I was in HS and was really into music, thought it was super important, kind of a juvenile mindset but I really did love music and was always searching out new bands.

I went to HS with a girl who later became a somewhat popular singer that went by the name of Poe, maybe you’ve heard of her. Anyway we were both in journalism, I was the sports editor for the school paper and she was the arts and entertainment editor, and we would always talk music and bands. She was big into new wave and I really liked hard rock and punk rock although I liked new wave as well. So one time in class she tells me I’ve got to listen to this new band she heard somewhere named The Smiths, she’d actually dubbed a cassette tape of the Meat is Murder album for me, it runs in my mind this was about 1984.

So I popped it into my Walkman and listened to it during class and loved it. I thought they had a retro folk rock sensibility with a post punk edge, just really cool, and the guitar blew me away.

Loved them ever since.

And in case anyone is interested here is the video of Poe’s biggest hit “Angry Johnny”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrygAv93Ick