The Passion of 10000 Maniacs
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FREE WEEKLY The People’s Paper. A Division of Chautauqua Marketing Solutions • Vol: 01, Number: 25 • September 26, 2011 THE PASSION OF 10,000 MANIACS – MUSIC FOR THE HEART AND MIND Editor Walter Pickut “What are you passionate about?” Steve Gustafson always challenges his students with that question. “When you find out, see if you can make a career of that.” Jamestown’s 10,000 Maniacs become world famous and never wanted to, say Steve Gustafson and Dennis Drew, two of the band’s original members and founders. It’s not that they didn’t want fame and fortune, they simply loved to make music first and they enjoyed entertaining people. “This looks like fun,” Steve and Dennis agreed in tenth grade when they compared notes 10,000 Maniacs Celebrate 30 Years – Jerry Augustyniak, Steve Gustafson, Mary Ramsey, Jeff Erickson and Dennis Drew. on their favorite music. “We were on a search to find our out with joy.” same terms. “We love the crafting of passion,” Gustafson said recently, relaxing songs.” Dennis said, “We talked about stuff with his feet up on his desk beneath the A picture of that old music bus, its gypsy band of Maniacs and hundreds of rare we read in the paper, stuff nobody wrote framed, multi-platinum 1993 live album songs about. It came out of who we were.” MTV Unplugged. His office is the control and fascinating artifacts from the personal collections of Dennis Drew and Steve It was also risky, Steve added. “The hardest deck at the back of The Sharman Theater at part was telling your band mates your Jamestown Community College. Gustafson are on display at 3rd on 3rd in an exhibit titled “These are Days: 10,000 idea. It was often about something real Maniacs 1981-2011,” from September 9 emotional, kind of risky. But if they liked through October 29. it, we’d all say ‘This could be a hit’.” Dennis Drew, organ and piano player for “But what we lacked in talent, we made the band, recalls, “At first we didn’t make up with smarts,” Steve said. “A lot of any money at all. We stayed on people’s music written for adolescents is simply floors and traveled around the country narcissistic,” Dennis agreed. “If something from one college radio station to another.” mattered to us, it was worth a song.” When Dennis and Steve started at JCC’s 10 watt they signed their first deal with Electra student-run radio station, WJWK, as DJs Records, they took the money from playing whatever was fun, with lots of their advance and all signed up for music punk, like the Sex Pistols, Gang of 4, and lessons. “We decided it was time to get anything else popular on the college music scene. “I was a Dead Head for a couple of years,” Gustafson said, “then I cut my hair and moved on.” Mary Ramsey, Viola and Lead Vocals Steve and Dennis soon decided, “Hey, photo credit: Richard Chaitt we can do this.” As 17-year-olds they “Starting a band looked like an easy assembled a band and played under way to make money without working,” names Burn Victims, Still Life and a few Gustafson said with a smile, reminiscing others at first. “We developed organically,” about those high school day dreams. Gustafson said. “We didn’t sound like “But we were serious about music and anybody else. We each had our own ideas.” we loved our years as migrant musicians Rob Buck, with a unique style on acoustic with no baggage.” A tour of “3rd on 3rd,” guitar and vocalist Natalie Merchant soon Brought to you by: the Chautauqua County Arts Council’s came aboard, “and luckily Natalie was a studio at 116 East Third Street, reveals the genius at writing,” Dennis added. Maniac’s passion proudly hand-painted Dennis and Steve both describe the most Jeff Erickson, Lead Guitar across their first, early ‘80s tour bus, “Sing rewarding part of the band’s work in the photo credit: Richard Chaitt COn’T ON PAGE 11 September 26, 2011 Jamestown Gazette www.JamestownGazette.com • Page 1 8742 West Main St. Clymer, NY 14724 (716)355-4432 Find us on-line @ 1-888-355-4432 First Floor *Fresh Cut Meats www.JamestownGazette.com *Groceries *Subs & Pizza Upstairs: *Footwear *Gifts www.neckerscompany.weebly.com *& Home Decor Page 2 • www.JamestownGazette.com Jamestown Gazette September 26, 2011 Main Editor’s Message The People’s Paper. Play Your Passions Publisher ..................................................................................Stacey Hannon Editor ...............................................................................................Walt Pickut “Did anyone ever have a boring dream?” Probably not. So why do so many of us have a boring Production ..................................................................................Michelle Meli day, or hour, or even a minute? And did you ever notice that children at play are rarely bored, Sales ..........................................................................................Stacey Hannon especially when they play with each other? Children live very close to their dreams and their Circulation Manager/Sports Writer .....................................Mark Hannon Sports Writer .................................................................................Phil Genco vivid imaginations. ......................................................................................................RJ Kruszynski Some people never grow up. They keep dreaming their dreams and turn them into reality. They CONTRIBUTING WRITERS discover their passion and follow it. Fern Bertch ...........................................................................Dealer Showcase Chad Ecklof .........................................................................Computer School This week the Jamestown Gazette sets out to inspire you to do the same, or at least think about it. Four Discriminate Diners ...............................................Restaurant Review Katrina Fuller ...............................Life and Times of a Modern Housewife Consider two local boys who grew up in Jamestown in the 1970s. Their names were Dennis and Julia Garstecki ................................................................How Did I Get Here Steve. What they wanted to do most was just play music, on the radio, on keyboards, guitars and in Pastor Shawn Hannon ...............................................................Faith Matters their imaginations. Music was their passion. Fame and fortune were far down their list of priorities. Pastor Scott Hannon .................................................................Faith Matters Kate Gross ................................................................Explore Our State Parks They gathered a core of like-minded friends around themselves and eventually became the 10,000 Amie Libby ................................................................................Senior Minute Maniacs. They sang their own tunes, wrote their own words and ignored the so-called rules for Vicki McGraw ............................................................Join Me In the Kitchen Elaine Muscarella .......................................................................Nurses Notes success. But their dreams, their imagination and their passion took them there just as surely. Joanna Tanner .........................................................................Down To Earth WCA Hospital ....................................................................... Medical Minute “Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music,” Ronald Reagan was once heard to say. Young Gazetteers ................................................Students, Pre-K to Seniors Then consider a successful, highly paid corporate executive who lived and worked in Jamestown QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS for many years. He had dreamed of a very different life, an artistic life of creativity and Write to us at: craftsmanship, a life with no guarantee of high pay, shrewd investments and secure pensions. But PO Box 92 Jamestown, New York 14702 his passion persuaded him against all logic. Jim Holler quit the corporate office and committed himself to handcrafting one-of-a-kind, superb guitars and a company called Trinity Guitars. OFFICE: 716-484-7930 FAX: 716-338-1599 Today his workmanship graces the fingers of some of the world’s most accomplished guitarists on six of the planet’s seven continents. Passion can pave the road to success at least as surely as any EMAIL: [email protected] (news stories) [email protected] (inquiries) corporate office. [email protected] (events) ONLINE: “The guitar is a miniature orchestra all by itself,” Ludwig van Beethoven said. www.jamestowngazette.com So what’s your passion? Do you have a sleeping dream that would be less boring than your job AD DEADLINES: Thursday at 4:00 pm [email protected] if you woke it up? Maybe you can make it a simple hobby at first, then gather a few like-minded Classified ad deadline: Thursday at 4:00 pm friends around, enjoy it… and see what might happen next. DISTRIBUTION: And, speaking of passionate playing, check in with our Young Writer for this week, Emily, and think The Jamestown Gazette is a locally owned FREE weekly community newspaper that reaches residents and merchants in Southern ‘bout them Bills. It’s football season again. We just might be in for some passionate play this year. Chautauqua County. We build a sense of community and pride by providing residents and businesses with positive stories and Enjoy the read. timely information that spotlights local residents, organizations and businesses operating and working together. New issue will be Walt Pickut distributed to local