My Alice Cooper Story... You never break a promise to a kid..

ARGH!! I am humbled AGAIN... and laughing at myself to boot...

It was OZZY, NOT ALICE!!

OZZY, NOT ALICE! I took them to see OZZY, NOT ALICE COOPER....

But I don't like OZZY any better than Alice......Ah, well... I am going to leave this here JUST for my own...humiliation and mortification.

Humbling, isn't it? LOLOL oh, I am glad I can laugh at myself...sometimes...


Sometimes you do something and it stays with you, or with others for a long time. Hopefully, that something is a good thing, but often, it isn't. Today, I am reminded of a bad thing that was turned into a good thing...

I have NEVER been a fan of Alice Cooper. (or Ozzy Osbourne... LOL)

NEVER. And it surprised me when my youngest became a fan of his...in fact, it nauseated me as I remembered things from the past that were said to have happened onstage...

As he was seventeen, and dating a young girl from his class, my youngest child came to me one day and asked if he could use MY CAR to go to an Alice Cooper Concert.

Drawback...it was at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre near East Troy, Wisconsin. That was nearly two hours away, about 110 miles from Oshkosh, WI, where we lived at the time!

My child had barely had his license when he totaled my vehicle. About a block from a STOP SIGN he had stopped at... going under
25 MPH... (well, he could not have gotten TOO much faster in that short space... I think... ??) My favorite vehicle, because I am short, and yet I fit that car perfectly! It was fairly new; it had really comfortable seats; it was pretty; it was a Dodge Spirit; and now I should let him drive my car to EAST TROY? Uhm... NOOO.. I don't think so. (For ALICE COOPER???)
(or Ozzy Osbourne... LOL)

He assured me that Alice C (OZZY) was "CHRISTIAN now, MOM"... So? I am glad he is Christian (if he really is...) but what does that have to do with you taking MY CAR for a two hour drive ONE WAY, with a carload of teens??

He kept asking, and eventually even asked me if I would take them! That is getting pretty desparate. Asking your Mom to drive you and your girlfriend to an outdoor Concert two hours away, one way... to see someone she can barely tolerate to even think about without ... remembering...and gagging...??

I said "nope, sorry, cannot do it. Nope, sorry, ask your Dad. HE probably LIKES Alice Cooper... "

He asked his Dad.

He promised to pay for a ticket for his Dad.

His Dad said yes. He was THRILLED... I am not sure if Dad was or not...

Then the day came.

It was overcast and raining a little.

Dad called. Make a long story short... Dad thought that they would be rained out, and did not want to go that far for a concert that was going to be called off... (HE had to come from Appleton TO Oshkosh before picking up the young couple...).

My son was now devastated. He was angry, hurt, and in tears.

What's a mother to do? Especially one who has lived Promises for all these years (vows)... who KNOWS that you do not promise something that you do not intend to follow through on? (Remember, Jesus tells us to let our yes be yes, our no be no...?)

My heart broke again. I just did not get this guy... and I heard myself saying.... "Oh, alright... I'll drive you, but I am NOT going IN!! I will take books and I will sit in the car (IN ALL THAT HEAT... or rain...ARGH) until it is over. "

Two reasons for wasting that extra ticket and not going in.....

ONE... I was not convinced that Alice Cooper was ... changed... or that his music had .. changed...
TWO...As soon as the music starts on that lawn, EVERYONE stands up, so no matter HOW GOOD A PLACE YOU THINK YOU FOUND, you see NOTHING if you are not ten feet tall, and I don't even hit half of that!

My son looked at me in shock... he called his young lady friend and said.." We are GOING! MOM is taking us!!! "

Sigh...

We went.
They enjoyed it immensely, and even found some 'tickets' or something that enabled them to get into the SEATING area right up near the stage! (See, that is one of the benefits of not having Mom with you who certainly would say... "we didn't pay for those seats, we'll get kicked out.. get out of there... NOW! " )

Meanwhile, I sat out in the massive parking lot. (No, I am not a martyr...)

HOT.. why? NO RAIN... NOT ONE DROP (remember why Dad would not go?).... sigh... so I used good gas to cool off at strategic times, ate some snacks I had bought on the way down, read my book, and then watched.... as these young guys... really weird looking guys... came right by my car, sounding ... well, like they were having a 'good time' if you catch my drift... and yup, also drinking...and now... cooking out... So that meant, they would be there awhile.

I locked my doors. Sigh.. that meant I wasn't going to get out and walk around a bit to stay awake, etc... I read, I watched, I prayed... and I found out I was judgmental...

As I was absorbed in reading, suddenly, a shadow showed up at my left, and a rap on the window... one of "those guys" was there, signaling me to roll down my window.... sigh... I did, just a little. "Hey, you want a brat? We got extras, and saw you sitting here! ... Really!! Here, take one.. Oh, and you want a beer?? (barf... I may be from Wisconsin, but I have NEVER liked beer...) ....or a soda? We got Pepsi... !!"

So I got a Brat and a Pepsi from the 'weird guys'... and a lesson... and then... waves from them as they packed up and returned to the concert...and I unlocked my car doors.

Oh, and as for NOT wanting to attend that concert?? Remember, it is an outdoor concert?

I heard every word, every song, everything, even with the radio on and the windows rolled up and the air-conditioner on full blast when the car was running, including the ... language... sigh... They had not convinced ME that Alice Cooper had 'changed'....

The Reward was the joy my son had at having been there, hearing them tell me all about the event, including getting front seats... and showing me their souvenirs. I also reaped the reward of a bit of respect from my son...

But... the ULTIMATE reward was after we'd returned home when he called his Dad to tell him that he had gone to the concert, had gorgeous weather, got fantastic seating... and what? who took me? MOM!

I think Dad dropped his teeth. MOM?? yup, Mom...

Grin... ok, I am not yet a Saint, and I did take great delight in that (and I still do... HUGE GRIN )

So, Ok, over the years, I have learned that YES, Alice Cooper is recovering and Christian, and maybe that incident that still nauseates me to even think of didn't really happen quite the way the story went.....

Why am I thinking of this today?

Because Alice Cooper was on Fox News today, talking about what he is doing to 'give back' and help young kids.

I still do not like his music... but... You ROCK, Alice!

ABOUT US

The Story

As fathers of two teenagers and long-time residents of Arizona, Alice Cooper and Chuck Savale understand firsthand how desperately communities must address the needs of teenagers. The two friends envisioned a Christian non-profit organization solely dedicated to helping teenagers & children. In November 1995, through prayer and planning, Solid Rock Foundation began with the help of several other men and women in the community.

But guess what else I learned today....note the date in the paragraph above......
Solid Rock Foundation was already in existence when my son wanted to go to see Alice Cooper at Alpine Valley.

WHY SOLID ROCK

Our Mission Solid Rock's primary goal is to honor Christ by helping to meet the spiritual, economical, physical, and social needs of teenagers and children within our community. Our Goals To honor Christ by providing a facility geared toward teenagers that will help them to negotiate through the turbulent adolescent years. The relationally trained Christian staff, of men and women, and the different venues will create an atmosphere which will make it a place where they will want to hang out. "The Rock" the name of the building will be designed to be a flexable needs structure centered around music. Programs will focus around a multi-use concert hall, coffee house (kitchen/snack bar for concert & other events), indoor basketball/floor hockey court, rock climbing walls, sound room and recording studio, computer/reading/study rooms, game room. Our goal is to make an everlasting difference in the lives of the teenagers and children we are dedicated to helping.

And I have been humbled... again...

God bless!