Comments on: Auto-biography 10: Strung Out

By: MgoBLUE

MgoBLUE — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:45:47 +0000

Fabulous work, Paul!

By: TampaWRX

TampaWRX — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 05:26:22 +0000

Can’t really relate to the adolescent joy-riding – had a phobia of driving that saw me put off acquiring my license until the ripe old age of 18 – and can’t connect with the hallucinogenic thing, though I have made the mistake of driving drunk before…I’m sure that I am the only one. Despite all that, great piece once again!

By: Lesley Wimbush

Lesley Wimbush — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 22:28:59 +0000

Can’t say I relate the hallucinogens bit.

I always took the subway after dropping acid. :)

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 19:47:58 +0000

this one may be the best so far. A huge upper.

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 19:47:28 +0000

Marvelous! The pull-over with the novice was a hoot, and loved especially this:

Even though most of Baltimore was still in 1959 (think “Hairspray”), I embraced the psychedelic late sixties fully. Hallucinogens opened new windows of auto-perception. It was like being five again; cars became living, breathing entities. We communicated, and I gained new insight into their personalities as expressed through design. I almost solved the mystery of the ’61 Falcon grill.

Although my fellow mind-travelers were freaked out at the idea of dropping acid and driving, I never had problems driving in drastically altered states of consciousness. You just had to know how to talk to cars and ask for their help, when needed. As I soon to discovered, danger was never far away.

By: frontline

frontline — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:21:30 +0000

Great story Paul, but it made me nervous

By: Robert Farago

Robert Farago — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:07:35 +0000

I’ll never forget “borrowing” the family Merc and wondering what the Hell that smell was.

I eventually learned to release the foot-operated emergency brake.

By: Frank Williams

Frank Williams — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 13:36:03 +0000

Isn’t it amazing some of the things we got away with (read: “survived”) when were were growing up? If our kids tried the same stunts, we’d bind them hand and foot with duct tape and lock them in the basement until they were 21.

By: sykerocker

sykerocker — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 13:21:57 +0000

Once again, you start bringing back memories. This time the wonderful combination of internal combustion and hallucinogenics. Little things like dropping a hit in mid-January Erie, PA and driving around following the city plow, getting off on the sparks. Driving back from Cleveland on I-90, having just seen Iggy and the Stooges opening for Slade, and not driving the car, but being part of the car.

Etcetera.

By: shaker

shaker — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:32:56 +0000

Uh-Oh… “The Game’s Afoot!”
Thanks for allowing me to remember me (and my cousin as an accomplice) hot-wiring our Grandpap’s ‘63 Ford Fairlaine (221 V8) for some very tentative “joyrides” up and down 12th Ave. We never ventured onto the heavily traveled streets on either end, just turned around at each end. Neighborhood kids stared at us in disbelief (and were taunting us with “you’re gonna GET IT!”), but somehow, we were never caught (or Grandpap never let on that he knew that he parked closer to the curb than 2 feet). Quite thrilling for a couple of 13 yr olds.
I have a foreboding that the next installment(s)will also need a disclaimer (can’t wait!)