Heroes

The subject of heroes has always been a favorite of mine. I know we all have them for various reasons. I grew up having heroes like The Lone Ranger, The Fonz, Mickey Mantle, Petra, Bret Michaels and Poison, and of course, my father. These are all still heroes of mine in my ripe old age.

The first superhero cowboy I ever saw on TV was The Lone Ranger. He wore a mask, rode a horse called Silver, shot silver bullets, and had a sidekick named Tonto. I'm sure I've seen about every episode Clayton Moore and John Hart were ever in as the lead. I saw the old movie from my childhood and the newer movie a couple years ago. I even remember when John Hart was on Happy Days. He was a true good guy and still had an air of mystery to him.

The Fonz was the man when I was growing up. He could just rap his knuckles on a jukebox and it would play a rock n roll hit. He could snap his fingers and get the girl. He wore a leather jacket and rode a motorcycle and everyone thought he was the ultimate in cool. He was a daredevil jumping sharks and barrels and driving in a crashup derby. Most importantly, he had Pinkie Tuscadaro!

Mickey Mantle was the ultimate baseball player on the ultimate team. He played injured and still put up numbers that other ballplayers only dreamed of. He was also one of my dad's favorite players so I read about every book I could get my hands on about Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees. He made me want to play baseball and dream of playing for the Yankees. Being a preacher's kid, I also thought I'd be the team chaplain in the dugout and pitch on the field. I wanted to be a right handed pitcher putting up Ron Guidry numbers and then hit instead of using the DH rule so that I could be Mickey at the plate.

Petra was the first Christian rock group I really enjoyed. I'd heard Servant and heard of Fireworks, but Petra truly rocked. They had a guy that REO Speedwagon had wanted before Kevin Cronin came back to the band. Their guitar player was the only original member and he wrote some great rock tunes that I could get away with listening to as a preacher's kid. I will never forget seeing them live the first time and I will never forget meeting the lineup when John Schlitt from Head East joined up. Great guys with great music and I still follow them to this day.

As I got older, I was able to watch MTV when my parents were gone. The first video I ever saw that made me whip my head back to the TV was Poison's Talk Dirty To Me. That guitar riff just hooked me. These guys were running around in confetti and doing the craziest things while playing. I couldn't believe that rock music could look so outrageous and be that catchy. I quickly learned who these 4 crazy looking characters were and found they had the most outrageous names, too. They were rock n roll superheroes. Being a singer, I couldn't wait to be out of my parents' house and doing what Bret Michaels was doing. That guy led the party according to the videos and the interviews I read in Hit Parader, Circus, Metal Edge, and RIP magazines. I still have those old mags in my basement. He and his band got all the girls and sang the coolest tunes and had the best look of any band out at the time. I still buy everything these guys put out individually or collectively. Shoot, at Waterstock I found 3 singles of Bret's that I needed so I grabbed them up since his new CD wasn't out, yet. Last November I had done that with a VHS tape and a couple other CD's. I even grabbed a setlist to get signed and if you check out the picture gallery you can see I finally got to meet Bret. Poison rocks and Bret is still a hero to me.

My dad is my biggest hero, though, and I didn't realize just how much so until I started having my own kids. When I was young he was a hero to me, but as I entered my teens I couldn't see things more differently. Thankfully, age has taught me the error of that way of thinking and I find myself at times thinking more like my dad. He knew what he was doing in protecting me, encouraging me, and making sure I was brought up in a loving home. He set an example of how a marriage should work and how parenthood should be. He encouraged me in my love of sports and even helped my brothers and I get a sound system so we could pursue our singing. He coached my first baseball team. He sold me my first car. He encouraged my academic progression and even talked to my teachers to see what they were teaching and what I was learning. He also encouraged my study of truth and belief.

I know I'm not anywhere near what my heroes are, especially, my father, but I still look up to them all and admire the various things they do. They have all shaped my life in various avenues. I'm anxious to see who my children regard as heroes as they grow. I have two wonderful daughters and hope that I make their list.