So last week I ran into Andrew, a guy I knew in high school.
During my senior year in high school, I took the 134 bus from Winthrop St. to Wellington Station a few times a week. I’d frequently see a cool-looking guy, tall and skinny with wire-frame specs and a tweed overcoat. Since he was the only person on the bus who wasn’t an old lady, I gravitated towards him, and we’d spend the trip talking about punk rock and comic books. We had a pretty casual friendship and he fell off my radar (sort of) when I graduated, but he introduced me to Kurt Vonnegut and he gave me a crummy tape dub of Double Nickels on the Dime. As an adult, I appreciate that Andrew took me seriously and didn’t try to test my boundaries, the way a lot of men did when I was a teenager.
While we lost touch once my senior year ended, I’d followed a few of his projects without realizing he was responsible for them. He was a contributor to the Fake AP Stylebook, which needs no introduction and which makes me cry with laughter during its lifespan. He also ran the (now sadly defunct) Comic Punx blog about — would you believe? — punk rock in comic books. More recently, you can find him at Armagideon Time.
In honor of reconnecting with cool people, here’s a clip of Mike, D, and George of the Minutemen on an unnamed public access broadcast.
The Commonwealth of the Alpaca Queen 