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The Tao of Bo Diddley
Life lessons from the biggest badass of them all
Well, it's been four days now since the passing of Bo Diddley and I'm still not over it. I realize that we all gotta go sometime, but I think I secretly hoped that Bo would live forever.
In some ways, he will.
I saw Bo Diddley perform in my junior high auditorium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 1976 and it changed my life. Period. He was a big dude, dressed all in black. He swore so much that my mum made us (my little brother and I) leave, but not before he ripped through some choice material – most notably, "Hey, Bo Diddley" and "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover." I was mesmerized.
Nearly 30 years later, I would share the stage with Bo Diddley at Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival on Randall's Island in New York. The Stooges were there. So were the New York Dolls, the Dictators, the Strokes, Nancy Sinatra and a number of other influential artists. But it was Bo's presence that sent that shock of schoolgirl adrenaline through my forty-year-old body. I'd been in love with him since sixth grade – and there he was, right in front of me.
Also coursing through my veins on that occasion was a significant amount of tequila – so, when I saw Bo being assisted onto the back of a little golf cart backstage, I ambushed him with a big kiss.
In some ways, he will.
I saw Bo Diddley perform in my junior high auditorium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 1976 and it changed my life. Period. He was a big dude, dressed all in black. He swore so much that my mum made us (my little brother and I) leave, but not before he ripped through some choice material – most notably, "Hey, Bo Diddley" and "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover." I was mesmerized.
Nearly 30 years later, I would share the stage with Bo Diddley at Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival on Randall's Island in New York. The Stooges were there. So were the New York Dolls, the Dictators, the Strokes, Nancy Sinatra and a number of other influential artists. But it was Bo's presence that sent that shock of schoolgirl adrenaline through my forty-year-old body. I'd been in love with him since sixth grade – and there he was, right in front of me.
Also coursing through my veins on that occasion was a significant amount of tequila – so, when I saw Bo being assisted onto the back of a little golf cart backstage, I ambushed him with a big kiss.
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10:32 EDT, 12.Jun.08
16:53 EDT, 09.Jun.08