Back in our college days, first married ... Miriam and I had a two-bedroom apartment in our little college town. The second bedroom for a while was lined with plywood sheets cut to the height of floor-to-ceiling, with the pink fibreglass insulation tacked to them insulation-in for sound-deadening.
My amp, amps for the other guitarist & bass player, and the drummer's kit took up enough space we barely had room to stand (or sit, in Mayo's case of course ... ). We were on the end of a four-apartment single-floor block, and the neighbors were cool as long as we ALWAYS did our covers of Smoke on the Water and Johhny B. Goode at least at beginning & end of playing.
My father-in-law was ... horrified.
He had a b/w darkroom that he rarely used anymore, and several 35mm range-finder cameras. He thrust them at me. I started using the cameras, developing & printing b/w but still using his bathroom at first, then figured how to use our bathroom (without a window, handy!) and that bedroom for a little space.
Then our little band broke up. And I re-configured the practice room to a mini-studio. Liked doing portraits. Left school (just short of graduating as an English Lit/PE/Music teacher to set up a portrait studio.
My father-in-law was horrified.
Miriam taught for six years, a music teacher, then joined me full time in the studio.
My father-in-law was ... well, you can guess by now.
I seemed to have that effect the entire 35 years or so he lived after we were married.
My parents were much better. Well, my mom was horrified at my being Self-Employed, of course. Respectable people just ... didn't. They got paychecks. But they loved Miriam.
Although it was quite clear that for my family, had Miriam and I had issues, she was definitely the Keeper. And I ... well ... might be able to negotiate something.
Maybe. (But don't count on it ... )
I dunno, we've done pretty well, I think ... 42 years of marriage, 40 years of our down-town studio, nice 8+ acre near-park we live on just outside Monmouth where Miriam does a lot of her outdoor portraiture. The people we can take care of (because that's sort of what we do), our three grown kids, second grand-child (g-daughter this one!) due any moment, our daughter the Pastor, it's really a pretty nice life we've managed.
But there's not been any rock-guitar in many, many years .... ha. (Only a bit of jazz now ... )
Neil
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