I guess a good thing to have in place before I begin my literary expectorating is to give you a little background on myself. Not that I intend for this blog series to become all you never wanted to know about Bill Paschick. But there are quite a few elements of my history that could be considered the primordial incubator to my belief system that later led to many elements and influencing forces in my life.
These would eventually become foundations and greatly stimulate my business and technical strategies as well as my personal convictions. For there is indeed a quantum physics to the spirit. Though I do not intend to prove that conventional quantum physics (boy there is a contradiction in terms) is one in the same when it comes to matters of spirit. There has been and remains, in my opinion and experience, good cause to believe that the Spirit of the Universe is no less immune to the laws and paradoxes that placate as well as renovate the physical. For me, the universe did a lot of its communicating via Star Trek and music. But that is for yet another blog installment.
So, back to our regularly scheduled program here on earth; First off and perhaps most important is to note that I suffer from chronic entrepreneurialism. Since I was a kid I seemed to have a propensity to start my own club rather than join existing ones. With very short stints playing basketball, even football and some longer stays in the percussion sections of the high school marching band and orchestra, I indeed floated around the halls of all the schools I attended from grammar to college in search of which costume fit best. But one faithful day, at a school dance in the 7th grade, I had what I would later call a “wow moment”. That is a moment where the universe puts forth such a compelling and sensible logistic about life that it is near impossible to ignore.
I hated school dances but I went to them anyway. Back then, there was no internet, FaceBook or texting. How else was I to meet chicks? I did not dance but at the same time could not endure joining the rest of the introverts lined up around the perimeter of the gymnasium acting as bulk heads or pillars holding up the walls. Yet, I liked being around people and thought all the girls running around was a nice plus. Then, up on the stage I saw and heard the ultimate answer. The band! They were at the dance but neither dancing nor leaning up against the wall. From that moment on I had the rock ‘n’ roll bug.
Within a few weeks I borrowed my mother’s classical guitar and grabbed my friends Roman and Eric to my first ever rock band rehearsal. Though only classically and officially trained in percussion, I picked guitar at first because the guitar players were up front (ah the first initial bouts with the ego). After plucking out the obligatory Smoke on the Water, the only other songs I could muster up at the time that did not include too many painful bar chords was Day Tripper and Chicago’s 25 or 6 to 4. That first session was fun as I recall; but quite frustrating. Who was going to sing? It was then I had another little wow-moment and thought let me get back on the drums. (A place I should have stayed. But more on that later).
In this position I could be a bit more in demand and already had a good reputation around the school. In my usual fashion, I did not join any band but rather created a few with one, in particular, coming to some pleasant fruition with a couple of brother’s Dick and Andy Van Housen. We named the band Highway and started our first song “Running with the Devil” by Van Halen. It was awesome! I so much enjoyed the sound and the feeling that came over me. It was indeed magic!
Fast forward to the first talent show in 8th grade. I forget why Dick’s brother Andy could not play bass with us. Maybe because he was older. But we got Roman on guitar and a little wiry blond kid named Mike on bass and the second version of Highway was formed! That talent show was awesome! We played Led Zepplin’s Rock ‘n Roll (no vocals L). We got a little article and picture in the newspaper. (Ah, my first run in with the press. Boy did that put the ego into full gear.) However, between my frustration with playing the sickeningly repetitive Led Zeppelin songs, the difficulty leading the band from the drum seat and the fact that in that first newspaper photo I was in the back. I made the very non-wow-moment decision to go back to guitar. Rhythm guitar is where I would stay until the horrible but inevitable realization that I would not be a rock star.
