objects people would hand him, and then that person had a work of art. Something about giving away a valuable thing impressed me, like getting Mickey Mantle's autograph (which I have, somewhere). This was before eBay when most people collected things because they wanted them and not to sell that night online. He died on February 16.I was out riding my bike when I heard that Elvis died. Someone stopped his car and pointed to his AM radio and said, "Can you believe Elvis died?" It didn't matter to me. Elvis? But I think the guy just needed to tell someone. I was skipping class and drinking MD 20/20 with friends when I heard that Bon Scott (singer for AC/DC) had died. Since this was high school, we all liked AC/DC, which is a phase lots of kids go through. Plus, Highway to Hell was a huge hit. Between that song and T.N.T and Whole Lotta Rosie, AC/DC was on the radio pretty often.
So I don't really remember the death of Elvis as having any real impact on me; maybe I was too young or maybe death was too much of an abstract concept. But sometime during the next year, a kid I had hung around with a few times, David, put a rifle under his chin and killed himself, and death became real. I don't remember David that well; he was a friend of a friend. We went over to swim in his pool and jump in off the roof. We poured gasoline on dog shit and lit it on fire. He tried to teach me how to ride his motorcycle. And I think his dad was a mean bastard.
So I remember where I was when I heard that Bon Scott died. I was with friends, and I remember we drank to him. He died on February 19. I know he's not like John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rudolph Valentino or Elvis, but I think everyone should remember where they were when someone famous died. If for no other reason, it's a good reason for friends to get together for a drink.
