Steve Gibbs Autobiography

March 3, 2024 Drummer Column, Gibbs, 1,115 words Abio 12: Life after Ollie at age five After I refused to talk to Dr. Mahogany’s totally fake, below-my-age-level Ollie the sock puppet at the Erie Clinic for Kids with Brain Traumas, Dr. Mahogany closed the book on me. He gave no more tests. Not sure I could have said anything, but I never tried. Instead, he bumped us upstairs from Serious to Severe. A receptionist scheduled us to return in two weeks, when I would be injected with radioactive dye and hung upside down to pinpoint the blockage. We took the 120-mile train home and waited to depart again. Two weeks later we walked to the Ridgway station to catch the morning Erie train. We were already packed. Little did we know, but this train ride would be like no other. From my window seat, I had learned that looking straight out made everything blurry, but if I turned my head sideways against the glass, looking up the tracks, everything was clear. I could...

February 25 2024 Drummer column, Gibbs, 1,299 words Abio episode 11: Born at the age of five On the evening of August 28, 1958 at the age of four and a half, I was hit head-on by a car traveling 25 mph just a half block from my house. I’d darted out into the street following my older sister, Carol. The driver, Robert Frederick, live nearby on Vernon Street. I hit the front bumper, bounced my head on the roadway, and rebounded up to become lodged in the engine block. He dragged me eight feet before stopping, according to Carol, who was right there. Word spread. Alarms went off. My dad leaped a five-foot fence in our yard to get to me and crawled under the car to be with me the whole time, according to my sister. My chronicler. I was gone to the world. I learned that the fire department had to summon a tow truck to lift the Oldsmobile high enough for a safe extraction. At the local hospital, two blocks away, it was diagnosed that I had a ¾ round skull fracture, which nearl...

Sunday, February 18, 2024 Drummer Column, Gibbs, 1,251 words Abio episode 10: The college nudge What nudge got me to college of my own accord? So far, my autobiography has been mostly about my girlfriends. The easiest thing to remember about teenage years is love. Recalling my relationships helped me keep the events of my young adult life in order. Where did I work while dating each new friend? Where did I live? As well, the individual relationships, when taken in sequence, creates a clearer picture of the life lessons I learned about romance. Cheryl and Cheri wanted different things, marriage, berth, and birth, and I was not cut out for that. I understand the motives – take me from my parents, find us a home of my own, share adventures, and give me someone to love unconditionally, even if it isn’t you. I learned this: Before making a long-term commitment, be certain that you’re both happy with what the other person wants. Many hasty decis...