Younger Girl

Last week I wrote about John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful, and those first rock photos I got to take. While I followed him down the street a couple of times before that as a teenager, I never had the nerve to talk to him. Too shy I guess (big crush). And yet that didn't stop me from going up to Joe Butler of the Spoonful and spending an hour or so with him (don't get your hopes up, this is not that kind of story. I was very young and it was totally, completely innocent.)


I was working in a photo studio on lower 5th Avenue for a month one high school summer and I always spent my lunch hour walking around the Village. I was in heaven, it was exactly the place I wanted to be. And then one day, on 8th Street I think, there was Joe. I recognized him immediately, of course, it was still the heyday of the Spoonful. And just like that I went over to him and we ended up talking and walking around the Village. (Too bad it was before I kept a camera in my bag.) It was so easy. So comfortable. We just wandered out there in the street until I had to go back to work. I didn't even ask for an autograph. Just a fan spending some time with one of her favorite musicians.


I look back at that perfect rock moment now, and I know that nothing like that could happen now. I was too young and it would be too dangerous (can't be seen, even in public, with an underaged girl!) or too sleazy (gotta live up to that rock and roll lifestyle!) or too public (paparazzi are everywhere!) And that's really too bad.