So you like music, kid?

Junior High! What a place. The food is terrible, the classes make you feel like you're in 4th grade again, and the teachers won't stop going on about how tough 7th grade is going be. It's like these teachers are speaking another language to you. Fractions? Mixed numbers? Pie charts? What does it all mean? Whatever. You have more important things on your mind. [[Look around your homeroom]]

Your classroom is filled with the usual cast of characters you have come to expect as the years go by. You've never really been close to any of them, but you may go over to their house every once in a while to play their Playstation or observe how enarmored your friend's mom gets whenever you come over. Baked goods are almost a given. But still, all of this bores you. You're yearning for something. You can't handle your adolesnce much longer if you don't find something to do. Man, sometimes you feel like you're a 14-year-old trapped in an 11-year-old's body surrounded by toddlers. These people do nothing for me. [[Daydream the class away]]

(transition:"pulse")[Ding, ding, ding, ding ding-] Oh, there's the bell already. More than ever lately, your attention has been drifting. Come to think of it, you really don't feel that well today. [[Go to the nurses office]] [[Tough it out]] [[Just walk home. You only live about 4 blocks down the road.]]

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Your dad sits on his reclined Lazyboy next to the fireplace. He looks up from his phone with an almost ridiculously happy smile. "How's it hanging, Sport? Enjoying the long weekend?" You mumble a reply about how it has just been "okay." "Buddy, listen, my boss just emailed me some great news. He told me his wife went into labor today so he can't make it to the REO Speedwagon concert tomorrow! He sent me two front row tickets to see one of the best bands in the world! What do you say? Will you come with me?" Oh man, your first concert. You're not sure if you're ready. Music has never really piqued your interest before. You find some of One Direction's music kind of catchy. And whenever your Mom turns on ABBA's Greatest Hits you can't help but hum along... [[What's REO Speedwagon anyway?]]

"Huh? Reo Speedwagon? The masters of Arena Rock? Come on, you've heard these guys before. What do you think we listened to on that 18 hour drive to Florida [[last summer?]]" "Uhhh, I'm really not sure. This band is good?" "Try (text-style:"italic")[legendary], sport. This will be perfect. You and me, me and you, just a father and son going to see the number one band in the world. Good thing my boss didn't offer me tickets to those posers Styx and Journey. REO are the kings, son." (text-style:"italic")["♪So if you're tired of the same old story, ooooooooooh turn some pages♪..."] He wanders upstairs as you hear his singing fade. What has gotten into him? You don't have the best feeling about this, but your Dad sure seems excited about it. [[Go to bed]]

You crawl into bed thinking about the concert tomorrow. You actually feel a bit nervous. There are going to be thousands of people there. You've been to baseball games before, but those have always been pretty tame. All the adults were drunk and you went into a sugar coma from the seemingly never-ending supply of cotton candy. This will be different. You don't know what to expect. [[Dream]] [[Do some REO speedwagon research]]

You enter a dream. You are placed in the middle of the mob of people. REO Speedwagon is belting out their greatest hits while you nod your head awkwardly. Suddenly, you notice you are alone in this crowd of people. Your Dad is no where to be found. You break down crying. You knew this was a terrible idea to come here. In the middle of your breakdown, a stranger taps you on the shoulder and points to the top of the crowd. You see your dad crowdsurfing shirtless while the crowd pours beer all over him. He notices you and yells "What's up, Sport? Are you enjoying the show?" You are frozen in space. You want to leave immediately. As you try to find the nearest exit, everyone turns in your direction. The lead singer of the band shines a spotlight in your direction as he sings "(text-style:"italic")[♪"I'll be here when you are ready, to roll with the changes♪..."] [[Awaken]]

If you are going to go see this concert, you better do some research beforehand. You lumber out of bed to the computer downstairs and type in "REO Speedwagon" into your web browser... [[REO Speedwagon]]

You wake up in a cold sweat. Your dad bursts into your room, dressed head to toe in vintage 80's clothing. He's sporting an REO speedwagon tee under his jean jacket, slightly tighter than usual jeans that go up a little too high on his waist, and a tinkle in his eye that only a man in his late 40's gets after listening to REO Speedwagon's entire catalog of music. Your mother walks past your door as she mutters "He has been doing this since 7am..." Your dad walks out of your room as he sings out (text-style:"italic")["♪My cup is on the table, Our love is spilling♪..."] He walks back downstairs as you put on some clothes and head to the kitchen to talk to your dad. [[Head to the kitchen]]

<img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2246/2253314417_fc5fdbe1cf_b.jpg height="600" width="600""> What the-this can't be right... [[...]]

<img src="http://kevinhartley.neocities.org/Neal_Doughty_photograph_-_September_2013.jpg" height="500" width="500"> Who the hell is this guy? Next... [[....]]

<img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/REO.jpg" height="500" width="500"> Alright, this kind of looks like a band. They look like 70. Aren't these guys supposed to be cool? You start to wonder what you're Dad is dragging you into. You wander upstairs disappointed. If you were't excited before you did this research, you're even less excited now. [[Go to bed|Dream]]

"Well kiddo, it's the big day! What do you say we leave in about an hour? Get there nice and early so we can scope out our seats, yeah?" [["Dad, I'm worried that you might have a little TOO much fun at this concert."]]

"See Dad, I had this dream with you crowdsurfing shirtless and-and-and the crowd was pouring-" "Stop right there, son. No need to get worked up. You don't have to worry about a thing, little man. I'll be with you the entire time. All we are going to do is listen to some good tunes, Dad might have a beer or two, and then we'll get some Applebee's after the concert. How does that sound?" He's convinced you. You've gotta hand it to the man, he knows you've got a weakness for Applebees. "Alright now cheer up! I'll see you in a few hours because... (text-style:"italic")[♪I CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING ANYMORE, I'VE FORGOTTEN WHAT I STARTED FIGHTING FOR♪"] He walks into the living room as his singing fades. Why does he keep doing that? [[Kill time before the concert.]]

You run through a few levels of Lego Star Wars until your dad slides into your room. "It's time. Let's hit it. The Wagon awaits..." [[Drive to the concert]]

(text-style:"bold")[SON! OH SONNY BOY! Haha! You're going to want to come down here immediately!] You gaze away from your T.V. towards your bedroom door. What could he want? You shut off your Playstation. It's warm after hours of use. It's probably time for a break. [[Go downstairs]]

Memories of you on your Nitendo DS come to mind. Roughly 10 hours of that drive was spent playing Super Mario while the other 8 were spent sleeping. So no, you are still not familar with REO Speedwagon. [[Back|What's REO Speedwagon anyway?]]

Your Dad plays what you assume to be REO Speedwagon the entire ride to the concert. But you're not thinking about the music. No, you're too worried about the atomosphere of the concert. Your dad begins to take notice... "Hey...just stick with me the whole time. It'll be fine. I wouldn't lie to you. You're going to enjoy this." His warm reassurance puts your mind at ease for a little while. Aside from his quirks, your father can have quite an emboldening personality. He tends to bring out the best in you. [[Roll up to the concert.]]

That song about "Rolling with the changes" begins to fade out right as you and your dad cruise into a parking spot near the arena. You look around at the mob of people and are surprised at how many people look to be your age. In fact, there are actually a lot of fathers with their sons here. You breeze past the ticket scanners and walk down a flight of stairs as the enormous stage reveals itself. "There it is, son. Legends will be stepping onto that stage tonight." You and your dad make your way to the front row. Numerous concert goers look at you in envy as you continue to the most intimate spot in the whole arena. "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THIS! Now tell me, does it get much better than this?" You nod shyly as your anxiety slowly grows into excitement. You can't believe how lucky you got to come along. The atomosphere of a concert slowly begins to sink in. [[Wait until the concert begins]]

As you take in your surroudings, a guitar in the distance buzzes throughout the whole arena. The crowd starts to go wild. Your Dad yells out "HERE IT COMES BABY!" REO Speedwagon takes the stage. Everyone rises from their seats, so you figure you should too. It stays like this the whole concert. You thought eventually people would start to sit again, but everyone was too busy dancing to even care. You clap along to the songs as you watch the music just take control of your dad. You're not sure you have seen him this happy before. The concert had it's highs and lows. The beginning was amazing. By the halfway mark (or what you percieved as the halfway mark) you started to feel tired. At the end, they started to play the songs that your Dad kept singing around the house. That's when it clicked. You liked this. You (text-style:"italic")[really] liked this. On the way out of the concert, your dad purchases you an oversized REO Speedwagon T-shirt. You feel like never taking it off. [[Head home]]

You waltz into your house all smiles around 11pm. Your mom is sititng in the living as she looks over her book to mention that it looks like you had a good time. "Mom, the music was SO LOUD! It was amazing. You should have been there. Dad was drunk and-" "Whoa whoa whoa, hold it right there mister. Sounds like you two had a little too much fun." "But Mom it was like the best night of my life." "Well the best night of your life is about to come to an end. Did you forget that it's a school night?" You lumber into bed with imagery of the concert on playback in your head. You can still feel the vibrations. You drift off to sleep in your REO Speedwagon T-shirt. [[Sleep]]

You spring out of bed and dress for school. Wearing your new T-shirt to school is a given. You can't wait to tell your friends all about the concert. [[Head to school]]

Lo and behold, your first class of the day is Music. You arrive to school a little late today. You enter just as the your teacher is talking to the class. "Hello Class!" Your class responds back with an "Hello Ms. Wheeler!" "Today is a very special day. We are going to be talking about the music we (text-style:"italic")[personally] like. We'll step aside from talking about Mozart and Haydn just for today to explore the music that we listen to in our daily lives! So, do we have any volunteers to start us off with a youtube clip of an artist they like?" You immediately raise your hand with the thought of showing the class REO Speedwagon. The teacher points at you and gestures for you to come towards her. "Ah, yes! Come up to the computer and show us what you like to listen to!" As you approach the computer, you begin to have second thoughts. All anyone ever talks about in here is Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber. You worry that they might make fun of you for starting off the class with such an unfamilar song. [[Show the class REO Speedwagon]] [[Show the class a popular artist]]

You take a chance and bring up the music video for REO Speedwagon's (text-style:"italic")[Can't Fight This Feeling.] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpOULjyy-n8">REO Speedwagon-Can't Fight This Feeling</a> After 5 minutes of your favorite music, your class bursts into laughter. One of your classmates blurts out "What even WAS that??? Haha was he like, singing to that baby or something? Haha that was the weirdest thing I've ever seen!" One after another, your classmates comment on how weird your music taste is. After a few seconds of backlash from your 6th grade class, your teacher finally intervenes: "Alright that's enough. Thank you for sharing. That was very beautiful song to choose. Okay class, who's next?" You feel yourself tear up. You love that song. It meant something to you. You wipe your tears on your baggy REO Speedwagon tee and walk out of the classroom. You knew it was terrible idea to show them. [[Go to the nurses office.]]

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You let the nurse know you don't feel good so that she allows you to call home. After about 30 minutes, your Mom comes to pick you up. It's a quiet car ride home. You have never felt so small before in your life. You arrive home and go immediately to your room. [[Look around your room]] [[Search the web]]

You look on Instagram and see this picture dominating your feed with captions like "So...this happened today 😂 " or "Anybody want to explain to me what is up with this guy lol?": <img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zpOULjyy-n8/maxresdefault.jpg" height="400" width="400"> "They're...they're making fun of me..." You start to cry again. What should you do? [[Wait until your dad gets home from work so you can talk to him.]] [[Talk to your mom.]]

Your embarrassment turns into a strong sense of motivation. You don't need their approval. They will say what they will say. They can never take away from the fact that you genuinely like something that is unique to yourself. You notice your piggy bank on top of your dresser. You must have like 100 bucks collected from birthdays over the years. You've been saving it for a moment like this. You know what you want to spend your money on. You want to buy a record player. Your dad has a huge collection of records at the house, except he rarely plays anything but REO Speedwagon. You figure it's time to buy your own. [[Head to the Record Store]]

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You walk to a local record store just a few blocks away from your house. You've walked down here a few times to get grocies in the past, so this area isn't too unfamiliar before. But you have never stepped foot in a record store. You enter "The Complicated Cat Music Company: Records, CD's, and Sweet Tees" An old man stands in the corner of the store unloading a box fresh vinyls. He has a label maker peaking out of his pocket as he tries to sort out the records. [[Approach the man]] [[Look at the Records]] [[Look at the Tees]]

"Uh hi, I'm looking for a uh, record player. I want to start a record collection. I like music." The man gives you a puzzling look at first. After a few moments, his face lights up as his gravelly voice says "So you like music, kid? Well you came to the right place, Jack! My name is Louis." "Hi Louis. But my name isn't Jack, it's actually-" "No, no, no! It's a figure of speech little man. Come on. Let me show you the record players." [[Follow Louis]]

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"Now check this out: We just got this brand new record player in yesterday. You can take it home today for a cool $90." You feast your eyes upon a beautiful, sky blue record player. Every tiny feature, from the white knobs to the clear glass encasing, pops out at you. You need to have it. "I'll take it!" Lous is ecstatic to see such a young man take an interest in records. Since your Dad already has all of the REO Speedwagon records on vinyl, maybe you should get something else to start off your record collection. "Excuse me sir, I would like to also buy a record. I only have $10 left. Do you have any records similar to REO Speedwagon?" Louis looks confused: "REO who? Haha, kid, let me run you through some genres. You can tell what you the most interesting, and you can take that record home for free, how does that sound?" [[That sounds fantastic!]] [[I think I'll actually just look around myself, thank you.]]

"Alright let's start with Jazz." "This record right here is the essential Jazz record. Miles Davis-(text-style:"italic")[Kind of Blue]. Man, this album had some of the legends on there. Coltrane, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. And of course, the man himself, Miles Davis. Man, these cats knew rhythmn. And that rhythmn was free. They did whatever they wanted. It was pure artisitc expression. Once they went off in the club, everyone in there would be yelling "Blow man, blow!" It was a time, kid. I better stop myself before I start rambling. I'll do that from time to time. The point is, this album is something else." <img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4092/4835881864_56e53550c9_b.jpg" height="400" width="400"> [[Next]]

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"Of course, you got your Folk" "You wanna talk about some fine songwriting, you GOTTA include Simon and Garfunkel. What better place to start with their album, (text-style:"italic")[Bride Over Troubled Water]? I swear, you put on their song (text-style:"Italic")[The Boxer], you'll be out of your seat, feeling after single hit that this song brings. It's a got a pulsating beat that you feel in your (text-style:"italic")[bones], kid." <img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3662/3604975342_3a75aef03d_b.jpg" height="400" width="400"> [[Next|Next 2]]

"You know, I gotta take you to the Rock section." "So when you think about Rock, what do you think about?" You're taken off guard. "Ummmmmm...?" "You think about your Beatles. You think about your Stones. Your Led Zeppelin, am I right?" You nod, even though you're not quite sure what he's talkin about or where he's going with this. "Well, those are all well and good. But when it comes to something that is going to make you feel like you're on another planet entirely, you gotta turn your attention look David Bowie's (text-style:"italic")[Heroes], kid. This is the type of music that makes your heart soar, little man." <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/David_Bowie_-_Heroes.png" height="400" width="400"> [[Next|Next 3]]

"So, we've seen Jazz, Folk, and Rock. I'm going to show you one more genre that I think you're ready for." Whatever he is about to show you, you're probably not ready. "Welcome to the 36 Chambers, kid. Best protect your neck, cause this-this right here! It's shooting to kill, little man. If you're looking for the most hyped music imaginable with some of Rap music's most talented lyricists, you want in on this. This album is a battle between it's own members, kid. Unless your not considering Jazz a battle to outdo your band mates, then you won't find this type of visceral cause and effect music in any other genre." <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Wu-TangClanEntertheWu-Tangalbumcover.jpg" height="400" width="400"> [[Next|Next 4]]

"Well alright then! You've seen the records. Which one do you want, kid?" Miles Davis-(text-style:"italic")[Kind of Blue] [[Select|Miles]] <img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4092/4835881864_56e53550c9_b.jpg" height="400" width="400"> Simon and Garfunkel-(text-style:"italic")[Bridge Over Troubled Water] [[Select|Simon]] <img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3662/3604975342_3a75aef03d_b.jpg" height="400" width="400"> David Bowie-(text-style:"italic")[Heroes] [[Select|Bowie]] <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/David_Bowie_-_Heroes.png" height="400" width="400"> Wu-Tang Clan-(text-style:"italic")[Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)] [[Select|Wu]] <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Wu-TangClanEntertheWu-Tangalbumcover.jpg" height="400" width="400">

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