I used to be a boy, my heart was young and supple then,
But now it's stony cold, I'm old and I could use a friend.
My world is not like yours, I come from somewhere long ago.
But now there's no way back, I'm lost and feeling so alone.
You can leave me in the air age if you like,
But I'd dearly love to go back to my own time.
Today I heard my old friend Dan Eiselein died. I was checking Facebook and saw an in memoriam photo and message post from his page in my news feed. At first I thought he was kidding because I had seen a strange post from him a couple of months ago. It was kind of a rant about an ex wife. I thought this new post may have been another way to lash out at her. But when I looked at his page, his son had posted a couple of other messages on Dan's page regarding his passing on July 5th. This news hit me surprisingly hard. I am not a very emotional guy and I guard myself from getting too close to people for various reasons, but my reaction to this news has opened a floodgate of thoughts and emotions.
I admit I hadn't seen Dan since around 1979, but we were pretty close at the time. We worked together for a couple of years and were roommates during one of the funnest periods of my life, from about 1975 through 1979. It is that time of life (ages 18-24) that I am hopelessly nostalgic for. It was such a carefree time of close friends (Dan being one of the closest at the time) in a very special community. Many of us worked at a place called the Mission Inn, which is a national landmark in Riverside, CA. We all lived within a few blocks of the hotel in cheap little old houses on the same street, it was kind of a community of hippies. Dan and I were roommates in a two bedroom house, for which we paid $135 a month rent. Many of us road skateboards to and from work, and much our leisure time was spent on our front porch listening to music, smoking pot, and drinking beer. All we did was work, party, and go to rock concerts.
It was at this time that I bought my first drum set and we started a band. Dan was the singer, I was the drummer, my high school buddy Ken was the bass player, and Dave (another guy I worked with at the Mission Inn) played a smokin' hot guitar. We got pretty good and played at parties and even occasionally on our front porch.
This was such a magical time. The part I miss most is the relationships with friends like Dan. I felt like I could be and say anything with these people. There was no judgment. We talked about anything and everything, and knew very little about any of it. Today my relationships feel very different. I am a professional with a master's and doctorate degree and work in a conservative higher education environment. I don't feel I can be myself and I weigh every word for fear of being judged, viewed as ignorant, or being seen for who I really am (whoever that is). This is where I resonate so much with the words to the Be Bop Deluxe song, Life in the Air Age.
I'm going to miss you Dan. Rest in peace bro.
Today I heard my old friend Dan Eiselein died. I was checking Facebook and saw an in memoriam photo and message post from his page in my news feed. At first I thought he was kidding because I had seen a strange post from him a couple of months ago. It was kind of a rant about an ex wife. I thought this new post may have been another way to lash out at her. But when I looked at his page, his son had posted a couple of other messages on Dan's page regarding his passing on July 5th. This news hit me surprisingly hard. I am not a very emotional guy and I guard myself from getting too close to people for various reasons, but my reaction to this news has opened a floodgate of thoughts and emotions.
I admit I hadn't seen Dan since around 1979, but we were pretty close at the time. We worked together for a couple of years and were roommates during one of the funnest periods of my life, from about 1975 through 1979. It is that time of life (ages 18-24) that I am hopelessly nostalgic for. It was such a carefree time of close friends (Dan being one of the closest at the time) in a very special community. Many of us worked at a place called the Mission Inn, which is a national landmark in Riverside, CA. We all lived within a few blocks of the hotel in cheap little old houses on the same street, it was kind of a community of hippies. Dan and I were roommates in a two bedroom house, for which we paid $135 a month rent. Many of us road skateboards to and from work, and much our leisure time was spent on our front porch listening to music, smoking pot, and drinking beer. All we did was work, party, and go to rock concerts.
It was at this time that I bought my first drum set and we started a band. Dan was the singer, I was the drummer, my high school buddy Ken was the bass player, and Dave (another guy I worked with at the Mission Inn) played a smokin' hot guitar. We got pretty good and played at parties and even occasionally on our front porch.
This was such a magical time. The part I miss most is the relationships with friends like Dan. I felt like I could be and say anything with these people. There was no judgment. We talked about anything and everything, and knew very little about any of it. Today my relationships feel very different. I am a professional with a master's and doctorate degree and work in a conservative higher education environment. I don't feel I can be myself and I weigh every word for fear of being judged, viewed as ignorant, or being seen for who I really am (whoever that is). This is where I resonate so much with the words to the Be Bop Deluxe song, Life in the Air Age.
I used to be a boy, my heart was young and supple then,
But now it's stony cold, I'm old and I could use a friend.
My world is not like yours, I come from somewhere long ago.
But now there's no way back, I'm lost and feeling so alone.
You can leave me in the air age if you like,
But I'd dearly love to go back to my own time.
I'm going to miss you Dan. Rest in peace bro.
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