In the mid 90's, I was young and bored and had access to the internet via the family computer. It had a 386SX processor, a turbo button, and ran Windows 3.11. Dialup internet, of course. Privacy when using the computer? Rarely.
What did teens do online in the 90's? We made websites on Geocities, Angelfire, Tripod, and a bunch of others. Super nerds like me played MUDs and other text based games (that's a different post, someday soon).
...and we chatted of course, in chat rooms, or via the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) program. Yes, we later used stuff like ICQ too, but mostly it was AIM.
I was really into punk music at the time (still am). I frequented all the webrings and was subscribed to at least one email newsletter that shared around news of the hot new "underground" bands.
One time in a chat room, I met a cool punk girl. Many, many years later I still remember her screenname: burtongurly. I don't think I knew this at the time, but Burton is a popular maker of snowboards and related gear. So, me: a nerdy kid from the midwest. She: a cool snowboarder living in Maine (I lived there once too!) and listening to cool bands that I hadn't heard of.
She put me on to two bands in particular that might have changed my life:
1. Rustic Overtones, a regional ska band out of Maine. They would soon release Rooms By The Hour, which would go on to become one of my favorite albums of all time. Dark, moody, and definitely a strange release that doesn't fit in with the rest of the band's discography.
2. The Suicide Machines, a punk/ska band from nearby Detroit. They had just released their debut album Destruction by Definition. Great tunes, and a lovely mix of righteous anger and surprising empathy. While many of my peers were listening to misogynistic G-Funk, I was listening to lines like:
I don't know where I went wrong / and I don't know if I can wait that long / but every time I hear that another kid died / through a senseless act of violence, it makes me wanna cry.
And:
You've got no friends and so you're lonely / it does not have to be this way / just be yourself, the one and only / it takes some time but that's okay.
I'll leave a few links, it case you're interested in re-living the past with me. I recommend using a program like FreeTube to view these. Please reach out and let me know if there's a better way to link to music that doesn't require using a Google property.
Rustic Overtones - Iron Boots
The Suicide Machines - No Face
The Suicide Machines - Face Values
I'll admit to being a bit dramatic in the title of this post. This isn't a love story, although I definitely was crushing hard on someone I thought was very cool. She sent me a picture of herself in the mail, and wrote a nice message on the back. Nothing risque of course, just 20% face and 80% cat cover.
I don't even remember her actual name, but it's probably in that message. I still have that picture in a shoebox somewhere. I've kept it for years, because it reminds me of how it was (and probably still is) possible to make friends online, and how those friendships can have real and lasting impact on our lives.
Thank you burtongurly. I hope you're well, where ever you are. Thank you for the good music and the good memories.
---