GSW Formation - version #1

It was a dark and stormy night in the summer of 89. Dan's folks were off to England again. He was having another party at their house. The house was jam packed with suburban rich kids, drinking, dancing, and having sex in the master bedroom. Jon was there. Jon was drunk. Dan was drunk. Everyone was drunk. Dan and Jon bumped into each other while waiting to use the can. Dan had just been with a woman, Jon needed to vomit. All was normal. They started talking, they got depressed. Is this it? Is this as good as it gets? They decided that there must be more to life. They got some instruments and went into the garage to learn how to play.....

At around the same time that Jon and Dan were playing their first chords, Tom was flying back from a year long sebatical in Tibet. He had been studying eastern Philosophy at Princeton University, but was not getting enough out of it. He had to find himself. He received a few grants from the University (being that he was one of their prized students) and took off to Tibet to figure out what it all meant, and how he related to it all. He was sitting in the full lotus position atop a mountain, when he had an epiphany. It was a bright light in the sky. Perhaps just the sun for you skeptics, but to him it meant much, much more.....

As the sun fell over the mountains of Tibet, Lo and Aaron were just getting off their shift on the New Jersey Railroad. They had been pulling damaged spikes and hammering in new ones. It was 97 degrees that day, and they were both covered with dirt and grime. Needless to say they were thirsty. On their way home they decided to stop in at the Nightingale for a quick beer to get refreshed. They were greeted at the door by a lanky and sardonic young man. They paid a small cover for the privelege of hearing some local band. They didn't care much for music, but Aaron said he really needed a 'few cold brewskies', so he paid the cover for the both of them and ordered the first round. They took some seats at the bar. Boy was it empty. The music started. Both Aaron and Lo turned towards the band.....

When the sun finally fell Tom was so excited he stripped of all his clothes and ran naked down the mountain. After spending a brief sojourn in a Tibetan jail, cited for indecent exposure, he sprinted to the airport to get immediately to New York and head to the Nightingale bar. While on the mountain, this is kind of what Tom went through. The light grew brighter and brighter. It took over the whole sky. It covered him until he could no longer see the mountain, until he could no longer see himself. He was alone in the universe. There was no color, no sound, no self. He was everything and he was nothing. Just when he felt his mind disappearing as well, he heard a thump. Then another thump. Still another thump. Then a series of thumps. The thumps made no sense. They were irregular and out of time. He knew what he must do. He must find this thumping and make it make sense. His body returned. The mountain returned. Off went his clothes and down the mountain he went.....

The drummer for Dan and Jon's band had just kicked off the first tune at the Nightingale. He thumped away in some irregular manner. They were terrible. As thirsty as Aaron and Lo were, they just couldn't take it. Either they would have to leave, or kick the drummers ass. Aaron ripped off his shirt, flexed his muscles, and went towards the band. Just then Tom came running in. The guy at the door didn't bother to ask him for money, Tom had just told him he worked for the Spin Doctors. He tackled Aaron just before he could pummel the drummer. Tom calmed Aaron down. He said, 'Wait, I've had a vision'. He calmly walked to the drummer. He asked if he might be able to give it a go. Being that Tom had just saved the drummer from the menacing Aaron Maxwell, he agreed. Tom began thumping, he thumped and he thumped and he thumped. It was glorious. Dan and Jon kicked in. They sounded good for the first time. Aaron and Lo were able to drink their beers while listening to the intricate rhythms coming from the band. All was well. All was good.....

It took a few more weeks before Lo and Aaron decided to join the band. They had returned numerous times to the Nightingale to listen to the trio after working on the railroad. They made friends. They joined up. They all learned to play.....