When I was a kid, like most kids, I wanted stuff. We had food (mostly) and basics OK, but let's face it, my dad was in real estate in the and my mom was a grad student in the late 70's and early 80's. The economic crisis back then was bad, too. I didn't realize at the time how hard they worked. Like I said I was a kid. I know now. This is getting in the way of my selfish story.
I wanted a car. I got a chair. I wanted a car. I got luggage. I wanted a car we got a new computer (OK yo that shit was cool).
Way before that I wanted a
Weeble's camper. I got it. I also got a red wagon that year and a rope. It was a fucking bumper crop of a Christmas. The
Weeble's campter was PERFECT. I played with it all the time. It was an RV and the little dad
weeble drove it and the mom
weeble worked in the kitchen (while he drove, come on, we need our grilled cheese sandwiches up here, woman!). The
weebles children sat and looked out the windows. It was awesome.
After that, but before I wanted a car. I wanted an electric keyboard. We had had a piano when we lived in North Carolina, but it didn't move with us. My sister took piano and I hated listening to her practice (the only great thing about the piano was that it wasn't the
f'in clarinet she played.). I wanted a keyboard.
I wanted a teeny battery operated keyboard from
Casio that I saw in Lazarus when we were shopping for
Christmas tree ornaments. I have no idea how much it cost, but I'm guessing it wasn't cheap. My parents were always trying and so on
Christmas morning we followed the notes to the treasure hunt and it lead us to the dining room. Man kids are stupid. I didn't even see the piece of furniture covered with a sheet in the corner.
Under that cloth was a Hammond Chord organ. OK so I was like 12 and I managed to keep a good face on it. I think. Looking back I hope I kept a good face on it, but I was a little let down. They had gotten it out of the paper and as my dad tells the story the elderly lady who sold it to him changed her mind as he was about to drive away with it and he told her to go fuck herself. Um no that's not how he tells it. He says he told her he needed it for his kid and drove off.
The fact is I played that thing a lot. I could play a few songs sort of and I could kinda use the chord grid next to it. I learned a few things about keyboards and their limitations at the time. It many "modes" it could play one note at a time. When it was it's normal organ sound I think it could play 3 and you could always get organ sounds out of the chord grid. Mostly I liked making the violin sound and trying to play the theme of star wars. I had no lessons just
dinked. The thing used vacuum tubes and sounded awesome. I remember you had to let it "warm up" before it would make any sound.
I think when my parents moved they sold it. That was cool I was out of the house and had a job so I had a
synth (a Yamaha
SY-35 and then Later an
SY-85) by then and I was taking lessons from a neurotic piano teacher who lived in an apartment near my work.
When I moved to Washington and had a new job and I just let the music slide. Lately I've picked it up again with drum lessons, but I picked up a keyboard controller for my PC and some software that plays a variety of instruments. Now I just have to find a Hammond Chord Organ for it. I'm guessing there is one in there somewhere. I wonder if I can get another
weeble's camper.
