into Harry's. It felt like the Juke box fell silent while every beard and bra strap turned to face us as we carried our guitars in the dimly lit tavern and proudly announced that "we were the band"!!!! lol

Laughter exploded as the jukebox began again and the 40-50 bikers and biker chicks resumed their drinking, smoking and talking.

After about an hour, we were tuned and ready to play...all we needed was a couple Budweisers and we were on!!! We walked up to the bar and asked for three beers expecting to be carded but NO!!!! " Beers are on the house for the Band" !!! Well OK!!! This was going to be cool after all. With a shaky ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR...we began our first number, Strutter by KISS!!!!! I could already see the smiles begin to replace the scowling faces and a few chicks began to dance. Next, we went right into Moving On by BAD COMPANY then Rock The Nation by MONTROSE!!!! The dance floor was FULL!!! Beer, hair and boobs were swaying like waves in an ocean of black leather!!!!

I was feeling pretty good by the end of the first set when the BIGGEST...BADDEST... BIKER approached the stage and signaled for me to lower my head closer to his. The red spotlights silhouetted his profile as he shouted the following words...."You dudes know Born To Be Wild?"

Well, Of course we did!!!! It was usually our set closer anyway and as if on cue, we were about to take our first break anyway. Art hit the opening snare drum crack, and off we were!!!

GET YOU'RE MOTOR RUNNIN' HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY!!!!! LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE AND WHAT EVER COMES OUR WAY!!!! LIKE A TRUE NATURES CHILD WE WERE BORN TO BE WILD......BORN TO BE WIIIIILD!!!!!

And with that, the dance floor parted like the Red Sea while the big biker rode his beloved Harley Davidson through the narrow bar and onto the dance floor!!!! We played louder and wilder....laughing and not believing what we were seeing!!!! I took a lead break staring the biker down as if to say, "watch this!!!" He gave me a grin as if to way, " yeah, watch THIS" and revved up the throttle and began at least a half dozen DONUTS on the dance floor nearly taking out a few of the dancers!!!! The smoke and carbon monoxide was overwhelming as Born to Be Wild finally screeched to a halt!!!

The crowd erupted and the biker tore off out of the band room, through the bar and out into the Streator night.

The smoke was so thick that you could not even see the person in front of you and we jumped off the high stage feeling euphoric and sweaty. I needed to take a piss so I excused myself from the crowd that were congratulating us on our set. Once inside the bathroom, a hot chick in a short leather mini skit and low cut blouse pulled my body next to hers and said here name was SWEET LEAF!!!! I introduced myself but I'm sure I was trembling in shock and awe!!!! She reached down and pulled her dress higher up her leg to expose a garter belt with some substance in a small package. My head was swimming as she ingested a bit and then offered me some as well. I was frightened!!!! Before long we were beginning our second set and the crowd was ours!!!! I'll never forget the electricity of that night. The Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll moments that one only reads about.

You dudes, know BORN TO BE WILD?

A Contract from 1977. Notice the pay! Not much. This is from Bergan High School

Later that night, in dark of my cozy ORANGE ROOM, the smell of Harley smoke, beer and perfume were still in my long hair. My ears were ringing and my heart was singing. It was a good night...... back when Days were Psychedelic!!!!