The Bio-Vlog

“At my table, we have Lamb’s Players Actor Lynn Hansen and Richard’s sidekick since high school Jim Blowers. I’d like you both to open with your initial reminiscences when first meeting Richard.”Well, Jon,” Lynn says, “What I thought about Rick was mostly sad or dramatic.…

I buy the acid. The Purple Haze feels so small and incidental. I hold it between my fingers, feeling how small it is, as I try to get up the courage to try some. I break off about a third of the tablet and swallow…

“Hey Dad,” I ask casually, “will you give me a dollar for every word that I exceed my previous typing score? Right now I’m up to forty-two words per minute and could use a little motivation to see if I can improve my numbers.”  “Sure,…

Out of the corner of my right eye, following the edge of the road, I pedal my bicycle to the station and ask, “Hey Art, can you get me some acid?” “Yeah, sure,” he says coolly. “Right now, I’m dealing in two-man tabs of Purple…

During my eighth grade year we are shown films on the dangers of LSD, and of course we know it is a ploy to scare us into staying straight.  After school I want to see if I can get any reaction or signs of caring…

I’m feeling sorry for myself, when I recall one of my teacher’s warnings: “Never look directly at the sun!” So, I take my large magnifying glass, climb up the stairs out of my damp mold-soaked bedroom, head outside, hold the magnifying glass skyward, and stare…

The specter of death is back. My paternal grandmother remarried after my grandfather was crushed to death. Her new husband is sharpening a roofing knife when she comes home to fix him lunch. First he tries to shoot her with a shotgun, but she wrestles…

As I struggle with coming to terms with my Mother and immediate visual challenges, other events have horrible impacts that send shivers down my spine. A fire breaks out in my aunt’s home, and my Uncle Bud, along with four cousins, burn to death. I…

In school we are forced to watch a creepy film full about bullies called, Lord of the Flies.” The film reveals how evil grabs a bunch of boys stranded on an isolated island. What frightens me most, is one of the kids is fat, asthmatic,…

I’m at the 1966 state-wide Boys Club Sports and Art Competition. I’m working on an art project, when two boys approach me. “Hey, it’s Mr. Magoo!” one says. “Got any money, Magoo?” the other bully asks.  One of them snatches my wallet from my back…