Jimi Hendrix and The Big Wheel

Now wouldn’t that be a Polaroid moment if Jimi was here. Jimi speeding down a slight hill on a plastic trike type that sits 6 inches from the ground and about 24″ long. Huge plastic wheel on the front about 16″ around and two whhels on the back on each side about 5″ around. Mean ass bike.

Pedals running circles each side of the ‘big wheel’) so fast if Jimi stuck a leg in it would be chopped clean off.

But damn Jimi was righteous. Spreading his legs to one side so as not to break a leg, Peavy in his lap, headband so tight it’s leaving impressions on his head, All alo9ng the Watchtower.

I was doing some cleaning in my room and had a ceramic Jimi on my desk. Bought him at a Hippie type store in Augusta, cool store.  It was Jimi knneling down with outstrethed hands praying to his guitar he just set on fire., ya know that famous scene he had at the Monteray Pop Festival in 1967. Cool piece.It was an incense burner.

Jimi broke off the guitar and that wasn’t bad so I had a ceramic guitar and a ceramic Jimi.

But alas I dropped Jimi while cleaning and could almost feel burning in my eyes as boths his hands were amputated and the teeth were chipped. See ya Jimi.

Big Wheels. You were the man if you had one during the ,70’s. Still get ‘em today, thinking about putting one in my room. My Dads buddies used to hang out in front of the house drinking beer and egging me on. Bozo and Digger O’Dell mostly. Don’t know why tey were called that just knew thats what my dad called ‘em and t6hat was cool with me. I really felt like one of the guys, they really made me feel part. Bozo was in the FD with my Dad so always went to fires and meetings with them and Digger owned the towns only funeral home so with my Dad being Cheif of Police I saw him lots.

We lived on this hill, not a big one. Probaly a 35% grade on 35 feet of asphalt. Youi could really get your speed up if you were on a bike, a skateboard or a BIG WHEEL! Took the ride aboput 4 times a day.

There was this dive down the bottom of the hill. Dad called it the ‘greasy spoon ‘ out of fun. Just a hole in the wall where you could get a pizza or play pinball or bumper pool. They would get pissed at me cause I would I would take my ride and then go in andd ask them for a drink of water. I would also get the water but not without an earful of very colorful language.

So took a ride down there one Saturday afternoon and the place had some newbies there. I may have only been 8 years old but I knew who was there at what time all day. Gawd I’m not stupid.

No clue who they were but they swore lots and you could smell the leather outside the door. Guess they thought it was kinda quaint seeing an 8 year old in a dive like this. Before I knew it they bought me a pizza and we played like 5 games of bumper pool. Found out later it was Dr.Hook. They were playing that night at the ACC and they just flew in. Figured they would stop.

Shoveled the pizza down and took off. No clue who Dr.Hook was and really didn’t care much then. A couple years later I figured it out. Wonder if he remembers?

Thought I was a real bad ass, real tough. Parked my Big Wheel in a line of motorcycles. Figured I would stroll up a street on the left(main) and see whats up with my sister. She was wotking at this place that vwas a combop quik stop deal and a hardware store. Youi could go in there and pick up a lb of ten penny and have a mean ass italian in one stop. I went in their lots because my sister worked with a sexy ass lady! She thought I was cute and I ate in all up. Heard she is a crazy ass bitch now.

There was like a ‘celebrity’ gonna be there today. He had just finished writing what seemed like a 500 page horror novel and people were starting to bat an eye. It was Stephen King and he had just finished The Stand. I remember he was real young, real dark, looked mean and friendly, smelled good too. Kinda reminded me of some of the pictures I would see when colleges would send schedule etc. Beatniks.

He had a stack of that 500 page thing and he would autograph it if you bought the book. Can’t remember what the book cost but shit didn’t matter much cause I was just 8.

Had to have his autograph but didn’t know why. Just knew someone kind of important was around and I needed to be a part. Had a clue so off I went.

There was the town library just up tyhe road about 1/4 mile and I was in there a lot checking on Hardy Boys books so they didn;t pay me much attention when I walked in. I went directly to the Hardy Boys part which happened to be way down in back . The place where you check out books was on the left up front so you couldn’t see me. I felt like the Godfather or those plastic army guys Bozo bought for me once,

Hunkered up against the shelve as close as I could get.Sqiunting to the left and then to the right again. Swiftly and almost like it was second nature I grabbed a book and shoved it down my pants. “Mystery of The Hidden Caverns”

Wonder what happened to that book? Wonder what it would be worth now with his signiture.