Culture Shock

That cool new group on the Ed Sullivan Show was none other than the Beatles. Little did I know it at the time, but it was the first wave of the British Invasion...and that convention that I rode out to with my Dad? The upshot was that we were all moving to Hawaii. Dad was a Geophysicist, which had taken him to Antarctica and the data collection point for the IGY had been the University of Wisconsin. Now the focus had shifted to mapping the ocean bottom, and the new headquarters was the University of Hawaii. To top it all off, Mom had remarried.

We arrived in Hawaii; new family, new school (Punahou), new music and new culture (where white folks were a minority). The only other place I had been punched just for being a white guy had been Chicago, IL. Beneath the veneer of tourist-oriented artificial Aloha there exists a sort of abiding antipathy between the various ethnic groups. Some get along better than others, but one thing is certain: until you master the fine points of Hawaiian Pidgin, you are definitely regarded as an outsider, no matter what your ethnicity. No single ethnic group is a majority, although considered together Japanese Americans and transplanted U.S. Mainlanders (Haoles) far outnumber everyone else.

I mention the ethnic demographics of Hawaii because they dictate what music is played over the airwaves. Two types of music predominate: Top 40's and Hawaiian Music. Consequently, trying to find music that appealed to my tastes consisted of radio roulette, where about 90% of the airplay consisted of songs that didn't appeal, but you loved it when they played the other 10%. I didn't know it at the time, but my preferences were all based around the blues, whether it was British guys covering American blues cats from the 40's and 50's, or rock or rhythm & blues.

In high school I picked up a guitar and my buddies and I shared musical tidbits we had learned from Bob Dylan's Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan live on YouTube) (The Byrds & Dylan live on YouTube) to incorrect versions of Eric Clapton's Sunshine of Your Love. (Live performance on YouTube) (Correct way to play on YouTube).

But that was all at a distance. What really made the difference for me was the live performances.

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Next Installment: Memorable Performances