25 Years of Metal and Motorcycles

 

I got my first motorcycle in 1991. It was in May and my school was having its annual carnival. My mom dropped me off at the school and I had a great time playing games and goofing off with my friends. One friend was having his birthday party right after the carnival, so I was going to walk to his house. To my surprise, my dad was waiting for me at the door when I was on my way out of the school.

I looked at him with a confused look and asked why he was there. His only reply was, "I bought you a motorcycle." I just about fainted! I had been dreaming of riding for years and had been staring longingly at all the older kids riding their motorcycles. I didn't want to go to my friend's party anymore! I wanted to get home to ride right away.

I ended up going to my friend's house because I didn't want to be rude (I'm sure my parents made me). This was the longest party I had ever been to...time just dragged on and on! I guess you could say that this is when my obsession with motorcycles began.

I bring this up, because 1991 is also the year my parents gave me something else. For Christmas, my mom gave me a cassette tape of Metallica (The Black Album). Prior to this, music was basically just background noise to me. This began my other obsession, Heavy Metal and music in general.

This all came to my mind because I just saw Metallica in concert for the first time and it brought me back to that eleven year old kid in 1991, discovering the things he loved. Through everything else that has happened in my life over the past 25 years, my sheer enthusiasm for Metallica and motorcycles hasn't changed. If you ask my wife, I'm probably still as mature as that eleven year old as well!

We are the one as we are all the same

fighting for one cause

Leather and metal are our uniforms

protecting what we are

Joining together to take on the world

with our heavy metal

Spreading the message to everyone here

come let yourself go

 

From "Metal Militia" by Metallica