From the fall of 1985 through the spring of 1989, I rode the bus to school.
My brother Joe and I attended a parochial school across town. There was one bus for the whole city of Fayetteville, NC. With close to 50 student riders, a one-way trip was 90 minutes long.
The route was repeated in the afternoon. This made it somewhat equitable if you got on early and rode for an hour—you’d only ride a half hour after school. When I got lazy (something that was frequent for me in the 7th grade) I’d spend my hour long morning commute doing homework.
It was usually enough time to complete two subjects worth of reading or paperwork. The real problem was writing on the bus. My handwriting was already bad. A speed bump or sharp turn could send a pencil straight through a long division problem and ruin your whole morning.
When I got into playing guitar, I’d often use the time to study metal records. Guitar Magazine often had four or five tab transcriptions each month. Also, the magazine offered authorized notations of complete albums.
The late 80’s was the heyday for metal guitar. On that bus ride, I studied …And Justice for All and Appetite for Destruction. I knew the records inside and out. After school, Joe and I would jam for an hour or so…usually on Metallica and GnR songs. Joe played the drums.
Today, my commutes are fairly short. Nearly everything in Greensboro is a 15 minute car trip—not nearly enough to get through even one side of a metal album. Trips to surrounding cities and environs are usually under an hour, too.
In the event that metal does come back, I’m ready. I keep a copy of the first Darkness album in the CD player of our car at all times. I probably won’t ride the school bus ever again.
