I've accepted the fact that I am never going to Warped Tour.
And I thought, when they broke up, that I'd never get to see blink-182 because I'm an asshole and I keep missing their shows. Which is stupid. Because I fucking love them so much.
But now I have a ticket to go, so everything will be allright.
Anyway.
The point of this was to mention the first time I ever listened to them.
I love telling this story.
When I was 10, the only music I ever listened to was what my parents listened to, The Backstreet Boys, etc.; Spice Girls, etc.; and Britney Spears, etc.; as well as what was played on WNIC. Because that was the only radio station I'd ever heard in my life.
In music class, Bracken Merrit brought in Cheshire Cat, for us to listen to... so there were a bunch of 9 and 10 year olds sitting on the floor listening to Carousel. And It was the first time in my life I'd ever heard anything that could actually be classified as some form of punk. I found out what CD and band it was and straight away asked my parents for it. They never actually got it for me, but I kept asking. I don't know why they never got it for me. I really, really, really wanted it. Perhaps it was because it was pop-punk? Or maybe the parental advisory label scared them away.
Parental advisory labels are censorship of art and are therefore horrible and wrong.
Anyway, I used to go to Borders and every time we'd go, I'd go up to the music section and find where they kept the blink-182 CDs and I used to go through them and just look at them all and pet them. I wanted one so badly, but they all had parental advisory stickers on them, so I wasn't allowed to buy them, and my parents refused to get any of them for me. So I was stuck with stupid bubble-gum pop. I feel like I'd have grown up and gone to more fun shows earlier if I had been able to listen to blink-182 as a kid.
Also, I feel like I'd have been more awesome if my babysitter had let me listen to Nevermind when I was 7. Of course the only reason I wanted to listen to it was because of the naked baby on the cover. But still. It's a great album. I could have been a little grunge kid. But no. He wouldn't let me. I still don't know why. It's not profane or anything. I think censorship of inappropriate things for kids is stupid. You can tell all the sex jokes you want and they really will not have a fucking clue what the hell you're on about. Stuff like that is only inappropriate when you actually get the references and kids don't, so it's fine to let them watch stuff like that because they just won't think anything of it.
The first time I actually got to listen to more than Carousel was when I went to Molly Curry's house when I was 12. She had a lovely assortment of blink albums that we listened to while sitting on her floor and playing with her horses. It was a lovely moment for me.
At some point, I finally managed to acquire a copy of Cheshire Cat. I listened to that album over and over and over again. It remains one of my more cherished possessions. Others include my mother's charm bracelet, my great-great grandfather's cufflinks, Richard Kruspe's guitar pick that I got after the Rammstein show in Montreal last year, the signed Silverstein drum-head Kevin gave me after their 10th anniversary shows, my cast, and that picture of Travis Barker and I when I was 15. Obviously it's very important, if it's as important as all of those things. (Okay. I'm kind of exaggerating, here. It's not actually that important to me. But I do like it a lot!!)
I met Travis Barker at the airport when I was 15 and he was on my plane to LA. I didn't actually know who he was, to be honest, since the only album I had was Cheshire Cat and Scott was still their drummer on that one. After that, I started listening to their newer stuff because I finally figured out how to pirate music. And now I love them and I'm going to see them.
So yeah. That's my whole sordid history on my relationship, up until now, with blink-182. Who knows what will happen at their show?
Actually. I'm pretty sure of one thing that will happen. And that will be...
I'm definitely probably most likely going to cry.
All of my tears of joy ever.
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