In Search Of The Perfect Buzz: An 80s Metal Memoir

By Tommy Schenker

Let's take a trip back in time to the 80s when it was a great time to be alive. When Tommy and his 2 friends got drunk for the first time, playing air guitar to AC/DC, they knew their life would never be the same.

They shared a love of metal that was so profound that listening to records and going to concerts became a religious experience.

It soon became obvious that they needed to take it to the next level. What they needed to do was start a band of their own. Embarking on a journey to find the perfect buzz, little did they know that they would have so much fun along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tommy Schenker
• Release date: May 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223984658

Book preview

Chapter 1: First Time Drunk

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Dude! said Mick one day when we were hanging out. My parents are going out tonight!

Really? I said, not realizing the significance.

You know what that means right? said Tim with a gleam in his eye. It means we're getting drunk!

Tonight we're making daiquiris, said Mick.

Huh? What are those? I had no previous experience with booze.

You'll see, said Mick. They're awesome! I learned how to make them from watching my dad.

I noticed Mick’s parents putting on their coats. So where are they going?

They're just going out drinking, said Tim.

Yeah, said Mick. They have a favorite bar they always go to. Shh, here they come. Let's go watch MTV.

This was going to be my first time getting drunk. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it sounded like it would be fun. At least from the way they were talking. These were my 2 best friends, Mick and Tim, who I knew from junior high. Sometimes we would sit for hours watching MTV waiting for them to play a decent song.

Did you see the Iron Maiden video? said Tim.

Wait, what? I said, not believing it. They have a video?

Yeah, 'Run To The Hills'. It's killer.

No way! I love that song! We spent so much time sitting through crappy videos that it was hard to believe they would play something from Maiden.

Ah fuck, not this one again. Flock of Seagulls?

Bye kids, said Mick's mom.

Bye, we said as we patiently waited for them to leave. Mick went to the window to watch them drive away.

OK, they're gone, he said excitedly.

Let's do it! said Mick as we hurried to the kitchen. He opened the cupboard and pulled out a big bottle of rum.

I looked at the bottle. Won't they notice it missing?

I got that covered, said Mick with a grin. I just need to fill it back with water to where it was.

Ah! good thinking!

Mick blended the lime daiquiris. He seemed like he'd done this before. He filled our glasses and I anxiously waited to take my first sip.

How is it? said Mick.

I have to say, it tastes pretty awesome!

It felt good drinking with my friends and watching MTV. And it was fun talking shit about the lame groups they were playing. But every once in a while they would play something good.

Hey, it’s a KISS video, said Mick as he turned up the volume.

We all laughed as it showed a kid eating dinner with his conservative looking parents. They had nothing to say to each other, so the kid went to the family room to watch KISS on TV.

I Love It Loud, said Tim.

So do I, I said, not realizing that was the name of the song.

Check out that bass, said Mick. Gene Simmons was playing his famous bass that was shaped like an ax.

Mick walked to the kitchen and started refilling the blender. I’m ready for round two. How about you guys?

We were ready.

As the night progressed, we drank some more and watched some more crappy videos.

We need to listen to some real music, said Mick as he walked towards his parents’ stereo. He put an album on the turntable. It was Highway To Hell by AC/DC. He turned up the volume as Tim went to go mute the volume on the TV.

Leave the TV on, said Mick. The videos aren't so bad if we play our own music.

AC/DC was cranked up and we were all playing air guitar.

Wait! said Mick. I'll be right back.

He returned with 3 tennis rackets and handed them out. Playing air guitar was way more fun with something we could physically hold.

Here's the good part, said Mick as he jumped on the couch. He mimicked Angus Young playing the guitar solo.

We gotta start our own band, said Tim, later when we were kicking back.

That would rock, I said.

Who is this? said Mick when a new video came on.

Plasmatics, said Tim. You gotta see this one.

It was their new song The Damned.

Don’t try this at home, said Mick, reading the warning at the beginning.

Ok, I said. Try what?

You’ll see, said Tim.

Wendy O. Williams was in the middle of the desert, driving a school bus with the door missing on the driver’s side.

I was intrigued. Is this punk or metal?

I guess it’s punk, said Tim. Look at her mohawk.

It sounds more like metal though, said Mick.

Yeah, but check out this part, said Tim.

We watched in awe as she jumped off a school bus just in time, before it crashed through a wall of TVs and exploded.

We were having so much fun that the next few hours flew by pretty fast.

All of sudden, What's that noise?

Oh shit! My parents are home, said Mick as we heard their car pulling up.

Ah fuck! I can't have them see me drunk, I said as I suddenly felt sober enough to care about getting in trouble.

Don't worry, they won't know, said Mick. But I was already out the back door picking up my bike.

As I got on my bike and opened the gate, I overheard Mick's mom asking about me.

Where's Tommy going so fast? I wonder why he didn't want to say bye.

But I was already out the gate. I felt a sigh of relief as I rode my bike home, still pretty buzzed. I escaped getting caught and was happy that the lights were off when I got home. No one would hear me sneak in the front door and to my bedroom to crash out.

* * *

I woke up the next day to the sound of my alarm clock. It was 5 AM and I needed to get up immediately. My job was delivering papers and if I was late there’d be hell to pay. I thought back to the one time I accidentally slept in. Luckily most of my customers were still sleeping so they never found out. But there were others who were not so happy. There were so many complaints filed that day that my boss called me to ask what happened.

Then, at the end of the month, when I was collecting payments, one customer gave me a long lecture. He told me that it was very crucial that he received his paper no later than 6 AM every day. Because that’s when he left to go to work. So if I was even one minute late, he would have to go to work with no paper. And then he would need a refund for that day, which of course would be deducted from my payment.

Sometimes I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Did I really want to do this every day? But I had better just get used to it. Delivering papers was the only way I’d ever be able to afford the guitar I wanted. Not to mention being able to get my own stereo. And all the records I wanted.

I got dressed, went outside, and got on my bike. It was a crappy bike, but it served a purpose. I was lucky enough to find a used one cheap that was already equipped with the baskets I needed. A large one on the handlebars and 2 smaller ones in the back, one on each side of the back wheel.

Damn it's cold out here. I rode to the corner where they dropped off the stack. Every morning at 5 AM sharp. I laid the bike on the ground against the curb to where I could load the baskets. One by one, I folded each paper in half and wrapped it with a rubber band. When the baskets were loaded, it was time to hit the road. But now my bike was so heavy that I couldn’t even pick it up. I tried different angles using every bit of strength I had. Finally, I managed to get it up straight. I got on and started riding. It wasn’t easy with all the extra weight but before long I got used to it. It felt good being up this early before the sun was up. Was I the only one awake? It seemed like it.

But it was peaceful being outside while everyone else was still sleeping. I liked it actually. I started thinking about the night before. What a fun night that was. It was a blast hanging out with those guys. It seemed like they’d known each other for years. But I was happy that they brought me into their group. I did feel a little embarrassed that I took off so suddenly like that. Why did I do that? Oh well. I’ll see them today. It’ll be cool hitting all the record stores. I wondered if they got in trouble. Or if Mick’s parents noticed the alcohol missing.

Chapter 2: Record Stores

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One of our new favorite pastimes was going to the record stores.

That was fun last night, I said when we met up at the bus stop. We need to do it again.

Yeah, said Tim. But next time, let’s do it at my house. My parents are gone during the day. All we need to do is cut school.

On the way to the record store, I was wondering what my second record should be. AC/DC’s Highway To Hell was my first and I listened to it all the time. But now I needed something more. Should I get Back In Black? I knew a lot of those songs already from the radio. But what I really wanted was more Bon Scott. I had only recently discovered AC/DC through my new friends. But as bad luck would have it, one of the first things I learned about the band was that their lead singer, Bon Scott, had just recently died.

The first store we went to was Rainbow Records. We walked in and on the stereo they were playing an acoustic song. The singer had a cool voice and was singing about being an ice cream man. This initially struck me as funny, but at the same time it also sounded really cool. I looked at the counter and saw a sign that said now playing. Under the sign was an album and on the album it said Van Halen. Suddenly, the song got heavy. In an instant, it changed from just some guy with an acoustic guitar, to a full on hard rock song.

These guys rock!

Well, yeah, said Tim. It’s Van Halen. They kick ass.

I thought for a minute about getting that album, but today I was there for AC/DC. And I had limited funds. I found the AC/DC section and started flipping through their albums. Every one of them piqued my interest. I looked at each one and closely examined the covers. I read the track list on each one to see if there were any songs I recognized. After much consideration, High Voltage won out. Partly because the album cover looked so cool. It was a picture of Angus in his schoolboy uniform. He was playing his Gibson SG and looking like a bratty little kid. And there was a huge lightning bolt striking down to his foot.

When I flipped it over to check out the songs, I was happy to see that there were some that I knew already from the radio. T.N.T. was a good one. And It’s a Long Way to the Top ( If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll ). It also had The Jack, which was my favorite. I loved the double entendres and the way Angus played.

I turned around and saw Tim approaching.

Find anything good? he said. I showed him what I had.

That’s a good one.

How about you?

He showed me Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti.

I have almost all their albums now, he said.

You’re way ahead of me.

Ah don’t worry, you’ll catch up.

That’s the plan. Hey, have you seen Mick?

Oh, he’s probably in the Black Sabbath section.

Mick started walking over. He was holding Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality.

As we got in line, a thought occurred to me. Could you imagine having every record in this store?

That would be insane! said Mick. You could listen to any song you want. Anytime you want. I imagined what it would be like to have any song I wanted, right at my fingertips. Ready to play anytime. Like that could ever happen.

Going to the record stores became a ritual for us. It wasn’t long before I had every AC/DC album, Mick had every Black Sabbath album and Tim had every Led Zeppelin album. I was thinking of branching out into other groups. But that would have to wait, because I soon found out about the import section.

AC/DC imports became my next obsession. I found out that most of the early AC/DC records had import versions from Australia. When I compared them to their American counterparts, there was something odd. Most of the albums had the same name as the American ones, but some of the songs would be different. For example, the Australian version of High Voltage only had 2 songs in common with the American one. It was mostly all new songs. New to me anyway. Then they had another import that had mostly the same songs on the American version of High Voltage. But this album was called T.N.T. And it had one song I’d never heard before, a cover of Chuck Berry’s School Days.

On the way to the counter, I passed by the magazine stand. One of them caught my eye and I had to have it. It was a Circus magazine with Angus Young on the cover. He was sweating like crazy and playing his famous Gibson SG.

Ok, I need this for sure. Luckily I had enough money to throw in a magazine.

We got to the front of the line and there was a stack of KOME stickers on the counter.

Cool. Free stickers! said Tim. Do you have any KSJO?

Sorry kid, said the cashier. We ran out of those last week.

Ah bummer.

Chapter 3: Danny’s Room

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Danny was an older dude who lived down the street from Mick. His room was a place where there would always be stoners hanging out. He had an L-shaped sofa that doubled as 2 single beds. And his walls were filled with Led Zeppelin posters. One of them was huge. At least twice the size of a normal poster. It was a collage of concert photos, mostly of Page and Plant. To say that Danny was a huge Zeppelin fan would be a huge understatement. He had a sunburst Les Paul that looked exactly like the one Jimmy always played in the pictures I’d seen. It was on a guitar stand sitting right next to his Marshall stack.

That’s a bad ass guitar, said Tim.

Thanks, said Danny.

Can you play something?

What do you want to hear? said Danny as he picked up the guitar and plugged it into the Marshall stack.

Do you know any Skynyrd?

Hmm. Skynyrd? said Danny as he grabbed a pick.

He started playing some improvised guitar licks and then went into the riff from Black Dog. It was super loud, even though I noticed that the volume on the amp was only on one. Then he started playing the main riff from Kashmir.

I don’t really know much Skynyrd, he admitted.

He put the guitar down and popped a cassette in the player. It sounded like Zeppelin, but it wasn’t anything I’d heard on the radio before.

What album is this? said Mick.

It’s a bootleg, replied Danny.

A what?

Bootleg. It’s a recording from one of their concerts. I collect them. Zeppelin bootlegs are really cool because they never played the same show twice. Each show was totally different.

The song we were listening to came to an end and Robert Plant started talking to the crowd. I could hear some girl giggling in the background every time Robert Plant talked.

I looked at Mick and Tim and we all started laughing.

What the hell is that? said Tim.

Oh the giggling?

Yeah.

Just some chick I guess. She was probably just sitting next to whoever recorded it. A lot of bootlegs are like that. Most of the time, they’re created by someone who snuck in a tape recorder. So sometimes you can hear people talking in the background.

Danny pulled out another cassette. Here’s one that sounds a lot better. This one was recorded straight from the soundboard.

He pulled out a bong and loaded a bowl. You guys want some?

Sure, said Tim.

I’ll try some too, I said.

Mick looked over at Danny’s record collection. Can we look at your records?

Sure, said Danny. Have at it.

Mick started thumbing through the records. He pulled one out and examined it.

Check it out. This dude looks crazy, he said as he showed us the record. It was Blizzard Of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne.

You should see his other album, said Danny.

This one? said Mick, as he pulled out Diary Of A Madman.

Dang. He does look like a madman, said Mick. Why is that cross upside down?

And who’s that little kid back there? I added.

Danny grabbed the Blizzard Of Ozz album and put it on the turntable. Here’s a good song to listen to when you’re high.

It started out with keyboards and reminded me of a church organ you might hear in some old black and white vampire movie. Then the vocals came in singing about some guy named Mr. Crowley. The singer sounded cool and the song got better as it went on. I focused intently on the guitar playing because it sounded amazing. When the song finished, Danny got up and lifted up the needle.

If you thought that song was good, you gotta hear this one.

He put the needle back on the record.

Revelation (Mother Earth), he said, imitating a cool DJ voice.

This one started out slow and mellow and I was fully absorbed in the lyrics. It seemed like Ozzy had a real concern about how we’re destroying the planet. I was just about to say something about that, but then it went into a killer guitar riff which grabbed my attention. I listened intently, wondering if I could ever play something like that. All of a sudden the song changed again. It went into a piano solo that was so rad, it filled me with emotion. Then it went back to some killer jamming, and then a guitar solo. But this wasn’t just any guitar solo. It sounded like a composition. Not just jamming out. I could tell that this guitarist must have planned every note. I was disappointed when it came to an end. I didn’t want it to stop.

That song ended too fast, I said. Can you play it again?

I was hoping you’d say that, said Danny as he put the needle back to the beginning of the song.

Just then, a couple of Danny’s older friends walked in.

"Who are these little punks?" one of them said with a dismissive chuckle.

Danny let out a laugh. Don’t worry about these guys. They just live down the street. They’re alright.

* * *

Later when Mick, Tim and I were walking home, we talked about how cool Danny was.

He has a cool room, I said.

Yeah it’s a cool place to hang out, said Tim.

I need a guitar like that, I added.

Yeah? That Les Paul?

Yeah. It seems like Danny idolizes Jimmy Page.

Ya think? said Mick. "He even looks kind