Ron Emory, my friend, and Rock God

If you are not familiar with Ron Emory, you should be. Don't feel bad; I didn't know the name, either. Ron is the guitar player for T.S.O.L, an original Southern California Punk band that originated in the 70's. That was when punk was punk, when it was being defined for our collective consciousness . . . the punk attitude being I don't give a fuck about your rules, your conventions, your society. I will dress how I want, love how I want, play music how I want and go fuck yourself. Sex, drugs and Rock and Roll on sex, drugs, and rock and roll. T.S.O.L was right there, and still maintains a healthy following. Ron's wife told me that Ron is just famous enough. Most people wouldn't know him walking down the street, but in the right circles he is as A-list as you can get. He is widely considered "the" guitarist of Punk Rock.

You should know Ron Emory, as we should all know the pioneers, the icons, and the truly talented in any field. I was never a punk rocker. I was a Dead Head and a hippy chick. My old neighborhood in New York was teeming with punks, since my apartment was three blocks away from CBGB's and down the street from Trash and Vaudeville. Most of my old friends from the city gravitated towards punk rock, and I've heard my fair share. I'm somewhat familiar with punk, maybe more than the average person. My husband was a punk rocker; he sported a mohawk, and liberty spikes, and went to shows, and pierced lots of things on his body. One of T.S.O.L's songs was one of my hubby's favorites when he was a teen. His collection of punky T-shirts is still impressive.

The weird part of this is that hubby and I moved from an area midway between New York and Philadelphia, both of which are rich in punk communities to Sioux City, which I have described in this blog on a number of occasions . . . and it is here where we met Ron and his family. They had noticed hubby's T-shirts, and recognized a kindred spirit here in the mid-west, not really known for its punk rock scene. Kindred in more ways than one, because we are all raising our families and living life in the best possible way for our children. That punk rock anger and angst is the furthest thing from my mind when I contemplate Ron and his wife (who has become a friend) and his children. They are truly gentle, generous, kind people; real salt of the earth types.

The other night, they let me hear some songs from Ron's solo album (no title yet). Frankly, I was blown away. I really had no idea how talented Ron is. The songs I heard were rough tracks and I still found myself humming them the next day. The guitar playing is amazing, haunting in some spots, rocking in others. The part that is truly inspiring, though, are the lyrics. They are heartfelt, real, sometimes gritty. Ron's lyrics really touched me. You can hear his journey in them, his maturity, and his pain and promise. Ron's wife was sitting with me, her eyes filled with pride and sometimes tears. It is a deeply personal album; he doesn't hold back, and that makes it remarkable.

Did you get that I really, really like Ron's album? I told them that it will be in my CD player getting worn out as soon as they can get me a copy. I wasn't just saying that. His words and music spoke to me, and that doesn't happen to me much. So what I want to say is: good for you Ron! Thank you for this gift that you are sharing with us. It is a blessing.