Monday, July 22, 2019

Regrets—Maybe Yes, Maybe No!

by Courtney Pierce


Being a child of the sixties, it’s a no-brainer to recall a litany of bonehead antics from my past that I might want to change. A few of those teenage misbehaves, like sneaking over to the boys’ camp from the girls’ camp to skinny dip, would be tough to let go. I was ten years old in 1969too young to go to concerts and too old for my Easy-Bake Oven. I made hippie clothes for my Barbie and listened to the Beatles, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Herman’s Hermits, and The Cowsills ad nauseum. Compared to kids today, I was a goody two shoes. If I could change anything, it would be that I would’ve stuck out my neck to partake in riskier adventures.

When my family lived in New Jersey in the early 70s, I loved every minute of ditching class to ride the train to the end of line and back. I'd quietly stare out the window and assess the passengers reading their newspapers, making up stories about their lives. In those days, there were no cell phones or selfies on social media to bust me. As long as I was home in time for supper and maintained good grades, that was good enough for my parents.

My older sister experienced all the cool stuff—like snagging concert tickets. She would sneak out to see The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin. Even Iron Butterfly was on her roster of sneak-away concerts. Best of all, she “experienced” Jimi Hendrix and saw The Who smashing their equipment. Of course, I stuck up for her to avoid the inevitable sibling retaliation.

I was so jealous! Gutless me wouldn’t dare risk getting in trouble. And besides, the cost of the ticket was beyond my reach, even at the outrageous price of $9.50. 

To make up for that void, I entered into a thirty-year career in the touring Broadway and concert business, earning my chops in theater basements to settle the shows with the producers. Extremely glamorousnot! I could see anyone I wanted, and often did, but I rarely enjoyed the show. It was work, not pleasure. Instead, I took all those Broadway stars for granted and worked into the wee hours before having to get on a plane home the next morning. Looking back, I should've sat to enjoy the show like everyone else, without a critical eye on what wasn’t perfect.

I met all kinds of stars, but most of them were just talented, average people who happened to get famous. Take Micky Rooney, for instance. I sat on a concrete step with him in the alley behind the Colonial Theater in Boston. His one-man show was his last hoorah. We talked about all kinds of stuff, but mostly he bitched about how horrible it was being famous. Lack of privacy and all.

Now that so many of my childhood icons are dying, the losses smart in a way that I can’t explain. These people were never supposed to get old and dieLou Reed, David Bowie, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Tom Petty. They were all supposed to be frozen in time until I died, not them. I wish I’d been a pain-in-the-butt and made my sister take me with her to all those concerts. There were so many wasted opportunities that I now regret.

A sense of urgency hits me when I slide a CD into the player, and I’m compelled to say, “God, I wish I’d seen this band in their heyday.” It’s not the same when the bands attempt that last cash-in by going on a “Farewell, Farewell-Again Tour.” A seventy-year-old rocker replicating their youthful moves is more comical than entertaining. They aren’t quite how I remembered them.

Traveling Wilburys
A big exception was Tom Petty. Two years ago, we took the plunge to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Red Rocks near Denver. An amazing talent in an equally amazing venue. One month later he was found dead. That Red-Rocked us to our core, and left us wishing we’d seen The Travelling Wilburys, a compilation band whose members were Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynn. Now, only Jeff Lynn is left of the entire iconic group.

Photo: Washington Post
Several musicians and actors shaped my youth. I hold tight to all those CDs and DVDs, because they hold a piece of me. I remember licking my lips every few seconds to be like Doris Day. I attempted to tap dance like Shirley Temple and binge-watched Alfred Hitchcock movies just to spot his cameo appearances. And didn’t every kid want a dad like Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird?

Most of all, watching those movies and listening to the lyrics on those albums shaped my writing. Without them, I doubt I would've had the imagination to write any of the novels I do today.


Photo: Micah Brooks
Courtney Pierce is a fiction writer living in Kalispell, Montana with her husband, stepdaughter, and their brainiac cat, Princeton. Courtney writes for the baby boomer audience. She spent 28 years as an executive in the entertainment industry and used her time in a theater seat to create stories that are filled with heart, humor, and mystery. She studied craft and storytelling at the Attic Institute and has completed the Hawthorne Fellows Program for writing and publishing. Active in the writing community, Courtney is a board member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association and on the Advisory Council of the Independent Publishing Resource Center. She is a member of Willamette Writers, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and She Writes. The Executrix received the Library Journal Self-E recommendation seal.

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Available Now!
Book 3 of the
Dushane Sisters
Trilogy
The Dushane Sisters Trilogy concludes with Indigo Legacy, available now. There's love in the air for Olivia and Woody, but will family intrigue get in the way? Ride along for the wild trip that starts in a New York auction house and peaks in a mansion on Boston's Beacon Hill. 

The Dushane sisters finally get to the truth about their mother.


New York Times best-selling author Karen Karbo says, "Courtney Pierce spins a madcap tale of family grudges, sisterly love, unexpected romance, mysterious mobsters and dog love. Reading Indigo Lake is like drinking champagne with a chaser of Mountain Dew. Pure Delight."


6 comments:

Judith Ashley said...

I may be older than you are Courtney, but I love your walk down memory lane. Loved The Traveling Willburys. Also a fan of The Highway Men (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and OMG, I can see his face and hear his voice but his name has slipped my mind in this moment.

It is sobering to see that a favorite movie/music/television star from my past has died. I do mourn their passing. Even though I never met them in person, they were a part of my history.

Still can't come up with his name but now I'm humming "On The Road Again" and "You Were Always On My Mind"

Judith Ashley said...

Yeah, as it always does, when I started another project, Willie Nelson's name popped into my mind.

Courtney Pierce said...

Love Willie Nelson!!! And of course, after I finished I thought of about 10 more people/icons I should've mentioned. :-)

Sarah Raplee said...

I'm a bit older than you, Courtney, but i can relate. Being a 'Goody Two Shoes' served me well. I prefer to think of it as 'having a strong moral compass and work ethic.' Like you, when I ditched class I didn't get in trouble because I wasn't a troublemaker.

As for icons passing, my favorite author growing up was the great SciFi & Fantasy Author Andre Norton (Mary Norton). She passed not to long ago in her 90s, so she had a long run - a pioneering woman in the genre who included romance in many of her books, such as her Witch World Series.

I loved Schmidt's humorous SF books about The Witches of Karres. I was heartbroken when he died suddenly in his 40s while I was in my twenties! He made the universe a brighter place.

Mary Stewart's Romantic Mysteries were a staple of my growing up years. Loved them dearly!

These authors were icons that influenced and inspired my writing.

Luanna Stewart said...

I was seven in 1969 so i coveted my friend's Easy Bake Oven, hehe. I had to make do with using the real oven at home - boring! My early music memories include Donny Osmond, Bobby Sherman, and the Partridge Family. And, of course, playing my mum's Englebert Humperdinck albums on her console stereo/record player - 'Please release me, let me go...' My older brother, very much into BTO and April Wine (we're Canadian, eh?) despaired of me, and, a few years later, used my Village People albums as frisbees.

Maggie Lynch said...

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I a older than you, but still recognized many of the musical and hollywood/broadway stars. I can honestly say I never ditched class--not even on official "ditch" day which was a senior year not sanctioned but forgiven ditch day. Part of it was because I really was a goody-two-shoes. The other part is that I wasn't into the idea of socializing ALL day with people--that was way too long.

My musical heroes trended toward woman because all the popular guys tended to have screaming and fainting fans which I thought was totally uncalled for. I didn't go for the Beatles back then because of that. Later, in my 30's long after they'd broken up I realized how amazing their music was. Mine included Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Dionne Warwick, Ella Fitzgerald, Joan Baez, Carole King. And I sooooo wanted the voice of Barbara Streissand. In college, 1970's, I had the great pleasure of working a concert that featured Linda Ronstadt and a, then, 17-year-old Emily Lou Harris. I'll never forget that.

My movie heroes did tend toward men because too many women were either sex symbols or very need and dependent. Even though I didn't know it back then, I was probably a feminist. I always went for "good guys" in my estimation. Never attracted to the bad guys. Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman. I do admit to being in love with Sean Connery even though I didn't like his womanizing ways as 007. I'm pretty sure it was the Scottish accent that got me. Oh, and I'll never forget Sidney Poitier in so many movies where he was the quintessential quiet hero. And that smooth voice, great presence definitely made me swoon. Of all the above movie or TV heroes, Sidney seemed the most eloquent and posed in interviews.