Book Excerpt from "We Are The Road Crew"

Platinum


When the Bangles tour was almost over, Steve our Production Manager told the crew that as a thank you, the band would be giving each of us a platinum album award. In the music business this is the brass ring, the best that you could do. I was really impressed, I was in my early twenties and was about to receive my first platinum record. I was anxious to get it; this was a sort of validation for my career. A lot of my family still thought that I had a hokey fly by night job with no future.

We were told that the awards would be shipped to each of us at our homes. I couldn’t wait, I was so nervous that mine would get lost or damaged. Every day I would wait for the mailman and accost him on the front lawn. Every day I was skunked, he didn’t have it. After the mailman I would wait for any sign of the UPS man, in case he had it. I didn’t know how the record was going to be shipped, so I had to keep my eyes open.

One day I came home to find a box at my front door, about the right size and shape, it had been left outside unprotected! I grabbed it and quickly went inside, my hands shaking as I started to open it. When I got it open I thought for a moment that I heard the angels sing. There it was in all its platinum glory, with my name engraved right on it. I stared at it a lot that day. I had to keep looking at it to make sure my name was still on it.