16 February 2023 - Frank Turner - Bob

I never truly considered getting a tattoo until I had a stroke a year before the “plague” hit the world.

Lying in a hospital bed for weeks of rehab and listening to my iPod at night will do that to you. I probably listened to Frank Turner’s “I Still Believe,” dozens of times in those weeks. I would meditate on this single line from that song, “Now who’d have thought that after all something so simple as rock and roll will save us all?”

I was convinced that when I got out of that place and got “well enough” I would get that line tattooed on my arm as a reminder of where I was and what I wanted to be. After my release I had an uphill battle with glorious victories, and annoying failures. Went back to work after a few weeks of my release (albeit in four-hour shifts) and was able to drive after five months. Sadly, playing guitar proved too frustrating and typing on cellphones or laptops is still a freaking chore (left hand freely types away while right hand labors behind frustrating me with errors as every misstep drives me bonkers.

But the greatest moment in the recovery process came just before I was headed to Jamaica for my annual vacation. My doctor, after a boring year of forced, yet absolutely necessary sobriety, cleared me to drink alcohol with one caveat: drink like an adult and not like a frat guy. I happily complied. I then thought, “I’m back. When I return from my trip, I’m gonna get that tattoo.”

Had a great vacation. Came home and saw some friends at the bar. We laughed about some threatening virus as we were saying our goodbyes.

Covid.

F@cking Covid.

Suddenly everything fun was over. Not for days, or weeks, or months, but years. We seem to be getting back to a new normal, but the urge to get that Frank Turner lyric etched onto my skin has waned. It’s still a beautiful thought.

Anyway, here we are with Frank covering “Bob” by NOFX. The video is very meta as NOFX portrays Frank’s band covering themselves. "What is Bob gonna do now that he can't drink?" for a while there, I could certainly relate. Enjoy!