Maybe speed doesn't make you skinny

On Wednesday I gave a presentation about local punk music history to an undergraduate class. I can't tell you how much fun I had. Shortly after I graduated from college I took a job as an historic site guide at our state capitol. To this day I think it was the funnest job I've ever had. Part of the what I liked about it was people asking me all sorts of questions and the ego rush I would get when they treated me like an expert. This presentation was one of those rare occasions.

I know enough about research and serious study on an issue that the more you learn the more you realize how little you know. This is definitely the case with my knowledge of local punk history. I interviewed and met with a lot of people that were in the bands and influential in making the local scene. I always felt like I was in a submissive position, because these people were there and they lived it. I was playing with Star Wars toys when Tommy Stinson was pulled out of junior high school to tour the country in a van.

Anyway, I was surrounded by a bunch of people who knew little or nothing about the topic, and they knew that I knew something about it. The instructor told me that he hadn't seen the class this animated all term. That was nice to hear.

After I gave my Power Point presentation (not very punk rock, is it?), they asked me questions for about a half hour. I was a little surprised at how little they knew about "punk" in general. After the presentation and about twenty minutes of questions one girl asked in a very confused manner, "so, what did they get out of all of this?"

But my favorite question of the day was about Bob Mould and Grant Hart of Husker Du. She asked, "If they did so much speed and pills how come they were so fat?" Touche.


Photo: Greg Helgeson (used without permission).