The last configuration to deserve the name did a song called “Born At The Right Time.”
I don’t like the song, but I really believe in its title.
In college, I changed majors four times; so, it took me five years to graduate in 1967.
This was the year the bubble burst for me. The Kingston Trio split up, and I became draft bait. Uncle Sam got me in 1969. After I’d completed my first year of law school. This was one of the lowest points in my life. The day of my induction, Jackee drove me to the place in Louisville where I was supposed to be. We said our goodbyes, not knowing if we’d ever see each other again. We’d been married for a year and a half. I had no idea what would happen. First, came the physicals. A doctor wearing rubber gloves grabbed my balls and said to me, “Kid, if you cough in my face, I’ll twist your balls off!”
We reached Fort Knox at about eight o’clock that night, and we were led into a mess hall. Everyone got on their plate half a boiled potato. I thought to myself, “Oh shit … I really ####ed up this time. I should have joined the Reserve.” The mess sergeant banged a big long spoon on a big metal pan, and said, “Welcome to the ####ing U. S. Army.”
I didn’t sleep much that night. We were told to write letters to our loved ones. I didn’t finish mine. The next morning, there was everything you could ever want for breakfast. On that day, I think I can say, life officially began for me. From then on, you were on your own. You had to make the best of whatever was thrown your way.
Everything that had happened in my life, up until that day, had been a fantasy. It was all make-believe. There were a few perils along the way. I’d almost flunked out of college trying to major in Electrical Engineering. But, mostly, it had been clear sailing. Nothing like, “Welcome to the ####ing U.S. Army.”
The Kingston Trio had been the soundtrack of my youth. These guys were all make-believe. They didn’t have jobs. They sang. They traveled the country and the world singing. What could be better than this? Most of the songs they sang, especially in the beginning, were make-believe songs. Stories about things that kids love. Sure, they sang “Blowing In The Wind.” A few others like this. But, most of it was pure fantasy.
When you compare what life was like in this country for us when we were kids, and what it must have been like for a kid that had 9/11 being a part of his, or her youth … there’s no comparison. We were truly born at the right time.
I think the fantasy ended when Bob Shane died. He was the last bit of living proof that it actually happened. That we didn’t dream it. If you weren’t there, you didn’t know what it was. You had to be there to really get the full experience. That’s what it was … an experience. That was about a time that I doubt will ever come again. Because it was all so simple. Life was simple then. No computers. No internet. No e-mail. And, most of all … no cell phones. It was just you and your music. I carried my albums everywhere I went. They were my constant companions. They were the best friends I ever had. So were Dave, Nick, Bob, and John. They were all that I needed.
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