The more I think about it,

The more I think about it, the more obvious it gets: 2009 was a good year for Ska and me. Much, much better than 2008 I recall. And if the trend remains steady, 2010 will be even better. I did not buy any Ska records or went to see a lot of bands there are still some absolute highlights in my balance. Here they are in a chronological order. 1.) I visited London to see The Specials for the first time in my life That alone made the year extraordinary. The Specials were the band that brought me to Ska music in 1980, never letting me go until now. I was 14 years old at the time, my life changed the moment that I saw them performing “Rudy, A Message To You” on German TV, but I couldn’t find a way to see them then at their only tour through Germany. Still the voices of some so-called “friends” are haunting me who – being a few years older – bragged about how great The Specials had been in Cologne. Thanks so much, Volker and Gerald! In the next years my life was ruled by Jerry Dammers, Terry Hall and their lot. I soaked up everything I could find on them, The Specials were God, and I was a their truthful servant. Their political inclinations helped me overcome some ideas of my conservative upbringing. The will to understand their lyrics improved my English, and I also got a clear view of where I wanted to go with my guitar playing. Had The Specials only spoken out about the greatness of studying natural sciences, Latin or Greek, my academic comedown in the next years could have been prevented. For some years you could rarely see me in jeans and t-shirt, much more frequently in suits, profiting largely from my grandfather Josef’s death. I spent many afternoons at the home of a retired tailor Jacobs who followed my instructions for stylish alterations of the suits as best as he could. Maybe I should write a list post giving details about how The Specials helped shape my life. Maybe I should move on now to 2009 now. Although some members of The Specials reformed in the 1990s I never went to see them, because I didn’t think it was the real thing without Jerry Dammers and Terry Hall. Then 30th anniversay reunion tour of The Specials was announced in late 2008, and I followed reports on that pretty closely. Terry Hall was in, that was the good thing. Jerry Dammers was not, that was the worse thing. I fought with myself, would it be a betrayal of Jerry Dammers if I went to see The Specials? Surely it was. But I went for it, telling myself that my trip to London was not all about seeing the band of my life play live for the first time, but that I was visiting the former Braces organ player Steffi and her boy-friend, who had moved to London, and BY THE WAY going to see The Specials. So, that’s a whole different thing. Apart from that, I could tell myself that there was still a slight chance that Jerry changed his mind and joined the rest on stage. I got tickets for Thursday’s performance at the Brixton Academy in London. When we arrived at the location, we Top 3 happenings of my life in Ska 2009. What were yours? 1. Joining Alpha Boy Until this summer my bloblog. 2. Seeing The Specials live 3. Starting joescholes.com