“To be one, to be united is a great thing.
But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.”
~ Bono
I’ve known Steve Vance my whole life. Our paternal grandmothers were half sisters. We lived next door to each other until I was 10 when we moved to Tucson. Unbeknownst to Steve, he was influential in molding my musical tastes. In fact, it’s because of him that I love hard rock. His parents built his bedroom in their basement. He had black light posters everywhere, a pool table, and a killer stereo. That’s where I first heard Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water. I remember that riff piercing my skull like it was yesterday. It changed everything. As I was driving to meet Steve today, I flipped on the classic rock station. What was playing? Smoke on the Water. I’m not kidding. I was transported back to those glowing Hendrix posters, the damp basement smell, and seriously loud crunching guitars. It makes me smile just thinking about it. We give each other gifts in all kinds of ways, like the gift Steve gave me as a kid. We rarely know their full impact. I was overcome with happiness to see Steve. I thought he was the coolest guy ever. I still do.
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