9th Grade Yearbooks and Ace of Base

Have you ever looked back at your old CD collection in the same way that you look at your ninth grade yearbook picture and think, “Wow, was that really me?”

Well, if you happened to be leafing through the pages of my ninth grade yearbook, you would gander upon a dapper young fellow with round glasses, a real tight bowl cut complete with a side part, that my mother had to fix for me every day because I could never comb it straight.

Please, do not judge the appearance of this poor lad yet because the picture has only begun to be painted. To really set off my fresh haircut, I was sporting a silk Looney Tunes tie that matched ever so perfectly with my Looney Tunes vest, also silk. Underneath all of this Warner Brothers advertising was, as you may have guessed, a purple shirt made from what else? Silk. Needless to say that during my first year of high school I looked a tad bit like a really nerdy version of Don Johnson.

I will say, though, to all you out there judging this well-laid out ensemble, ladies love a dude with glasses, a silk shirt and smartly parted hairdo! I suppose I should not leave out the fact that I was also wearing black denim jeans and Airwalks. The point I make is that, like fashion, our musical taste at times is a little less than up to snuff.

When Mr. Scott Stapp stepped onto the scene I was there to meet him with my “arms wide open.” I loved his big booming voice, his leather pants, the way he always wore just the right white tank top that accentuated his giant cross necklace. Seeing as I have already ruined any chance of using this blog to try to advance my agenda of meeting attractive single ladies, I have to admit that Creed was my first concert, and not only was it my first, but I absolutely loved it. The pyrotechnics, the songs, Scott Stapps’ hairy chest — Creed rocked my world! I was a pop culture zombie. My first CDs that I owned were a morbid collection of La Bouche, Ace of Base, Kid Rock, Jock Jams and any number of wonderfully obnoxious albums. 

If you’re still with me, you will be pleased to know that I no longer own any silk shirts, or a Looney Tunes vest, and I never subject my ears to the musical stylings of Creed. (Apologies to you Creed fans out there but, come on, even you have to admit they are a bit cheesy.) It is nice once in a while, though, to think back to where you came from, have a few laughs at your own expense, and mentally berate yourself for how you looked in your ninth grade yearbook picture.

So if you’re one of the nerdy kids with a picture that makes you want to punch yourself in the face, and a box of old CDs in your closet you would be ashamed of if your mother found them, make a comment, share your experience and know that you were not the only one! We just have to take comfort in changes and realize that in fifteen years we will look at ourselves now and think "Man, what was I thinking."

P.S. Ace of Base is still cool.