Whenever I think of growing up, I always think of Big Star. There are so many songs and lyrics that capture those little precious moments in time that we would all like to store in a bottle. I can still remember the fist time I ever heard Big Star, it was at my friend Jon Elliot's house on a Friday night in the summer of 78, we were up late and watching the Midnight Special.
I just remember the way they announced them "Young Alex Chilton and his band Big Star" though Alex did have fame from being the young singer of the Boxtops and having a huge hit with "The Letter" I just remember them breaking into Thirteen and my mind went blank. I had never heard anything so beautiful in my life. Every note was played with such perfection and passion. Now this was worth leaving the bay City Rollers for and jumping on the Big Star band wagon.
After this one viewing my life became obsessed with Big Star. I spent my summer vacation doing all the research I could about the band, though these were the days before the Internet and getting media and print was not that easy. But somehow I managed to have quite a collection of information and recordings by summers end.
During college I had my radio show The Pure Years. I always opened the show with a BS song and would ofter have Andy on for BS Q&A. When Alex reformed BS with the Pixies backing him up I traveled from San Fransisco to NYC to Nashville and then nights in LA . I now sit here in Los Angeles, it is the summer of 2010 and Big Star has now lost 3 of the 4 members. This is a huge loss to the music community. Axel Chilton alone severed as a hero to many a guitar player and song writer.
I still get the chills every time I drop the needle down on "Way Out West" And summer will always remind my of driving down the 405 blasting Radio City at the ripe old age of 16.
