To the editor:
Oh! What a blast from the past! (Korporation – ‘Taking Care of business’ – Aug. 12, 2009). It was great seeing the band again, after all these years. Wayne Hall was a neighbor of mine. I recall summer days in the mid-1960s doing chores. Then, like a pounding heart beat — I’d hear the thundering sound of drums, the serenade of guitars and a keyboard for good measure. Chores were put on hold as I joined other teens and near-teens, in the neighborhood, to flock over to the yard at the end of Burns Avenue in Burgess village (it is now an extension of Russ Street). We threw ourselves down, lying on the green grass, peering down through the cellar windows at a local band while they practiced. It was a time of innocence, and … some of us had crushes on those guys. “You had to be there!” I can remember going to a few dances that the Korporation played at. I was younger then — and healthier (weren’t we all?) When they filled the building with music, I forgot who I was and where I was! The music lifted me up on to my feet, moving me all over the floor.
So, tonight (August 14, 2009), I dressed in my jeans, my orange and blue tie-dyed Grateful Dead T-shirt and old white sneakers. I grabbed my cane and took hold of my husband, because I can no longer walk anywhere outside of my home without his or our daughter’s assistance due to fibromyalgia/multiple sclerosis, severely impaired balance and dislocated knee.
I sat there in the Wellness Center, transported back in time as I looked across to Wayne and the rest of the band. I forgot my disability. I was a young girl again even though I wasn’t able to get up and dance. I kind of head-banged to the music, a little. I tapped my good foot on the floor, and tapped my hand against my good knee. I sang along, with a big smile lighting up my face.
I wanted to just stay there all night and enjoy a reunion with The Korporation. Perhaps they can all get back together for another reunion, sometime?
For someone who is pretty much a shut-in, I was happy that the concert was easily accessible for those of us who do have disabilities.
To “The ‘boys’ in the band” … thanks for the music and amazing memories.
Caribou
