Buzz:  The Early Years

part 2

If Buzz’s early years were filled with lonely turmoil and desperation brought

about by isolation and abandonment, his pre-adolescence was going to cure all

that pent up frustration.  It was a time when abnormal behavior was a good

way to become accepted.  It was a time when the youth of America was

shaking off the doldrums of the fifties, the crew cuts, the high school lettered

sweaters, the hot rod cars and the “Leave it to Beaver” lifestyle.  The youth of

America was turning on and turning society out.  And Buzz, having seen all

that happening as a small infant, growing up with a dad that viewed the world

as one giant aquarium to look at but not enter, was going to go for all the gusto

he could.  Buzz started young, probably the youngest shoplifter this side of the

Ohio river.  The older kids would come to buzz’ house to “turn-on” because

Buzz had a secret hide out in his tree fort and his poor mother, in her

disillusionment in her husband and her own guilt in knowing she had raised a

future rock and roll addict, let Buzz do just about anything he wanted to do. 

Buzz started hanging out with a really fast crowd, an out-cast crowd, smoking

pot, inhaling duco cement glue, and then later, into the chemicals.

And the sad thing about it folks is that Buzz was   finally getting some friends

to hang out with, people who gravitated to rock music like rats to cheese, and

rock and roll was all they had between them, it’s was what they started to live

for, it became their faith. 

Buzz started going to beer parties way before his face popped its first pimple,

and he started smoking cigarettes and listening to all kinds of rock music with

dark overtones that would make him go into a kind of trance.  His lifestyle had

to have an effect somewhere, and Buzz soon found that good grades at school

were low on his priority list.

Buzz was going downhill fast, his feet started to smell, his pores started oozing

foul sweat and his breath carried an odor similar to a full ash tray that has

been left out in the rain.  And he wasn’t even fourteen  yet!  Could this all be

attributed to Buzz’ childhood, or was it his environment, that mid-western

boredom that had befallen our hero.  Everything we know about buzz so far

leads to both conclusions.  But lets not panic here.  For these are the early

years, the formative years, when Wonder Bread helps your body grow twelve

different ways.  When your mother serves Hostess Cakes, and Twinkies 

because of the value and nutrition. Hopefully Buzz has been eating lots of all

those wholesome foods, because the drugs and alcohol will certainly have their

draining effects on Buzz’ pulse.

Indeed Buzz’ grades were faltering, but he did excel in one area.  Buzz had

quite an imagination, and he always thought he would end up one day on the

“cover of the Rolling Stone”….